For the Joy of Practice

Doing yoga without attachment to the outcome can bring unexpected gifts.

- By Rina Deshpande

When I was in my late twenties, W I went through a devastating breakup. Managing heartbreak while I worked a demanding job to support myself in NYC left me depleted. It felt impossible to get out of bed. I couldn't fathom how I'd manage each day.

The best I could do was to take things one day at a time, beginning with the smallest increments. My mind couldn't reach as far as walking to the bathroom to brush my teeth, but I could see myself place my right foot and left foot down onto the rug one at a time and, borrowing Oprah's advice, saying thank with one step and you with the next. Admittedly, I didn't feel thankful at first. But that is what got me to the bathroom sink-and out the door-each day.

I certainly didn't feel like making time for a yoga asana practice. But to avoid coming home to an empty apartment, I took classes with my favorite teachers. After months of living one step and one class at a time, I realized some asanas were coming more easily and pleasantly than before. I'd begun to recognize many faces at the class and greeted fellow practitioners by name. My thank you each morning eventually rolled out of my heart instead of just off my tongue.

I did not practice yoga in an attempt to recover from heartbreak. Or to make new friends. Or even to improve my poses. These were byproducts of my practice. Simply doing yoga-each breath, each step, each class became living yoga. Years later, the benefits continue to reveal themselves, especially when I'm not looking for them.

THE BYPRODUCTS OF YOGA PRACTICE