संतोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः
santoṣādanuttamasukhalābhaḥ ||2.42||
From santoṣā (contentment), there is the obtainment of unsurpassed happiness.
Nearly two decades ago Apple released the iPhone. While I wasn’t fully aware of what it was and what the capabilities of this new ‘smart phone’ were, many people had it as their priority to own one. So much so that there were lines outside shops before opening to make sure that you could secure one. Obviously this isn’t the first (or last) time people will line up for things. Perhaps for you it wasn’t the iPhone but your favourite record store was releasing your favourite artists album. Maybe that musician was touring and you wanted to be one of the first to get tickets or to get into the show. Some cafes have lines around the block or bakeries offering an Instagram worthy cake. Or maybe you are just lining up and patiently waiting at the bank, the post office or to check in for a flight.
I don’t know where I first heard it but I really like the statement:
“Your time is one of the most valuable things in your life and therefore how you choose to spend it becomes your greatest expense.”
Now waiting in line for something is justifiably worth it – as we are all allowed our own preferences of what we value and deem important. However, there are several conditions to what can justify this use of time. How long will I be lining up for? Has the line moved at all? Will this cost me in other areas of my day (or my life) and by how much?
And what about that person that cuts the line or doesn’t seem to understand the unspoken ethics of lining up for something – are they doing something wrong? Does it appear as chaos among order?
Yoga practice is very much interested in alignment and the process of time. For some students the alignment in their āsana practice is the most important thing and for others it is just a loose framework for not injuring yourself. You could say it’s comparable to some people lining up for a famous chocolate croissant and others line up for a chance to meet their favourite celebrity. And some people will line up for both.
To say that alignment isn’t important in your āsana practice would be missing out on some gems that the practice provides such as problem solving, spcial awareness and body control. To say that alignment is the most important thing in your āsana practice would be closing yourself off to other experiences throughout the journey of a class such as new or different feelings in the body – both good and bad.
Nobody likes it when they see people cut the line that you have been waiting in for some time. A lot of us would take the opportunity to cut the line in front of others, especially if we feel our time is pressed or our friend invites us into their place.
Cutting the line in your āsana practice can happen organically. Maybe your body is quite bendy or strong in certain areas and groups of postures come naturally to you. But how safe is a building if the foundations haven’t been properly set?
The time spent in your āsana practice is valuable. You have given yourself hours out of your day to do this thing with your body, breath and mind. It’s stimulates the energy in the body, it brings up emotions, it makes you focused, tired and grateful. We shouldn’t want to skip the hard, boring or confusing parts of the practice because we want to rush ahead and get to the good parts or the parts we feel competent in. Some people have been practicing āsana for decades and are in no hurry to rush or advance their practice, while others want their body to do the advanced postures now and are happy to throw themselves into the challenge even though it may not last or the instant gratification will pass.
What does contentment look like to you? Are you happy to spend your time waiting in line for something you deem worthy? And unhappy when you are forced to line up and wait for something that should be seamless and easy?
In your yoga practice are you content with staying the same or do you look for contentment in knowing you are always trying to further yourself? Knowing that every day is a new opportunity and challenge to work with (and against) your body and its limitations as well as the varying degrees of mental fluctuations that life throws at us can offer incredible insights.
We are all subject to the chaos that life’s throws at us and how we navigate this chaos can be the difference in feeling a sense of contentment and risk that feeling of not doing, having or being enough.
When it comes to practicing āsana with a strong emphasis on alignment maybe adding a little chaos in the form of fluidity can balance things out and when the practice has little to no alignment emphasis perhaps trying to straighten things out and get them into line will reveal where and how your time and efforts can be utilized most effectively.
Ultimately the journey towards contentment would be something worth giving your time towards and if it was available to everyone as a product or a service it would surely be something I would line up for. Would you?
– Doug Whittaker