It is easy to want instant strength and a quick fix solution to produce fast, immediate results. But in yoga the learning comes from allowing the body and the mind to unfold in a steady grace over many years of practice. Each breath along the path of yoga is meant to open your heart to deeper levels of peace and joy. Each practice is a methodical re-training of the habit pattern of the mind to be geared more towards compassion. Each posture holds a lesson that cannot be rushed. If the journey toward achieving a physical posture takes years, imagine how long it takes to achieve final liberation from the cycle of suffering. It takes a strong mind to stand in the midst of a very long journey and not be daunted by the greatness and scope of the path ahead.
True strength is not brute force, it is a quiet decision to do whatever it takes to get the results that you want. Some postures teach practitioners specific spiritual lessons and there is no time limit on spiritual learning. Challenging arm balances are about connecting to an eternal place within, finding the self-empowerment to believe in yourself every step of the way. When you try to lift your body off the ground you are cultivating the kind of tenacity needed to effect spiritual transformation. In yoga you are the one who works every day for your own liberation. You are the one who must learn to believe in yourself, to cultivate the type of determination that is willing to put in the work to break through old patterns of suffering, revealing true and lasting peace. The yoga practice aims to give you spiritual strength, an inner resolve that carries you through good times and…
