In our culture there is a lot of comparison and competition. But what my teachers have always taught me is to keep your eyes on your own road. You know: keep your eyes on your own mat, keep your mind settled on your own journey, and don’t try to compete.
We are all brought into this world with unique and beautiful constitutions. Sometimes we see someone else doing well and think, Well, then I should be doing the same thing in the same way. But this is not so. We have limited energy, right? If we focus it on our unique journey and our goals, it becomes extra potent, imbuing us with health, mental well-being and the ability to fulfill our karma, our individual action.
Do your own karma
We come into this world with karma different from anyone else’s. Our karma is as unique as our individual constitution. It is our unique contribution to the world. So do your best to do your karma. You cannot do the karma of another. The Bhagavad Gita teaches this.
Where your energy goes
Sometimes when I meditate or practice asana while something stressful is going on in my life, a person or experience that has been bothering me, that problem can consume the whole session. What my teachers taught me is that this leaks your energy! Any power you gain from meditation goes to the person you’re thinking of. Sometimes that’s good, if it is our intention, but other times we make ourselves weak by thinking only of those who trouble us instead of staying settled and grounded in the true self.
Drishti: perfect focus
The yoga tradition gives us the tool of drishti, perfect focus. If we can keep our heart in our intention no matter what is going on around us, our practice will be more effective. Too often we let the opinions of others, or the pressure to be bigger, better, smarter or faster, break us down and hold us back.
We truly flourish when we resonate as ourselves and follow the path meant for us. Not the path we would prefer, or the path someone else told us is meant for us, but the true path that lays itself before us organically. If we stay focused, that path gets a little less bumpy. We find a way to practice ishvara pranidhana, surrender to what comes. We start gravitating toward what brings us freedom rather than what brings us bondage. Only presence can reveal those truths.
A practice for this month
In your practice, and in your daily life, if you feel yourself shrinking because of comparison, commit to this: acknowledge the thoughts, make a mental gesture to let them go, and become present in the moment. Only in deep presence can we identify our true dharma, our life’s purpose, and refocus our energy toward self-fulfillment, self-love and self-realization. When the true goal of our yoga practice is accomplished, we can better go out and serve the world.
This is your time. This is your practice. This is your moment. Don’t waste a second of it.
