Cascades of Consistency
by Evan Kenny
One of my favorite definitions of Yoga, fielded from my philosophy teacher in Rishikesh, was based on a translation from the Bhagavad Gita; "Samatvam yoga uchyate" (Chapter 2, Verse 48).
Breaking down the terms from their Sanskrit origins:
Samatvam: equanimity, balance, evenness of mind, or stability
Yoga: path or discipline of union
Uchyate: "is said to be" or "is called"
Dr. Agrawal distilled the notion of balance and equanimity from “Samatvam,” into the essence of consistency. The root from which the others emerge. Therefore translating the definition to: “Consistency is called Yoga.”
Through consistency one can find balance and stability. One can find an equanimous mind and a body that knows what is expected of it.
One remains steady and calm, even in the face of life's ups and downs like success and failure, pleasure and pain, gain and loss. This inner stability allows for a clear, detached, and skillful approach to action, leading to true well-being.
I find that this interpretation has resounding applications to other aspects of life, certainly beyond a yoga studio. But many of the downstream effects are part and parcel to a dedicated practice, to the discipline and commitment of consistency… and wringing out the body like a wet sponge in Marichiasana C at 6:28am is a great opportunity to put that into motion.
The ask of the pre-dawn mornings for a Mysore practice is daunting, but after a week or two of rough starts, the circadian rhythm adapts.
Getting up becomes easy, habitual. The physically rigorous and meticulously structured sequence (to the literal breath count) can feel punitive on the body at first, but with repetition and, I’d like to emphasize here, patience, our muscles and joints begin to get the message. We create strength and stability where it is needed, and openness where we ask for it. These changes will arise, but only if we are sending the same signals over and over again, otherwise it’s just another acute stressor.
Through action we communicate with our inner system; repetition reinforces and transforms those messages into understanding. This results in a dialogue that fosters trust, and lends to a felt sense of safety and receptivity in the relationship with our own intelligent bodies. When we provide it with a clear, delineated, and structured cycle for it to follow, everything else becomes easier to manage.
A factory operates smoothly when it knows what time it starts and what demands to expect. Our regulatory functions from falling asleep and staying asleep, our appetite and metabolism, our hormones and their cycles, stress responses and behaviors, can all settle into the patterns we establish.
The waters can flow, incremental change can be made, and our body’s energetic and cellular cascades can flourish.
Taking breaks is important, even good habits need periodic revision. Choosing to step forward with compassionate self acceptance, and finding the balance of what is realistic, manageable, and enjoyable over an absolutist mentality is critical.
Sustainability trumps fervor in the long game of life.
It’s not about doing things every single day, it’s about doing them with regularity, with intention, and cultivating internal communication that we follow through on.
Living consistently, and strengthening the connection to where it leads, can help us navigate to our center. When we find that center, uniquely ours, and know what it is to be balanced in that space, we recognize more easily the aspects that remove us from it. This awareness lends to a heightened capability to frame our life in a way that feels aligned, and to say no to what isn’t. The smaller the vacillations become, the stiller the mind and deeper the sense of peace that grows within.
Whether you find your center in the Ashtanga lineage or not, the framework and insights it yields may guide you closer to whatever is. I believe there is a place in each of our lives where consistency and discipline aren’t a chore, they’re a privilege. If you can realize that on the mat, or anywhere else, you’re a fortunate soul.