How to tell if you are progressing in your practice
Many of you ask me at the beginning of your yoga practice this same question: "How long do I practice in beginner level before I can go on to intermediate or advanced level?" You would have seen me pause. This is because the question can't be answered like this. The measure of progress in yoga is not in advancement in your capacities to deal with increasing levels of "difficulty" of asanas or other practices -- it is not measured the same way as other skills. You don't take an examination in your asana sequences and expect to pass with a grade and move on to "the next level". Those are externals. What we are more interested in developing in yoga are the internals.
I think we need to rephrase the question to: "How can I tell if I am progressing in my practice?" It is a legitimate question. Eknath Easwaran has this to say about progress in meditation practice which can be an answer to this question:
If you want to judge your progress, ask yourself these questions: Am I more loving? Is my judgment sounder? Do I have more energy? Can my mind remain calm under provocation? Am I free from the conditioning of anger, fear, and greed?
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>From Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By" (Nilgiri Press, 1997)
http://www.nilgiri.org/Html/Thoughts/today.html
You can sum up all of that in just one question: "Are you happier?" When you are loving, of sound judgement, full of energy, can remain calm under provocation, are free from anger, fear and greed -- are you in a word: happier. Ultimately, a sound yoga practice "changes the way you see the world and the way you live".
How's your practice? = How happy are you today?
I think we need to rephrase the question to: "How can I tell if I am progressing in my practice?" It is a legitimate question. Eknath Easwaran has this to say about progress in meditation practice which can be an answer to this question:
If you want to judge your progress, ask yourself these questions: Am I more loving? Is my judgment sounder? Do I have more energy? Can my mind remain calm under provocation? Am I free from the conditioning of anger, fear, and greed?
-----
>From Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By" (Nilgiri Press, 1997)
http://www.nilgiri.org/Html/Thoughts/today.html
You can sum up all of that in just one question: "Are you happier?" When you are loving, of sound judgement, full of energy, can remain calm under provocation, are free from anger, fear and greed -- are you in a word: happier. Ultimately, a sound yoga practice "changes the way you see the world and the way you live".
How's your practice? = How happy are you today?
