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Yoga and the Ego

Yoga and the Ego

By: Ifi

One of the many things that brought me to the yoga practice was the idea of non-attachment: letting go of the idea of how things should be and to accept the way things are. For me, this means letting go of “perfection” and meeting myself where I am in that moment. I came from a background in dance, so it is very difficult for me to let go of the right and wrongs of movement. Yoga practice has helped me step away from that judgement of my performance. However, I still find myself wanting more: more strength, more flexibility, and better physical practice.

But what does this accomplish? How does this mindset serve me? 

In yoga philosophy, we learn that too much attachment to our egos leads to unhappiness because we limit ourselves (Newlyn, 2016, April 5). Becoming overly attached to our egos causes us to twist truths to protect it (Sovik, 2016, April 1). Certainly in my case, it steals the joy and mindfulness of my practice. But how do I overcome this? And if I let go of my ego, what becomes of my physical practice? Will I be able to get into complex shapes?

Often I injure myself because I listen to the internal story that sinceI could do this pose when I was 20, I should be able to do this now in my forties. Instead of enjoying the movement my body can do now, I cling on to an old–and possibly false–story of what I used  to do, I don’t want to say that ego is bad–because for many of us it drives us to find our edge–but letting my ego dictate my practice isn’t serving me. I’m becoming overly attached to judging my practice.

If we switch our mindset from an ego-driven practice to a self-aware practice, we find ourselves listening to our bodies instead of looking and judging. A self-aware practice leaves us flexible with the everyday changes and honors our bodies’ needs. You can still challenge yourself because you’re aware of what your body needs in that moment. When we focus on an ego-driven practice, so much of our energy is focused on what could be, not what is. Rolf Sovik writes (2016, April 1), 

And the message yoga delivers is that it is possible to live in the world and yet gather strength and identity from a higher source. It’s a matter of where we place our priorities. When we can release even a small portion of the energy that is consumed in the gargantuan task of keeping up appearances, it becomes available for something much more productive within us.

Yoga is a lifelong practice and lifestyle, and if I keep letting my ego dictate my practice, it wouldn’t be sustainable. An ego-driven practice is taking us outside ourselves and causes us to forget why we practice in the first place.

With that, I leave you with this mantra from Dr. Berne Brown: “I am enough.”

References

Newlyn, E. (2016, April 5). Yoga and the ego. https://www.yogaeasy.com/artikel/yoga-and-the-ego


 
 
 

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