One of the great things about yoga, often said by yoga teachers is that yoga is non competitive. That sounds lovely doesn’t it. Yoga is a place where you can just be and be accepted for what you are and accept yourself where you are.
We live in a competitive world, we are taught we need to compete to survive and to thrive, from school grades to getting that perfect job. Without some competitiveness would we even get out of bed? Often we don’t compete with others but have our own standards and desires which we work hard to reach.
“When I get this toy, job, car, man, woman, money, you name it….. then I will be happy,” is often a mantra that keeps us moving in a direction until we get there, and then we find we want something else. It would be great if we could set this aside and go to yoga class and enjoy being where we are here and now. To be here and now is to accept things as they are right now. The conditioning of the mind can be strong though and the mind loves to make simple things complicated.
Yoga teaches us to be more present. Many people love yoga for it’s non-competiveness and yet many people, myself included struggle with their competitive nature. I have found this is actually the hardest thing I have ever had to teach anyone. I think ultimately it can’t be learnt it has to be discovered.
I can tell you that
- yoga is not a competition
- the girl next to you has been practicing for 10 years and is a teacher
- we all have different bodies, that everyone has different strengths and weakness
- your body is a result of everything you have done with it up until this moment, and is unique and beautiful
- when you can do this or that asana you won’t suddenly become enlightened
- a person who is more flexible or more strong isn’t necessarily the better yogi
- yoga isn’t about the asana (yoga position), the asana is just a tool to bring you into the present moment.
You might agree with me or you might think, it’s okay for you, you can touch your toes, do lotus or whatever your pose of frustration happens to be.
And yes let’s say you are right and I can do blah blah, I have come to realise that there will always be someone more flexible than me. It doesn’t matter if I spend the rest of my life doing yoga and I hope I will, there will always be something I can’t do. Indeed as I age I might not be able to do some of the things I do now. This is true for almost anything by the way, there can only be one world best at anything. Is this never ending escalator annoying then, you get to the top and find your at the bottom again. Actually I think it’s a relief to know there is nowhere to go but here, it helps me to surrender.
Having said all this. I love to work on asanas. When I first stared my journey with ashtanga yoga there was so much I could not do. My mind loves a challenge and I love to work on something that I can’t do. I know that with dedication, eventually it will become possible and sometimes it helps motivate me to complete my daily practice. Is this competitive? Maybe, but yoga also teaches me to be where I am, to surrender to it, to unravel it each day and notice it as it is. It forces me to work with this body in this moment no matter what I think it should be, it shows me what it is, right now.
In fact if you find yourself noticing your competitive nature in yoga don’t be too hard on yourself. Yoga is a safe place to notice these things about ourselves and it is perfectly natural that you should feel some level of ambition within yourself. Notice it, don’t feed it, that’s the trick. Don’t judge it as good or bad. Accept it as it is, just a passing thought.
Those of us who practice yoga are so lucky. We are fortunate to have the time and health, to move our bodies to breathe and be part of a wider community that embraces these things as much as we do. It is such a privilege each and every time we step on our mats regardless of whether you can touch your toes, I hope you enjoy the journey because the only destination is right here.
Do you feel competitive with yourself or others in yoga? Does yoga offer you a rare opportunity to not compete? What has this journey taught you?
