Thoughts on Yoga
Yoga, Desire and Willpower
2008-08-22
Dear Friends,
What is the difference between "Good" desire and "Bad" desire? The ancient yoga scriptures say that desire is the cause of all human suffering. Yoga practices are designed to make you more contented, less consumed with desire.
The idea of reducing desire is a good one. It is exhausting to be always running after something. So much human potential is wasted in the pursuit of "pleasures" that often don't even satisfy us. To feel contented with what is and what we already have is sweet and restful.
Should we aim to get rid of all desire in order to live in a constant state of rest? Even if we could do it, what kind of existence would we have? This is the common criticism aimed at the yoga tradition: That by eliminating desires human beings would cease to do anything.
More accurately, the tradition teaches that some desires should be encouraged while others should be pruned away. The aim is to stop wasting precious energy on superficial desires and direct that energy towards deeper ones.
How do you know if a particular desire should be pursued or abandoned? No one can teach this to you. You have to walk the yoga path and find out for yourself. There is some direction from the teachings: Will your desire directly harm another? Will it cause harm to your health or well-being? If so, it should be abandoned right away.
According to the tradition, the only desire that should always be encouraged is the desire for self-realization, union with the Supreme, complete awakening (all names for the un-namable goal of yoga.)
There is a great deal of space between these two poles. If you learn to quiet your mind through meditation, postures and breathing, you will receive guidance directly through intuition. You will lose your taste for pleasures that don't really satisfy you and you will cultivate another taste for those things that truly touch your heart and soul.
As your practice deepens, along with the knowledge of "good" desire and "bad" desire comes the willpower to follow up accordingly. We are no longer victims of whim and habit. We are in conscious control of our impulses.
Spend a moment contemplating what your life could be like if you could change just one of your unskillful habits. Would your health improve? Your finances? Your relationships? Now imagine systematically erasing all of your bad habits. It is impossible to imagine how wonderful your life be as a result. This is within the capacity of anyone who seriously walks the path of yoga.
Blessings and inner peace,
Ruth Anne