Day 20

(image courtesy of Relaxing Music)

Day 20 – The other day, my instructor opened our yoga class by talking about the idea of abhyasa. She described it as the daily, nitty-gritty work we put in to achieving our grander goals.

In my morning meditations I often focus on what I want to manifest in my life. The idea is that we create this image, send it out into the universe, then let go of it, understanding that it is in the hands of a greater wisdom. It requires the belief that it will be taken care of paired with the work of going about your daily business to get you there. It sounds contradictory at first, but the heart of it is total trust, both in yourself and in the higher , timeless wisdom.

Yoga Journal explains the idea of abhyasa and the idea of “Balancing Effort and Surrender“:

The word abhyasa is rooted in, as meaning “to sit.” But abhyasa isn’t your garden-variety sitting. Rather, abhyasa implies action without interruption—action that’s not easily distracted, discouraged, or bored. Abhyasa builds on itself, just as a ball rolling downhill picks up momentum; the more we practice, the more we want to practice, and the faster we reach our destination.

As also means “to be present.” This reminds us that for our practice to be effective, we must always be intensely present to what we’re doing. Eventually, such resolute, vigilant enterprise on the yoga mat becomes part and parcel of everything we do in daily life. (http://www.yogajournal.com/article/philosophy/balancing-effort-and-surrender/)

I’m so grateful to my instructor for sharing this idea with us!