A little bit every day

Most teachers of the arts where the practice of a technique is concerned
will tell you that a little bit of regular practice is the most effective way to learn. Yoga, and life itself, is also an art form,
and the art of life has to be practised every day, a little at a time.

It is absolutely impossible to learn a difficult yoga asana in a few minutes, but a few minutes a day can make a big difference to quality of your posture over a period of time. There are opportunities when we find a gap to meditate extensively, or to workshop our asana practice for longer than usual. These are the windows we master existing knowledge in, learn new things, when we advance in leaps and bounds.

The time for these changes to take effect into our daily lives and consciousness after the shifting of frontiers brought about by extensive practice takes more time again. Regular application of a mindset, regular awareness of a principle, and the gradual process of becoming ones own person, establishing a personal set of values and philosophy, it all takes a lot of time.

And when things get rough it is often tough to understand the process. One wonders how one can go from a single minded centred focus to complete shambolic mayhem – suddenly the new insight is gone, the technique fails, it all tumbles down.

If you take some time out and let the storm pass you will notice that you have also learned something new again, albeit not in the lovely self induced learning mode that we prefer, but from the walks of life itself. Apply a bit of what you have learned before and after the storm, gain fresh insight and you are learning a little bit at a time again: regular practice, life takes us through these crash courses continuously.

We often tend to want to be perfect, have things about our lives to be just perfect, we want things to be exactly right – immediately. This perfection can, however, only be strived for, and comes only through great effort and perseverance, and over a long time period.

We have to learn a little bit at a time through regular practice. A great novel cannot be written over a weekend, a great life leading to a great novel can only be experienced over a lifespan. No single company, or successful artist career was established without a little, but regular, slog.

Set a clear goal of what you want to achieve. Realise before you start that it will take a long time, even longer than you think, to achieve all your goals. Set an immediate, reachable goal. Then make your way gradually, without forgetting to make your way about the world as well in order to achieve your wish.

There is a central paradox here, perfection cannot be achieved, but when you live life well and in wellness, it is perfect already. The frustration sets in when we try to gain more than what is possible, when go against life itself and all its apparent limitations. Remember life is always about life itself, first and foremost. And life has its own wheels turning in wheels, we have to accept the changing seasons and rising and falling tides of nature.

Live life one day at a time. At the end of the day review what you have achieved and let it be. Accept your achievement proudly, for what its worth. Aim to do better the next day if the day finished seemed like failure. Rest well, then start the next day, be grateful for what you have, not only noticing what you do not have.

And when the going gets rough, hold on to what you have learned, apply your past experiences, think of better times, wrestle with the darkness and demons with the power and knowledge of the light that illuminates your regular practice of life, and keep at it, a little bit at a time, regularly.

(10/07/02)

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