Skill in Action

In Bhagavad Gita it says “yoga is skill in action`

It is not about whether you do a yoga pose the way it is shown in yoga books , or how much better or worse you do the pose compared to your neighbor. It is about how you do them; the intention you have while you are doing them

It is the same way in life. We may not get the results we want in every attempt we make in life, but the important thing is to have made the attempt with the right intentions, and using the best of our knowledge.

During your asana practice use the skills that you have learned, but don’t try to push yourself to what you think the pose should look like. Just keep the integrity of the pose. We are students on this path to Yoga and it is only natural that we have room for improvement. So, if you can’t go all the way down in hanumanasana, that’s fine. Go only as much as you can, and maybe you’ll stay off of the floor, and that’s fine. Try to keep your hips square at the same level, facing forward, and your upper body straight and you’ll be staying true to the pose and to yourself. It is much better to do that than trying to stretch your legs, and bring yourself to the floor and then hurting yourself because you couldn’t accept where you were.

Be faithful to which exists within you. And let it guide you, and if it tells you to stop at a certain point, keep your ego silent, and let your heart speak louder. That will help you to accept where you are and actually be content with it. 

So draw your awareness within, and listen to your body

Don’t hold back from what you are capable of, but beware when you know it is the place for you to practice acceptance than to practice the asana...