UrbanDictionary defines a ‘hack’ or ‘life hack’ as “a tool or technique that makes some aspect of one’s life easier or more efficient.” Tools and techniques to make life easier and more efficient, that's awesome. Prepare your coffee the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning, hacked. It’s great.
But…does this also relate to yoga and meditation? Can we actually hack our practice?
Living in an evermore-instantaneous world further drives the desire for overnight results and immediate success.
We share our daily lives and see glimpses into others' and believe that those snippets represent a full story.~Casey Voigtlaender
Maybe you’ve seen that happy, positive person in that perfect handstand or that yogi's effortless flow of movement and breath and have wondered…what’s the trick?
If you could skip past building strength and float effortlessly into that aesthetically appealing arm balance, or if you could sit in meditation without the monkey mind dropping by every other second, would you be less hesitant to try?
The Three-Part Yoga Hack
What if there was a way, an extraordinary hack for beginners and dedicated practitioners alike to make yoga easier and more efficient? Well, in this case, the good, the bad and the ugly are all the same: The only way to hack yoga is to practice.
1. Use the Tool
The practice is the hack, the tool. So use it. Be true to where you are right now and do your practice. It won't always be comfortable but over time it will get easier and more efficient.
2. Commit
Commit time and energy to the practice. Stay true to the practice of yoga and surface-level goals will be less and less important while the attitude during the challenge, the gratitude during the breakthroughs, and the awareness and presence through commitment is where the beauty will be found.
3. Work, Grow, Repeat
Constantly find and bring your awareness back to the truth, the peace, and the happiness. Growth is the purpose of the work. Repeat the process over and over and over.
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. By definition, it is something to be repeated and exercised to acquire or maintain proficiency in. The more you dedicate yourself to the practice, the more you understand that it’s the practice that leads to progress.
It's the practice that leads to breakthroughs. It’s the practice that teaches you, that keeps you moving forward, and it's the practice that takes you where you are going. Perfectly put and cliché for a reason, it is the journey not the destination.
