A couple years ago in India, as I was making my goodbye rounds in the village, my Tibetan shop-keeper friend, Lucky, gave me this scroll inscribed with words attributed to the Dalai Lama. It’s titled “Never Give Up” and says:
No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Develop the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
in your heart and in the world
Work for peace
And I say it again
Never give up
No matter what is happening
No matter what is going on
around you
Never give up
These days it seems there are so many valid reasons to give up — to throw in the towel, so to speak, and turn away from the world. And as a yoga practitioner one may even justify doing so in the name of practice. Pouring more and more of one’s time and energy into the work on the mat/cushion, going further inward and staying there longer. Because that’s the ultimate aim, right? Detach from the world and find liberation through one’s soul. Right?
Patanjali says (sutra 1.15), sa tu dīrghakāla nairantarya satkārāsevito drdha-būmih, which means, “Moreover, that practice over a long time, without interruption and with sincere devotion, will build a strong foundation - firm ground.” (Seth Powell, Yogic Studies). In Pali, the ancient language of Buddhism, citta can be taken to mean mind or heart. When we read what HHDL has said (above) he’s encouraging us to develop that side of the mind - the emotive, loving, compassionate part of our heart-mind.
For many of us, a chosen and useful place to develop the heart, is on the mat and cushion. Time, consistency, and devotion are keys to developing our innate qualities of love and compassion.
Patanjali also describes a path - a practice - that encompasses eight limbs or components. Those limbs are (sutra 2.29) (1) yama (how we treat others, rooted in nonharming), (2) niyama (self care of the spiritual kind), (3) asana (steady seat, posture), (4) pranayama (breath work), (5) pratyahara (sensory control), (6) dharana (concentration), (7) dhyana (meditation), and (8) samadhi (cognitive absorption).
The time on the mat or the cushion can be so vital to cultivating this strong foundation of which Patanjali speaks. Each day this is where we cultivate the third through eighth limbs and the means for transformation and yogic development. Getting to the mat/cushion is generally the hardest part and the most critical step. Once we actually get there and start the practice, something worthwhile generally transpires. It’s just that step of getting there that can often present quite a setback. There are so many possibilities for derailment and, as a teacher, I see these play out quite a lot. We can come up with a myriad of “good” reasons to skip practice. One day turns into two, two into three, and before we know it the commitment has wained.
Patanjali addressed this too, in sutra 1.30 wherein he provides a list of nine shared hindrances that we commonly encounter. These include sickness and injury, inability to make decisions, dis-serving skepticism and loss of faith, carelessness, laziness, desire and wanting, misinterpretation and mistaken belief, inability to concentrate, and loss of prior abilities to focus the mind. So, we can take some solace in the knowing that these challenges are shared amongst us all and have been for thousands of years.
So, when this happens, don’t beat yourself up, don’t let guilt or shame prevent you from coming back, don’t worry about what others think, just get yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on the mat. Never give up.