The Road to Enlightenment? Practice. Practice. Practice.

The Road to Enlightenment? Practice. Practice. Practice.

I smile every time I hear that old joke about the pedestrian, a musician, and Carnegie Hall. It goes something like this, and if I botch it, I apologize. I am terrible at telling jokes, but here goes…

A pedestrian on 57th Street sees a musician getting out of a cab and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without pause, the musician replies wearily, “Practice. Practice. Practice.”

Practice gets us closer to the ultimate in any endeavor. Music, dancing, painting, parenting, learning to speak a new language - you name it - practicing it gets you to a special place of accomplishment in that pursuit.

The same can be said for getting to this special place that yogis call enlightenment. How do we get there? Practice. Practice. Practice.

Where Enlightenment Starts

We know how we feel when we leave a yoga class. Good, right? Some might even say they are a whole new person walking out of a yoga class compared to the person they were when they walked in.

We feel connected somehow, not only to ourselves but to the community around us. We realize that the connection to community happens through our breath, the poses, and the shared experience of yoga. It is almost as if we become one during the time we are in class with the teacher and the other yogis.

An awareness begins to happen, and this is where enlightenment starts. It is a product of practice, practice, practice.

Defining Enlightenment

Enlightenment is defined in yogic terms as a state of being one with the universe. It is this aspect of yoga, the possibility of merging and becoming one with everything – that totally blows my mind. What an amazing concept. Some might argue though that we are already one with the universe. We were born that way but over time, ego gets in the way and blinds us to the awareness of our cosmic unification. The practice of yoga helps us surrender our ego to the higher nature of our true selves.  But how do we get there? Practice, practice, practice.   

So Why Don’t We Practice More Often?

You will hear yoga teachers encourage their students to develop a home practice as a way of developing a higher degree of awareness of the fact that we are connected to everything in the universe. I’ve heard a lot of reasons why practicing beyond the yoga class doesn’t happen.

1. Too busy. While it’s true that the piles of laundry won’t hop into the washer and dryer all by themselves, there is plenty of time throughout the day to take care of what I call the Three Cs - Chores, Children (your own kiddos or the grands), and Chillin’. If we dedicate just 15 minutes a day to stretching and sitting in silence, time for the Three Cs falls into place.

2. Can’t remember the poses. I can relate, especially when I think back to my early days of doing yoga. But eventually, I started to hear my guru’s voice in my head and before I knew it, I was doing poses in the kitchen, the car, and at my desk.  

3. Not enough space. The only amount of space you need is 24” x 70” – the size of a yoga sticky mat.

4. Feels selfish to spend time on myself. Realize that when you take care of yourself, everyone benefits, especially those who love you.

5. Don’t like doing yoga alone. Some love the community yoga creates. I do too. However, I find that when I practice on my own in between classes, I go deeper into my personal journey of healing and awareness, and it allows me to share more of who I know I am with others.

Practicing yoga brings together our desire for good physical, mental, and spiritual health, and the chance to begin again with each new day. Our yoga serves as a bridge between our potential and enlightenment, allowing us to confront challenges, learn from our mistakes, and become the best version of ourselves that we were meant to be - all leading us to a state of awakened understanding.

One Last Thing Before I Go…

As we begin this amazing new year, let’s practice, practice, practice.

Namaste, dear one-