Balls to the wall!

"Yoga is not for the man who overeats..." Ok then, so what are we to do if we do overeat or over indulge or over consume... or are, simply put, Americans? You have to start somewhere, right? We are told by our teachers, "begin where you are." Begin by appreciating your own self worth. Put your oxygen mask on first, etc. Sounds easy enough. Ok then, I'm going to start.... now! Waiting... and waiting... hmph. Why doesn't it magically work? Because like anything else, it requires training. This can be frustrating when we begin the practice of yoga with it's stereotype: twisting into a pretzel while trying to control our minds then mumbling something in Sandskrit as we leave. Then we say, "You know something, I tried yoga and I didn't like it, or it's not for me, or it's too hard, or I'm not flexible, or I hated the teacher or it was boring or too structured or that's not what yoga is because I know everything about yoga..."

Remember that dissatisfaction with learning is a sign of learning failure so a change in curriculum is obviously necessary. Patanjali begins the 8 limbs of yoga, not with asana or posture, but with the yamas: abstention from harming others (ahimsa), falsehood, theft, greed and being chaste. Next the niyamas: the observances of purity, contentment, self-discipline (tapas) and study. So the answer is, not only should you begin where you are, how about this brilliant idea: "begin at the beginning."

In my personal practice of yoga, one of many discoveries has been an imbalance in tapas or the practice of conserving energy for the use of achieving yoga (union of the body and mind). This requires self discipline. Self discipline... yes... I can do that. Deprive myself of stuff, push my body really hard and just go balls-to-the-wall, right?

Through the proper study and practice of yoga, a yogi learns and eventually knows that when we are practicing self-discipline, we have to be very careful that we don't become fanatical and self-punish. True discipline is in quiet self-control. But, that sounds hard! And yes, it actually is. The good news is you can begin again, right where you are. Yoga is simply a method. It's a way to break contact with pain and unify the body and mind. Whether your mind be restless, scattered or overly passionate, every mind can be transformed to be able to attain a "perfect" yoga. It's only a matter of practice.