Importance of Practice

Endless Surfing - but still thirsty for solutions! In this post we examine the role and power of practice, and how in the information-age we often confuse the availability of the latter with the role of a teacher who can make a genuine connection with us and take us further in our journey through consistent practice.

Whatever information you want, it’s there at your fingertips. And yet, it doesn’t mean that we have fewer problems. It actually feels like we have more! And we are hit with a barrage of information every day for the different problems we seem to encounter! 

Earlier, you had the good old encyclopedia to look up information. But, there was a very important difference vs. the internet. It answered “what”, “when” and “why”.  For instance, when did so and so win the Nobel prize for Literature etc. If you needed to figure out “what to do” and “how to do it”, it didn’t tell you that.  You needed to actually catch hold of someone who knew how to do it.

So, for example, it would talk about Indian cuisine, and what it consisted of (e.g. roti), and seasonal foods etc. but if you wanted to know how to make round rotis, you had to stand next to Ma and suffer her explanations and corrections. That is how you learnt how to do something. But now? The internet has all the ‘hows’ and methods. While it has made life easy, we have rapidly reached the problem of plenty – so many tips, tricks, methods, that we are either on an endless search for the ‘next best thing’ flitting and sipping like butterflies or are vicariously seeking some fulfilment from finding information about it, rather than doing it.

Learning to do something

Learning a skill is not about just “knowing” how to do it, but to actually practice doing it. This is also the case when we want to change a habit - a pattern of action/behavior in our life - also called samskara. The word samskara denotes a habitual pattern of doing something. Let us look into this a little further.

In order for us to do anything – our entire being (the physical, the physiological and the psychological) - needs to be aligned and engaged. Simply having an intent to do something is not enough to do it (I am sure many of us know of New year resolutions!). Having the energy/drive to do something but not knowing what to do can lead us in either paralysis or restless mode. And finally even if you have the intent and drive the physical body must have the capacity to do so.

In other words - the physical structure of the body, the energy or prana, and the thought/intention (the mind) need to work in conjunction for an action. When a certain action is repeated over and over again, pathways of energy flow are created in the thought-energy-body complex to move effortlessly in this direction of action - thus creating habitual patterns.

These habitual patterns or pathways (ways of doing things, really)  are created unconsciously - as we grow up, and adopt certain ways that seem right to us. The Yoga Sutra reminds us that these samkara-s can help or hinder.  For e.g., if you are a person who is particular about things, you could become a pain for others around you, or experience suffering yourself if they ‘refuse to listen’! 😇You may not be able to take it easy, as that energy pathway is not there within you. 

And when we realise how we are standing in our own way of growth and way to change, we are often stuck. When these pathways are created unconsciously - the pathway for the energy to move in a different way is not available! (Remember all three - intent-energy-body - have to come together for the new action).

Creating New Pathways

Creating new pathways of energy flow requires an alignment at the level of intent/thought, drive/energy, and physical capacity/readiness. If we have taken a step towards change with some clarity, responsibility and ownership, then there is a lot of drive/energy to create new pathways for the new samskara.

However, there are times when we find ourselves unable to bring sufficient motivation and impetus for the change, despite “knowing” what we need to do. On the other hand, sometimes we may not know what to do! I am sure many of us would have found ourselves saying - I know I need to stop doing this or start doing this, but am not able to, or I do not know what to do. Something within us gets in the way - resistance, inertia, carelessness, laziness, doubt, restlessness. Information alone is not enough to give us the push to move past these inner obstacles to act and create a new samskara.

What is needed in such an instance  is not INFORMATION but TRANSFORMATION. As Desikachar said about the personalized and customized approach of yoga that he and his father pioneered -

There are two tracks - one is information, the other is transformation. With information we can communicate to thousands of people. With transformation it is like surgery, one doctor cannot do surgery for 1000 people (at the same time). When it comes to transformation there is a need for 1-1 contact and connection. For transformation to happen there should be an intimate relationship between aspirant and provider.

Role of a Teacher

At a recent event at a corporate event, after experiencing our yoga session, one of the participants asked - I know this is good for me, but I am unable to do it regularly. What to do? And I said - find a teacher who can help you move in this direction - not just with information but through connection and doable action! This is the difference between information and transformation as Desikachar said so beautifully. 

When we want to change and either know what to do, but are unable to do it, or when we do not know what to do, what is needed is a scaffold or a support. It is like a process of building a new structure where none exists initially, or the process to create a channel for the energy to flow/move around an existing obstacle.

And this what we do in our Yoga Therapy sessions to bring about change or transformation. When we meet a client, we have a detailed conversation with them to understand their context better and create a daily practice (that brings together body-breath-mind, i.e. physical-energy-intention) that can act as a scaffold - to enable new pathways, work-around existing obstacles/limitations and move the person in the direction of improved well-being. Slowly the new pathways strengthen and energize new possibilities in the inner and outer experience and expression of life of the person, thus bringing change.

Consistent effort over a period of time that begins where you are and enables progress based on the goal, rooted in the deeper understanding of the nature of suffering is the key for transformation – be that physical or emotional.

So, if you are finding yourself taking in a lot of information but falling short of action, knowing what to do but not able to get started, knowing what is good for you but unable to sustain it, then reach out to a teacher for creating a practice-scaffold that will lead to change from inside out.