New students sometimes ask me how often they should take a yoga class. I always tell them: "Whenever you feel like it." In other words: whenever you can find the time, whenever you have the money, or whenever the urge strikes you. Despite the value of discipline and perseverance, extreme practices of any sort (dietary restrictions, exercise regimes, or work schedules) are counterproductive. We just cannot keep them up for very long. And when we finally do reach the inevitable breaking point, we are overcome with guilt, which Dr. Harold Bloomfield defines as "self-punishment that we do not deserve."
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes the eight-step path to enlightenment. Three of those steps are asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (deep-breathing) and meditation. Two more steps are the yamas (don'ts) and niyamas (do's), which are the Ten Commandments of Yoga. One niyama (do) is called tapasya, translated as austerities, which is supported to achieve purification. Swami Satchidananda, in his commentaries on the Yoga Sutras, says: "In the name of tapasya people sometimes practice all sorts of self-torture. ... Lord Krishna himself says these people are demons because they disturb the pure Self who dwells within their bodies. Self-discipline is an aid to spiritual progress, where as self-torture is an obstacle."
One of the yamas (don'ts) is ahimsa, translated as non-violence -- towards others, and towards the self -- which was the guiding principle of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. When we torture ourselves -- either with extreme practices (i.e., ignoring sleepiness, hunger, or exercising to the point of pain), judging ourselves harshly, comparing ourselves unfavorably with others, or feeling guilty for failing to meet our own unrealistic expectation -- we are breaking this rule of ahimsa.
It is counter productive to practice tapasya if, in doing so, we violate the rule of ahimsa. In his book Still Here, Ram Dass says that Buddha learned this lesson on his path to enlightenment: "He heard about a bunch of great yogis sitting in meditation day and night and eating no more than a grain of rice every day. He did this for awhile until he realized he was assaulting the very vehicle that allowed him to travel a spiritual path. When he decided to travel the middle way -- not indulging himself, but not remaining an ascetic -- a lot of followers left him. But it was his appreciation of reality -- the good and the bad -- that led to his own enlightenment."
The bottom line is this: practice yoga when you want to, if it feels good, and if it fits into your lifestyle. Don't push yourself, and don't feel guilty if circumstances in your life prevent you from coming to class for awhile. The studio will be there when you need it.
© Graphic Advantage Group, 2002