Of All the People I've Never Met

Of all the people I've never met, Neem Karoli Baba, Maharaj-ji, has exerted the greatest influence over my practice over the last few years.  September 11th is the 40th anniversary of Maharaj-ji's mahasamadhi, the conscious exiting of the body.

Image from http://www.kalimandir.org/shop/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=PH56

Maharaj-ji never taught, yet he was a great teacher. He did not leave a volume of work, he did not say "do asana," "meditate,"or "go to a cave." He just was.  He fed those that came to him. He offered his endless love.

Without Maharaj-ji, Richard Alpert would just be a stoned out-of-work ex-Harvard professor instead of Ram Dass. Jeff Kagel would still be singing in Blue Oyster Cult, or maybe still driving a bus in New Paltz instead of singing the Name as Krishna Das.

Without Krishna Das, I would not have the mantra which begins and ends my day.  I would not have been inspired to learn the Hanuman Chalisa, nor been inspired to read The Ramayana.  I may not practice asana everyday as I once did, but I do not miss a day of reciting the Chalisa.

Maharaj-ji is said to have been an incarnation of Hanuman, the ideal devotee of Lord Rama, the physical embodiment of  love and devotion.  Like the Buddhist Bodhisattva, one who has attained enlightenment but refuses to accept it until all being have also attained it, Hanuman chooses to stay separate from Rama in order to serve.

Krishna Das recounts that Maharaj-ji would hold up one finger.  "All One." Feed everyone. Love everyone. There is no "you" and "them," no "this" or "that."  It is all One.

Maharaj-ji had a way of knowing exactly what his devotees needed in order to progress on their path, pushing buttons to help overcome anger.  Disappearing to help break the cycle of attachment. Yet his Grace kept his devotees from going too far over the edge. That Grace was always there, the devotees only needed to see it.

Somehow I am blessed to have been influenced by this man who died a year before I was born.  Entirely too many coincidences have turned me in his direction. Every time I want to turn away, want to take up jogging instead of kritan, want to drive with the top down with at least a pint of ether in the trunk, something happens that smacks me upside the head like the knowledge I should have had a V 8. And that something keeps me going.

And that something is Maharaj-ji.

Even with my limited understanding of his life, I must echoing Lord Rama in saying I can never repay what I owe that monkey.

Jai Ram!

Observe Don't Disturb

My son is very observant. He is always pointing out bugs, camouflaged animals, unusual plan-life. Observation leads to curiosity. Curiosity can lead to squished bugs, fleeing animals, and plants no longer connected to the ground. A saying I have adopted, and my son has responded well to is: Observe Don't Disturb.

We learn when we observe.  We see patterns, we gain understanding.  Things happen because that is the way they happen.  When we disturb, when we interfere, we are placing our ideas first.  This bug looks gross <squish> I want to pet that turtle <snap! ouch!> Instead of learning, disruption leads to attachment (this flower looks great on the table) and aversion (squish).

This axiom forms the cornerstone of our yogic practice.  If yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, before we can consider attempting to cease those fluctuations, we must first observe the mind and the fluctuations which occur. Once we do make it to the point of employing practices aimed at cessation of the fluctuations, we still observe.  There is an ongoing cycle: apply technique, observe results, adjust as needed, apply, observe, adjust, repeat.

Where we get into trouble is that we tend to combine observing and disturbing.  We try to DO instead of watching. We believe, quite incorrectly, that if we are not DOing something, especially some sort of active masochistic, sweaty practice that leaves us sore for days, then we are doing nothing.

Both Swamis Sivananda and Vivekananda liken the mind to a monkey, drunk and stung by a scorpion.  If you try to bring the monkey under control, it will fight you with all its might.  If you give it some space, eventually, eventually, it will settle down.

Let's take asana.  Asana is a wonderful place to start our practice.  We are forcing ourselves to pay attention to two things we do constantly: move and breathe.  We are purposefully putting ourselves in difficult situations to see how we deal with being in difficult situations.

All to often, instead of observing, we find ourselves disturbing. Does this sound familiar:  OK, legs straight, toes together, grab the big toes, wait, is my back straight? I think my greater trochanter is not internally spiraling correctly. I could do this yesterday.  Do I need to pick up milk? Why aren't my legs straight? Push a little further. OUCH! That's it! I'm (Jesusjesusjesus) DOing it!

To make matters worse, the teacher comes over in the middle of this little monologue and "adjusts" you by forcing your body to a place where is shouldn't go then tells you you're doing a good job.

Here's the truly difficult part of asana: observing.  If we could just for one minute forget all the BS that yoga teachers tell us about the proper alignment in this or that pose, that "advanced" means you have to be a puddle of sweat with a popped hamstring and a heal behind your head, and just learn to observe ourselves without judgement, our practice would become much more fruitful much more quickly.

Yes, we don't want to get hurt, so there is something (not much, but something) to be said for alignment.  We need to have our knees pointed in the same direction as our toes so we don't have to deal with the fluctuations caused by a trip to the orthopedic surgeon, but we do not need to focus on creating a 23.56479 degree medial spiral of our spleenoid process as a measure of success or failure.

Try this. During practice, notice if you are building a pose like you are building a model (set A here, rotate B, align C...) and if you are chastizing yourself for not being in a certain expression of the pose.  Notice if you fall over, are you mad, laughing, or indifferent.  Then, here's the most important part:

Go onto the next pose.

Just becoming aware of the monologue is the first step.  With no judgement.  Without trying to stop it.  In time, with continued observation, it will stop.

Observe, don't disturb.

Elevation

My four year old son asked to hear the story of Visvamitra and Vasistha. I reached for a copy of the Ramayana.  He checked me and said "I don't want you to read it, I want you to tell me by talking."  How could I argue?

Listen Billy:

Long before the birth of Rama, Visvamitra was of the kshatriya caste, a warrior king. We know him now as a Brahmin.  Caste is not decided by birth, rather by a person's fundamental nature.  It is possible to elevate one's self, as Visvamitra did, but it is not easy.

During a tour of his kingdom, Visvamitra visited the hermitage of Vasistha. He was not yet the royal priest of Ayodhya, yet his spiritual power was well known even then.  Upon Visvamitra's arrival, Vasistha sought to provide the welcome and hospitality befitting a visit from the king. Visvamitra appreciated the gesture, however, he did not want to disturb the ashram, insisting Vasistha's desire to perform service more than fulfilled any obligation as a host.

Vasistha was not to be deterred. He reminded Visvamitra that the host who does not feed his guest is destined to dine on his own flesh in the next life.To avoid upsetting the Brahamana, Visvamitra accepted the invitation to dinner.

Vasistha called upon his cow of plenty, Sabala. The cow produced the finest foods of every variety, which was offered first to Visvamitra then to his entire entourage of thousands. Visvamitra was amazed by the power of this cow and became overcome with the desire to possess her.

"Brahmana, I will give you 100,000 of my finest cattle, along with all of the attendants necessary to care for them, in return for this one animal."

"Dear king, I appreciate your gift, but I cannot part with this cow.  This wonderful animal has assisted me with the performance of many rites which have benefited the entire world. Without her, I will not be able to continue my bound duty to serve and protect creation."

"Brahmana, as a King, the scriptures state that I should be offered the finest of everything.  It is your duty living in my kingdom to give me what I ask for."

Vasistha could not argue.  Visvamitra spoke the truth.  Although saddened, he relented and Visvamitra took possession of Sabala.

Sabala broke free and ran to Vasistha. "What wrong did I commit that you so easily send me away? How have I not served you correctly?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Dear Sabala, you have done no wrong.  It is a king's duty to take what he desires, using any force necessary."

"My master, it is said that a Brahmin's spiritual strength eclipses the physical and martial strength of a king."

 "I am required to exercise forgiveness and non-violence."

"All you need to do is to order me to stay, and the King will not be able to move me."

"Stay!"

At Vasistha's word an army of thousands sprang from Sabala instantly subduing Visvamitra's party.

Visvamitra became entranced witnessing Vasistha's power.  He resolved to gain that power for himself and set upon severe ascetic practices as a means of pleasing Shiva and receiving a boon.

Through years of practice, Visvamitra mastered difficult asanas and succeeded in restraining the flow of breath for hours at a time all while focusing his thoughts on Shiva. Pleased, the god appeared before him and offered a boon.

"Great Lord, as a King I am skilled in the art of human warfare.  But I have no knowledge of the weapons used by the gods.  Grant me this knowledge."

"So be it," declared Shiva.  Instantly Visvamitra understood the weapons of the gods, knew the mantras to call them, and possessed the skill to wield them. Feeling unstoppable, he returned to Vasistha, convinced victory was already his.

Standing outside Vasistha's ashram, Visvamitra called: "Oh great Vasistha, you had bested me previously.  Through severe penance, I have become more powerful than you.  Feel my revenge."

Vasistha observed Visvamitra from the entrance to his cottage in silence, leaning on his staff.  Visvamitra called upon all of the divine weapons. The sky darkened. Visvamitra blazed like a thousand suns and all manner of arrows, maces, spears, lightening, and countless other forms of weapons sped toward Vasistha. There was a blaze as the weapons found there mark.

Then nothing happened.  Vasistha stood as before, having absorbed and dissipated all of the divine weapons.  "Great king, I bow in respect to you and the austerities you have performed.  I reject the gift of violence you have sought to bestow upon me." Vasistha returned to his ashram.

Once again Visvamitra stood in awe of the Brahmin's power.  He resolved to increase his austerities. He traveled to the Himalays and spent the entire winter submerged to his neck in an icy lake.  In the summer, he traveled to the south, passing the hottest part of the year naked in the blazing sun surrounded by bonfires.  For hundreds of years he stood on one foot, with arms upraised, chanting the names of Shiva.  Through these severe ascetic practices, his spiritual power increased.

During this time, Vasistha was appointed as the royal priest of Ayodhya by King Trishanku, a distant relative of Lord Rama. Toward the end of his reign, King Trishanku came to desire to enter heaven while in possession of his body.  He asked Vasistha to perform the necessary rites.  Vasistha replied that this is forbidden by scripture.  It is the immortal, undying soul which unifies back with the Divine, not the limited, finite vehicle of the body.

Upset that his priest would not help, he sought out Visvamitra, whose intense practice was by now well known.  The king also knew of the rivalry between the two and used this to his advantage to convince Visvamitra to perform the necessary rites.

Visvamitra  conducted the sacrifice.  King Trishanku began to rise and ascend toward Heaven.  Indra, King of Heaven, observed the fleshy body of the King approaching. Offended by the king's attempt to enter Heaven in the flesh, Indra send the king back to Earth.

Visvamitra became enraged.  If the gods would not let the king enter their Heaven, he would create one of his own.  Visvamitra exercised all of his spiritual power to bring forth a new Heaven and installed Trishanku as king of both the Earth and the new realm.

The gods quickly realized that the creation of this new Heaven disrupted the balance of the created universe.  Indra went to Visvamitra and begged him to stop.  In a moment of clarity, Visvamitra realized that his pride and anger got the better of him.  He asked Indra how he could still honor his promise to Trishanku.  Indra shrunk the new Heaven and placed it in the Southern sky.  There Trishanku still enjoys the bliss of final unification, while the rest of creation remains in balance.

Realizing his error, Visvamitra again adopted a severe ascetic practice.  This time he sat if silent meditation.  Hundreds of years went by and his power grew.  The gods, worried that he would once again use his power to destroy the universe, set out to divert him from his efforts.  The sent the Apsara (a nymph) Menaka to him.  Menaka bathed in a lake near Visvamita's meditative seat. Hearing the tinkling of her ankle bells, Visvamitra opened his eyes.  He became entranced, and they sported together.

One hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.  Visvamitra realized that he had fallen victim to his lust, thereby expending his spiritual merit.  He sent Menaka away and re-doubled his efforts.  Again the gods sent another Apsara, Rambha, to seduce him.  Upon sensing Rambha's presence, Visvamitra glanced at her and turned her to stone. Realizing that he was overcome by anger, he resolved to completely control his senses.

Another thousand years passed.  Visvamitra's storehouse of spiritual merit grew and eclipsed that of many of the lesser gods.  Brahma, fearing that Visvamitra's penance would disrupt the balance of the universe again, appeared before Visvamitra and granted him the status of Brahmin.  Brahma then went before Vasistha and requested that he personally visit Visvamitra and welcome him as an equal.  Vasistha did just that, and the two formed a strong friendship.

We are reminded of this story through the asanas dedicated to the two sages.  Visvamitrasana and Vasisthasana are similar, but the former is more difficult than the latter because Visvamitra had to endure severe penance to become a Brahmin, whereas Vasistha was born a Brahmin.

Vasisthtasana (lt) and Visvamitrasana (rt) by Sri Dharma Mittra. Photos publicly available on http://www.dharmayogacenter.com

Sages (I): Agastya

Stories of Saints are wound through the Ramayana. They teach us lessons, sometimes through direct revelation to the characters themselves, sometimes as examples of how to act.  They are considered to have actually existed (and the events in the Ramayana are considered to have actually taken place 80 Kalpas [80,000,000 years] ago). I cannot say that I favor one story over another, so for no other reason than this is the first one I am writing, I give you the story of Agastya Rishi.

Once upon a time, in India…well above India, atop Mount Kailash, Lord Shiva prepared to give a discourse on the Holy Vedas.  Gods, celestial beings, rakshasas, and sages made a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash for the opportunity to learn directly from Shiva himself. Since this gathering was to take place on an Earthly realm, Earthly physics and metaphysics became an issue. The combined weight of the spiritual merit  possessed by the attendees pushed the Earth off balance. To avoid disrupting the Earthly realm, Lord Shiva asked the Rishi Agastya, who carried within himself more power and merit than the whole assembly combined, to travel southward in order to re-balance the Earth. Lord Shiva sought to compensate Agastya for this service, and for missing his teaching. Shiva decreed that while residing in the South, Agastya will have the opportunity to directly serve Vishnu in his human incarnation as Rama. This service would once again bring balance to the world and save the human race from destruction.

Agastya agreed without question.

As he traveled southward, Agastya was stopped by Surya, the sun.  Surya begged Agastya for help.  Vindhya Hill, jealous of Mount Meru, the center of the universe in the Himalaya, decided to grow larger and more magnificent than its cousin. Vindhya grew to an enormous size, dwarfing Meru and blocking the path of the sun. Vindhya’s ego grew in proportion to its physical size.  He demanded that the sun revolve around him rather than revolving around Meru.  The sun refused.  Vindhya would not let Surya pass, plunging everything West of the mountain into perpetual night.

Agastya agreed without question.

Agastya came to Vindhya mountain.  The mountain was indeed impressive.  Sheer cliffs rose above the clouds and extended into the horizon.  There was no way around. 

Standing in front of the mountain with palms folded, Agastya addressed Vindhya with reverence.

“Oh mighty Vindhya, I am blessed to be in your presence. Your size and grandeur make even the mighty Himalaya appear as small and as uninteresting as a mere pebble.  I have been sent by Lord Shiva himself to travel South. I must obey the Lord, but due to your enormous size, I am unable to continue my journey. Indeed, how can a poor traveler traverse your great self when even the sun cannot pass.Please allow me passage so that I may keep my promise to the Lord.”

Vindhya could see Agastya blazing with spiritual merit and knew he spoke the truth.  Out of respect for Agastya and his mission, the mountain returned to its normal size. It spoke to Agastya:

“Great sage, I gladly allow you passage so that you may continue to do the Lord’s work.”

“I give you thanks.  Please remain this size so that I may return to the Lord when my mission has been completed.”

“So be it,” replied the mountain.

Agastya continued his journey southward. He did not return to the North, and to this day Vindhya remains bowed, awaiting Agastya's return.

In the South, Agastya came to a forest which was plagued by two rakshasa brothers, Ilval and Vapti, who were systematically killing every Brahmin (holy man).  Their method was always the same:  Ilval took the form of a Brahmin.  He approached other Brahmins, speaking in holy Sanskrit, and offer to cook a meal. The Brahmins could not refuse—it is against scripture to refuse an offering.  At Ilval’s cottage, he would cook a freshly slaughtered ram (Brahmins were not yet forbidden from eating meat at this time), who was actually Vapti in disguise.  Once the Brahmin finished his meal, Ilval called to his brother: “Vapti come out!” Resuming his natural form, Vapti tore his way out of the Brahmin, killing him.

Vapti approached Agastya with his usual ruse.  Having accepted the offer of a meal, Agastya quickly cleaned his plate. He asked for seconds, and upon finishing that plate, asked for thirds. He kept eating until nothing was left of the ram save the bones. Agastya wiped his mouth after finishing the last morsel. Ilval grinned and shouted “Vapti come out!”

Nothing happened.

He called again: “Vapti, come out!”

“Beware the strong stomach of Dharma,” said Agastaya, and he burped.

Enraged, Ilval assumed his rakshasa form and lunged at Agastya.  The sage slightly glanced at Ilval. The rakshasa burst into flames and was reduced to ashes. 

-------

After leaving Chitrakuta, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana traveled southward. They were directed to visit Agastya’s hermitage near modern day Nashik. The sage, understanding Rama’s true identity, welcomed the trio and prepared a feast stating “The host who does not feed his guests is destined to eat his own flesh in the next life.”  Rama sought the sage’s counsel on how to lead the life of a Brahmin.  Rama was a Kshatriya, a warrior king.  He was honoring his promise to his father to live in the forest for 14 years, yet he did not quite know how to live the life of the Brahmin class.

Agastya replied: “The duty of a Brahmin is the search for Truth.  The search for Truth is nothing more than the search for the Self. Know yourself and you have found Truth.  You already possess this knowledge, you have only forgotten it.  I cannot teach you how to find it, but I can give you the tools to find it for yourself.”  Agastya presented Rama with a bow and an inexhaustible quiver, and to Lakshmana he presented a sword.  Both weapons had been used by Vishnu in a previous battle with the rakshasas.  Tools used by warrior kings, not Brahmins.

“Perform your duty and you will find Truth.”

------
Rama engaged Ravana in battle on the Island of Lanka.  Rama's arrows quickly cut down Ravana's 10 heads and 20 arms. Victory was short-lived, as the heads and arms immediately grew back.  Rama's arrows continued to be true.  Arms and heads off.  Arms and heads grew back.  This fierce play repeated until both sides retired (war, although still brutal, observed strict rules 80,000,000 million years ago when this story took place).

The next morning, Rama awoke and conducted his obeisances.  Agastya appeared before Rama as he engaged in prayer.

"Rama, know that Ravana's heads and arms are extensions of his ego and greed, both of which are limitless. They cannot be defeated by brute force. The only way to conquer the darkness of ego and greed, which live in and cloud the heart, is through the light of Truth. Repeat this mantra to call upon the infinite light of the sun:

Aaditya hridaayam punyamsarva shaatru binaashanam

[For the one who keeps the Sun in the Heart, all enemies are destroyed.]

Endow your arrow with the Brahmastra, take aim at Ravana's heart of darkness, and free him from the chains of ego and greed."
-----
Agastya's words proved true.  Ravana was defeated. Dying a warrior's death with his thoughts fully fixed on Rama, Ravana attained the highest reaches of Heaven. Brahma's boon that Ravana could not be killed by any god or celestial being held true--although not quite as he had expected.  Ravana's earthly form was destroyed, but not his spirit, which is infinite and pure.

Everything That You Need

Here is everything that you need. There is something in here that you can do everyday (and it does not have to be asana!)

Scripture:

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika(+/- 1350 CE): “Hatha Yoga shines forth as a stairway for those who wish to ascend to the highest stage of yoga: Raja (Patañjali) Yoga” I.1[Hatha Yoga is nothing but a steppingstone. It is not the end goal]

The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” I.2

The Bhagavad Gita: “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you give, whatever you offer in sacrifice,  whatever austerities you perform, do so as an offering…” IX.27

The Isha Upanishad: “The Supreme is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Supreme is the ultimate Reality. Rejoice in It through renunciation (of separate existence). Covet nothing. All belongs to The Supreme” 1 ["If all of the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse of the Ishopanishad were left in the memory of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever." M.K. Gandhi]

The Ramayana: RAMA

Asana (Postures/Physical Practice. Observe this order):

         Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation): 6/10/12 rounds as fast as you can

         Sirshasana (Headstand), or variation

         Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand), or variation

         Matsyasana (Fish)

         Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend, lit. “Intense stretch of the West side of the body”)

         Bhujangasana (Cobra), or Dhanurasana (Bow)

         Ardha Matsyendrasana (Spinal Twist, lit. “Half Lord of the Fishes Twist”)

         Savasana (Corpse pose)

Kriya (Cleansing Actions):

         Agnisara: Abdominal pumping

         Nauli: Abdominal churning (substitute Uddiyana bandha)

Pranayama (Breath Control):

         Nadi Shodhana: Alternate nostril breathing. Using right hand, close right nostril with thumb. Inhale (puraka) thru left, close both and retain (kumbhaka), exhale (rechaka) through right. Inhale right, close both/retain, exhale left.  This is 1 round. Complete 6-12 rounds. Eventual ratio is 1:4:2 (puraka:kumbhaka:rechaka).

Meditation

         Posture: Sit with the head, neck, and spine erect (Bhagavad Gita VI.13), equalize the incoming and outgoing breath moving through the nostrils, eyes fixed at the base of the nose (i.e. between the eyebrows). (Bhagavad Gita V.27)  Focus on any of the following (only one focal point per session):

·         Count each exhale from 1-10 (in, one; in two, etc.). If you lose your count, start at 1. Starting at 1 is more important than getting to 10

·         Name the breath SO (inhale) HAM (exhale), or IN / OUT (Soham: I am That)

·         Mentally repeat your mantra. Do not try to time it to the breath. It will find its own rhythm

         USE A TIMER! Begin practicing daily for 5 minutes. Increase slowly and gradually over time.

Most Important of All:

         It is better to do just a little practice everyday than to do a long practice once a week or once in awhile. The only wrong way to practice is to do no practice at all. I believe that you can do it!

This I Believe

The goal of yoga, so the writings of the masters tell us, is to re-discover the one vital truth we have forgotten: there is no separate existence. We are not a small part of something bigger, but the big picture itself. We have all the answers within us already, buried, clouded. Sometimes it takes an outside force to shine a little light into the dark corners, and that light which we think is coming from outside, has also been with us all along.

This I believe.

This belief is the foundation of my practice and my teaching—everything we do helps us to individually uncover that veiled truth. I have sought to share with my students practices that they can take home with them. The real work of my class is not during the 90 minutes per week we are together, it is during the other 9,990 minutes of the week we are apart.  The tools we work on in class are the same ones I practice, and I have faith they will yield the desired result IF practiced consistently over a long time.

I encourage you to continue to practice what you have learned, for my last day of teaching at HRY will be July 15^th.

I have been blessed to serve the HRY community over the last three years, and for some of you a lot longer through other studios or in other capacities (I have worked with Molly since 2008ish through my day job as a Career Advisor). I am thankful for every one of you for graciously welcoming me into your practice and for being a part of mine.

All of my knowledge is yours. I hold nothing back.  To make sure you have everything you need, our last class together on July 15^th will be a bit different.  Consider it a workshop.  Some of the items we will cover:

·         Surya Namaskar and the 6 most important poses

·         2 Kriyas (cleansing practices)

·         Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, with Bandhas

·         Focusing and cleaning the mind through sound

·         Open discussion

·         Recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa

I’m ok with this class going a bit long. Or it can be very short—I have learned there are only two things that you need: “Ra” and “Ma.” Everything else is just a function of these two syllables.

Even though I will not be on the schedule any longer, I am still with you.  Know that I am singing the Chalisa, twirling the beads, and practicing asana as the sun rises so that you are not alone in this practice.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of this community, and will continue to support Molly and Hudson River Yoga.

Keep practicing!

More Than One Tool

I attended a business analysis workshop yesterday.  The facilitator introduced a topic by saying "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything as if it is a nail."

I could not agree more.  In my experience, people (myself included) tend to rely on two tools: the hammer (to smash things into your  opinion of "place") and the machete (to cut things away that do not fit into "place").

Think about it.  How much effort and grief goes into a performance review, which tends only to assess, in numerical form, an individual's worth, or, worse yet, is used to justify a RiF.  Compare to how little time is spent actually assessing and managing talent. How rare is it to hear: "We need a person with x,y,z strengths in this area.  Joe is consistently rating high in these strengths, yet he is not performing well in his current role. Let's bring him over to this area where his documented strengths should equal higher performance and more benefit to the organization."  Usually the opposite happens: can Joe and have two openings negatively effecting business and morale.

Transfer this way of thinking to our yoga practice.  Many of us (to some extent, me included), judge our entire practice solely against  asana.  "Great job, Ron!  You must be practicing because you can get deeper into that pose.  Now try this."

The words we use to describe our yoga practice tend to be compared to asana.  "Advanced" class translates into difficult contortions. "Restorative" and "Basics" classes tend to mean "easy" poses.

If asana is the only litmus test for our practice, what happens when I twist my ankle or hurt my shoulder doing something else and can not do complex contortions?  When I age and my connective tissue does not have the same elasticity, nor my muscles the same strength, nor my matabolism the same ability to burn off cake? If I can't do full Galavasana does that mean I no longer have an advanced practice?

As we grow in our practice, it is essential to re-define our relation to the practice.  For me, I no longer practice asana every day, but I do  recite the Hanuman Chalisa every day.  That has become more important to me.  That does not mean I am lazy--unless you are looking only at my asana practice. It has allowed me to stay with the practice rather than saying "I can't do 20+ handstands anymore.  Screw this, I'm taking up running."

Growth in practice includes management of your practice.  Stop, assess, and adjust as needed.