So you slept in again and didn’t make it to the morning yoga class. You tell yourself it is okay and decide to go for the evening class. Then your colleagues make a dinner plan and you skip the evening class. So you tell yourself, “I will be regular from tomorrow.” But dinner ends late and once again you find yourself hitting that snooze button. But you wake up feeling terribly guilty and tell yourself that you will go for the evening class and the cycle begins all over again.
Don’t be too hard on yourself; we have all been there and done that. Everyone has repetitive behavioural patterns: perhaps you are always late, or you keep losing your temper, or you constantly interrupt people when they are talking. We put labels on ourselves based on these patterns.
But these are just habits, not who we really are. Often, habits emerge from some experience that we have had earlier in life – if your parents never listened to you when you were growing up, you might find yourself interrupting people because you are desperate to be heard; if your first boss had a bad temper, you might find that you also raise your voice with your employees.
The impact of these experiences could be small or large. Either way, it is better to let go of negative habits or better still transform them into positive habits. The philosophy of yoga refers to these patterns as Samskaras . From the moment we are born, we are interacting with the world. This interaction leaves impressions or imprints on our mind. These impressions influence or colour our life.
These patterns are sometimes positive, but often, as mentioned above, the Samskaras are negative and they hinder our evolution and progress.
Yoga is the tool we use to break these Samskaras and liberate ourselves. The holistic practice of yoga leads to the ultimate liberation, Nirvana , or if you are not ready for that as yet, simply liberation from bad habits or negative patterns of behaviour. The approach is simple:
Build awareness Sometimes we are not even aware of our negative samskaras . Yoga teaches us awareness of the body, the breath and of the mind. When our minds are more alert, it is easier to see our behavioural patterns.
Self-Study Once we identify our negative samskaras, we use the technique of svadhyaha or self-study to understand more. When do we react? What are our triggers? We learn to identify the source of these negative habits. Meditation is a very important tool in this self-study.
Letting go Once we are able to identify our behaviour and its source, yoga teaches us to let go. Just as we learn to let go of the physical body when we lie down in Shavasana , so we can let go of the chaos in our minds.
Live in the present Through asana practice and meditation, we learn to live in the present. In this moment there is no past, no future. So there can be no trigger, no worry and no reason to behave in a set way.
Connect with your true self It is in this present moment that we see our true selves, beyond all the roles and labels, beyond the influence of the past and the desires for the future. So next time you decide to sleep instead of going for your yoga class, think again. You are not simply missing a yoga class, but missing a step towards a happier life.
