Shedding Samskaras: See With Fresh Eyes
Whether you love New Year’s Resolutions or you roll your eyes at them, there is something to be said about a renewed commitment to achieving a goal. Achieving goals isn’t something that’s done overnight; we often start the new year by forming habits to get us going in the right direction.
What Are Samskaras?
One of the words you may hear in a yoga class instead of the word habit is samskara. Samskara is the Sanskrit word for “rut” or “groove.” Samskaras that inhibit our growth are things we want to break free from. The work of yoga, from a physical practice (asana) to comprehension of the yamas and niyamas, helps us to see everything with fresh eyes and shed our samskaras.
Seeing with Fresh Eyes
It can be difficult to identify which samskaras are serving us and which ones are perhaps less beneficial, because there is a lot of grey area. Perhaps last year you worked hard to keep yourself on a strict yoga schedule, practicing three to four times a week. On the surface, this looks like a very good thing – and it is! But going beyond the achievement of solidifying a consistent practice, there are many angles to consider.
Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Perhaps you have been going to the same type of class every week. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having a favorite or doing the exercise that feels good. But at some point, your body will need something different. If all you do is powerful, hot classes, these will become your comfort zone. Sitting still in a pose might begin to become more and more challenging because you are so used to moving constantly. Room-temperature yoga might also become something you avoid – or even moreso, Yin, which focuses more on your joints instead of your muscles. While a hot practice is great for cardio and muscular strength, it’s important to find balance.
Honor Your Body
Another angle to look at is whether or not you’re honoring your body’s needs. The sense of accomplishment you feel when pushing yourself through a class when you’re exhausted might really pep you up. It’s awesome that you were able to work hard even when you’re tired! But on the days when you have to choose between resting and meeting your goal of 3 classes a week, recognizing that it’s okay to rest is important. Know that not every week will be perfect. Even the hardest of workers needs time off is a skill.
Old Pose, New Perspective
Maybe you have done a great job of mixing up your practice and taking time off. You’ve done everything you can to have a balanced practice with multiple teachers. Your yoga practice has made you a happier, healthier person. There can’t possibly be anything more you could be doing, right? Well, not to burst your bubble, but there is still work to be done.
Every time you move into a familiar posture, your body takes over. Muscle memory tells you how to move, what feels right, and where to go. What if every time you did a sun salutation it was like the first time you were moving in that manner? If you’ve ever had the experience of trying to re-learn a pose, you’ll understand how tough it can be to see each pose as a new, unique expression of movement. In a well-seasoned practitioner, this is a mark of true experience. Not how strong or how flexible are you, but how deeply can you go in experiencing what that pose is like today, in this very minute?
Reassess Your Samskaras
When your samskara grooves are deeply ingrained, it is often quite difficult to identify the right amount of effort and ease to apply to your life. Even good habits can have aspects that you would benefit from altering. Are you putting too much effort into maintaining your habits to the point of rigidity? Or are you so relaxed and comfortable with them that you never think about altering anything? Are your habits that you worked so hard to set in place continuing to serve you? Or are they holding you back from something more?
This week, take some time to look at your habits. Reassess what you want to accomplish with each one of them. Can you see each habit with fresh eyes and recognize what is and isn’t serving you? Breaking out of your rut requires continual re-evaluation of your day-to-day life. Just like the dishes, our work on ourselves is never fully done. But we need to keep refilling the sink with hot water and dish soap to keep washing! Perhaps consider renewing your spirit not by forming new habits this year, but by altering the ones you already have to serve you and the world better.
Do you get stuck in old habits sometimes that could benefit from a refresh? Let us know in the comments!