Patanjali says practice

“Long, interrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluxuations” says Patanjali, and my numerous other coaches from the past (but not always in such a wise and well-chosen words). We’ve all heard it: “practice makes perfect- no, perfect practice makes perfect” and now we must be told by an ancient sage too?! If I’ve learned anything through the philosophical discussion portion of class, it’s that Patanjali is pretty much always right when it comes to yoga, and so I came to the conclusion not to overlook sutra I.14 as cliché.

It turns out that the type of practice that Patanjali is talking about is much more specific than the simple repetition of an action, because he’s talking about the actual physical practice of performing yoga poses. This context brings us back to the deeper ideas that yoga rests on, that we perform the poses to still the mind. This particular sutra expounds further into how the calming of the mind occurs and, in a way, links the actual practice of yoga poses to the ideas Patanjali has been discussing.

To me, sutra I.12 means that when I practice my poses, I must truly focus on the actual pose, rather than how others look doing it, or how the room feels, or whether or not it’s almost time to rest. Patanjali tells me that the only way to reap the rewards of yoga is to pay attention to the pose while I perform, which brings us back to my less eloquent coaches of the past. All my soccer, wrestling, swimming, and football coaches told me to practice often. They emphasized practice above all else, but didn’t always specify how crucial the mindfulness of the practice is to achieving results. Although I should “practice, practice, practice” my yoga poses, I must also remember Patanjali’s advice to practice in a meaningful and focused way.