In a popular TED talk, Psychologist Prof. Angela Lee Duckworth researched what makes certain people successful above others and found that instead of income, social intelligence, good looks, physical health or IQ, the most common indicator of success amongst diverse participants in different environments was ‘grit’.
‘Grit’ is defined as having passion and perseverance for long-term goals.
This is not news to the dedicated yoga student. Authentic yoga systems like Ashtanga yoga cultivate grit by asking you work steadily and continually toward self-improvement even in the face of obstacles. An experienced and devoted teacher will help you best by not allowing you to avoid those obstacles, but persevere in spite of them. They believe in you, even when you don’t.
But what is success in yoga?
When we talk about our goal in yoga, merely mastering the next fancy yoga pose or series is not enough. Success in yoga is, according to Patanjali, the calming of the fluctuations of the mind. This is for the long-term, meaning that we can’t expect it to happen in one class and even when we do achieve some level of calmness, we need to keep working to maintain it.
How do we remain passionate about yoga?
Passion is being genuinely enthusiastic. To maintain enthusiasm we must have faith in the worthiness of our goal. Those who focus only on asana (physical postures), won’t sustain their passion, because making fancy shapes with your body becomes pointless in the face of life’s bigger challenges like illness, trauma, loss, parenting and aging.
By practising an integrated and authentic yoga practice incorporating all 8 limbs, including asana, pranayama, the yamas and niyamas you are working towards becoming the best version of yourself in every way.
In this way your yoga practice will set you up for a life with a comfortable body, better relationships, more balanced emotions and a calm mind. This is a goal worthy of the effort and sacrifice required and is therefore a goal you can be passionate about for a long time.
Finally, how do we persevere?
Perseverance means sticking with it when it’s hard, not just when it’s convenient. A system like Ashtanga, which doesn’t allow you to avoid the postures, emotions and mental stuff that arises, that asks you to step on the mat daily even when you don’t feel like it, cultivates perseverance.
This doesn’t mean that we hurt ourselves or push through illness or injury. It means not giving up on our practice even if the goal seems out of reach right now while we appropriately deal with the obstacle that has arisen. By ‘practice’ we mean the broader definition not just asana practice which will inevitably have to change from time to time.
When you believe that your ability to grow is not limited, that what is happening right now is not permanent and can change, then all you need to do is keep going, and the goal will soon be again within reach.
What’s exciting about this research is that it means anyone can be successful.
We’ve all made those excuses. ‘I’m too old/fat/young/ill/ injured/tired/untalented/time-poor/money-poor/lazy/(insert other negative mindset here)’. None of these things matter. Grit might be all you need and grit is not something you are born with, it is an attitude that can be cultivated.
But of course, this research is not really new. Around 2000 years ago Patanjali said in Sutra 1.14 that for us to be successful in yoga we need to practice for a long time, without interruptions with dedication and devotion. Sound familiar?
When both the old and new science agree, there really are no more excuses. Get on the mat, get gritty and success is inevitable. It’s in your hands.
xL
You can view Angela Duckworths TED talk on Grit here: https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance
Photo of Chaturanga Dandasana @37wks pregnant by Mar Barahona, Future Explorers