Why do we do it? This yoga stuff is hard. This self-study, hard work, and surrender is challenging. (Yoga Sutra 2.1) This climb of dharma peak, this inquiry into the self and true nature is no simple task. So why do we do it? I've talked about this before in one of my first ever posts about the bliss of ignorance and even to this day I remember when my yoga teacher Molly asked the question. Why? My answer in that moment was not only clear but almost forceful. It was emotional and to me very powerful. At the same time, it was simple. "Because I can't not." Hail the double negative! In other words, I feel like I have to. I feel like I don't have a choice but to search and to climb. The alternative scares me.
“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” -Plutarch
I heard this quote and it spoke volumes to me about the power of yoga. It is so simply said. It is so clear. I even feel like I have an abundance of examples for when this has been true for me.
For example, certain things use to scare me. Lead climbing, steep ski slopes, rock jumping, etc. Granted my examples may see extreme to some but the challenge is familiar. If I can change my thoughts, my emotions, and my reactions to the situation then the outward reality changes. The climb is no longer impossible, the ski slope is no longer going to kill me, I am able to jump a given distance between two river rocks. I think of this when I see climbers much stronger than me and adventurers much more daring. In some cases it is not, as we would think, a physical advantage they have over me. In some cases it is what is on the inside that allows their reality to be different than mine. Free soloing to me = crazy. Free soloing to them = daily exercise.
The physical example is always the first one for me to think of and to mention because it has been my learning platform for so many years. Mountains I have climbed that I thought were impossible, skills I have now that used to escape me. Handstands, arm balances, and the once elusive ardha chandrasana (half moon pose.) But even the physical example relies heavily on the mind. The mind can change what is physically possible. The mind can change what is emotionally possible. I can enter a situation I know if about to upset me and with breath and focus I can control those emotions... for awhile... I'm still learning. It's much harder when I'm not expecting the difficult situation!
