Why It Is Important To Be Uncomfortable in Yoga

One reason why ascetic paths were set is simply because of this: you start doing things that are naturally not comfortable for you. If you have to do something that you do not like, you can only do it consciously. There is no other way to do it. Things that you like, you can do compulsively, but things that you do not like, you can only do consciously. That is why the ascetic path. You start doing everything consciously. There is no other way to be. You are practicing how to be conscious in various situations in your life-Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Yoga is supposed to wake you up-Peg Mulqueen

 

Many people come to yoga practice with the intention of distracting themselves or taking a break from their life. This is not the point of yoga. Yoga is to make you fully conscious, fully awake and fully absorbed in life. Full absorption is samadhi. Samadhi is the final state on the yoga journey.

Do one thing every day that scares you-anonymous

Every yoga practice should include something that wakes you up. Something that makes you fully conscious. Something that you cannot sleep walk through.  Something that makes you completely  uncomfortable.  Maybe even flat out scared.

Many people complain that many of the yoga  poses of Ashtanga are crazy and seemingly impossible. But what if that is the point? What if the point was not in the completion of the poses? What if the point really was to see what comes up when you are forced to be fully conscious of your emotions while trying to do the poses?

The point of yoga has never been the poses. Its time to wake up.

Shanna Small

Shanna Small has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga and studying the Yoga Sutras since 2001. She has studied in Mysore with Sharath Jois and is the Director of AYS Charlotte, a school for traditional Ashtanga in Charlotte NC. She has written for Yoga International and the Ashtanga Dispatch. Go here for more information on AYS Charlotte. For information on workshops, please e-mail shanna@ashtangayogaproject.com.