A Joyful Practice

EXCERPT: “Effort and Effect” February 20, 2024

“Happy Spring Festival!” Many blessings to everyone observing (or getting ready to observe) Lent. Peace, ease, and inspiration to all throughout this “Season for Nonviolence” and all other seasons!

“Well, sir, you were not doing yoga in that moment. You were in an asana class, but you weren’t doing yoga.

If you’re actually using asana as a tool of yoga — if you’re doing yoga — it is much, much, less likely that you’re going to be hurting yourself, whether you’re a man or a woman or young or old or whatever. Because, yoga practice, if we look at the tradition and what the teachings say about, it has to do with a certain attitude towards our actions; a certain consciousness, a certain introspection, a certain what we call svādhyāyād. And when you have this svādhyāyād, you are putting, you are being put in touch, automatically, with: number one, how you can move beyond your limitations; but, also, number two, what limitations you need to respect and not try to push past.

And this is where swadhyaya becomes the intermediate phrase in the tapaḥsvādhyāyeśvarapraṇidhānāni definition of yoga. Where tapas is talking about the things that we can change and īśvarapraṇidhānādvā is talking about the things that we must surrender to. And svādhyāyād is talking about, well, the wisdom to know the difference. So this is the great serenity prayer of yoga practice. It’s the same exact idea.”

— Leslie Kaminoff, quoted from a Yoga Anatomy class discussion [in the video excerpt entitled “William J. Broad is not doing ‘Yoga’ – Leslie Kaminoff on ‘Women’s Flexibility Is a Liability’”]

The following excerpt is from a 2022 post:

“In the process of considering what it means to be human, we have to also address what it means to live life as humans. Here, we can use the words of either Scott – because life is ‘a simple thing’ and ‘life is difficult.’ Then we need to add in the fact that life is a beautiful thing, a hard thing, a challenging thing. Life can also be messed up, twisted, upside down, and backwards – and not always in a fun way. Life is full of dichotomy and full of contradictions. It can be, and often is, out of balance. What’s more, the way we live our lives can also be all of these things – at the same time… which can make life really hard.

It can also make it hard to do the right thing.

We would like to think that when we do the right thing everything will just fall into place. We would like to think that life will be easier if we make the right decision, at the exact right time, and do the right things. I mean, that’s what we’re taught, right? That’s the secret, right?

Sure, yes. I stand behind the idea of being in the flow. Here’s the thing though: In order for things to fall into place, they have to be set up in a certain way – which requires work, effort. That’s the part of the lesson we always seem to skip over. But, there is no getting around it. It doesn’t matter how many wonderful opportunities fall into your lap, you still have to use the opportunities. You still have to do the work.”

CLICK HERE for the entire 2022 post. 

Yoga Sutra 2.16: heyaṃ duḥkhamanāgatam

— “That which is to be overcome is sorrow that is yet to come.”

Please join me today (Tuesday, February 20^th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02202022 Effort and Effect”]

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

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