If the wings of yoga are persistent practice (abhyasa) and letting go (vairagya), we must investigate what it means to really practice.
I think there’s a reason why the practice wing is always mentioned first. We have to create a practice before we can let go of the fruits of our practice.
BKS Iyengar often mentions his meaning of abhyasa as persistent practice that involves a methodology and effort. He says that this kind of practice builds confidence and refines a person’s consciousness.
He writes that vairagya is the elimination of whatever hinders progress and refinement.
My practice is strong sometimes, yet some weeks I rarely get down on my mat. It depends on what is going on in my life.
It is hard to find the time to do an asana (postures) practice when I am overscheduled and busy. Ironically, it is during these frantic times that I need to practice yoga the most.
Several months ago, I visited my biological father and his wife in Florida. At 80, he has had to slow down quite a bit.
I have never spent much time with my father. He divorced my mom when I was 9, and moved to another state. As a kid, I saw him about a half-dozen times after that.
My sister encouraged me to visit him, and she even traveled with me for the visit.
I packed my yoga pants, and planned to practice while I was there. I knew doing some yoga poses would help mitigate some of my nervousness and sadness about being there.
I never made it to the poses.
When the dinner conversation brought up some strong political viewpoints that run counter to my own, my stomach gripped into a knot. How to respond to this?
I chose to practice my yoga right there at the table!
I practiced the yama of ahimsa (non-violence or non-harming) and satya (truthfulness). These are the 2 principles Gandhi based his whole teaching on.
I chose to listen without commenting. This was my way of practicing the yamas. To me, being a listener in this situation was about practicing non-harming and truthfulness.
By not arguing my point of view, I feel as if I chose peace. By not speaking out against someone else’s ideas, I practiced being steady within myself and what I think of as truth.
It was a moment-by-moment decision to sit in on the politically charged conversation. In the heat of the moment, I considered leaving the table and heading to the rest room or getting my iphone out to check my messages.
But ultimately I stayed present.
I practiced no asanas that week. But I definitely practiced my yoga — the yamas (respect of others) and the niyamas (personal restraints).
However, I want to be sure you know that I am no yoga saint. Sometimes I try, and fail. And then there are those times when I fail to try.
Looking back on the trip, I am pleased with my effort. Not in a pat-myself-on-the-back kind of way, but in a vairagya (letting go, surrendering) sort of way.
I choose to practice vairagya by giving up the idea that the visit should have been any different than it was — the meal, the trip, the father, the part it has all played in my becoming who I am.
And when I wake up tomorrow I will do my asana practice, and appreciate the sense of contentment of being home with my chosen family – my husband, the kids I helped raise, and the grand-daughter I am blessed to nurture.
Abhyasa in your practice can mean working hard in your poses. It can also mean your continued effort to live an examined life through the methodology of yoga.
At the end of the day we are living a big life – not just contorting ourselves in asana.
Of the yamas and the niyamas, which ones do you gravitate toward?
Here’s a list of them to get you started – nonharming, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, greedlessness, purity, contentment, self-study, zeal, surrendering the results of your practice.