Habits & Rituals
Dear Friend,
I am writing you from New York City where I am spending the holidays with family and loved ones and I want to wish you all a wonderful new year full of happiness, good health, and quality time with loved ones and yourself. I also want to thank you for following this monthly newsletter and showing up to yoga whenever you do. Happy New Year!
For the beginning of the calendar year I thought I'd discuss a topic that seem to universally impact our life which is habits and rituals. Yoga offers some perspective regarding these two patterns that we all share in one way or another.
Habits are behavioural routines that are repeated regularly and usually activated unconsciously. Rituals are habits that tend to serve some deeper purpose, they are often associated with religion, however we all have rituals that we like to stick to, whether things that fill us with joy or meaning, or habits we follow that give us a sense of regularity, order, or control.
Common rituals can range from intricate cultural ceremonies, like weddings or funerals, or ones that mark a rite of passage, they can also be something totally private and personal, like going to a favorite restaurant for special occasions, or lighting a candle to commemorate a specific event or someone. They tend to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. It’s not the act or object that is transformative, but the intent behind the gesture and ritual that invites us to see things from a different perspective and reminds us to look more deeply.
As we progress on our yoga path we want to start to pay attention to ingrained repetitive patterns that drive us in different ways, and from that mindful introspection we can discern whether they are helpful or harmful, whether they provide a positive constructive value or not, and then we can start to let go of the patterns that are not needed and form new patterns that give us meaningful benefits.
Another way of looking at rituals can be mindful habits, ones that we use consciously and deliberately for a particular effect. In some yoga traditions these rituals play an important part of a regular practice, most common ones are mantras, or using hand gestures, or following specific practice routines with a particular intention. I am very fond of using certain rituals as part of my own self-practice although I try to change them from time to time so that they don't stick and turn into attachments or automatic mechanical patterns. Some of you may notice that there are some routines in my classes such as general structural templates, a peace chant (Shanti Path) and a moment of gratitude at the end, and other smaller ones as well. I find them very useful.
Rituals done well awaken something in us, we become aware of something deeper than ordinary daily life. They shift our attention towards a more substantial experience, one that is connected to essential parts of our being. It gives us a sense of meaning and purpose. On the other hand, when done poorly, rituals become expressions of attachment to symbols or some form of blind faith, and then they tend to shut us down and detach us from the brightness of the present moment. When this happens it's usually the structure of the ritual that feels much more important than what it actually represents, we then tend to form all sorts of beliefs and focus on them rather than on the original intention behind them. They lose their potential to awaken us and instead they get us trapped in habitual patterns or rigid ideology.
Habits can also go both ways. It can be quite revealing to start noticing how many habits we stick to, automatically, in our daily life, smaller or bigger ones, without even being aware of them. It can be a morning routine, or the way we brush our teeth or take a shower, how we get to work or go back home, how we wash the dishes or cook. Many of our habits are all about the functional comfort of a predictable structure which is something many of us actually need to perform a task, any task. However, some habits can be somewhat harmful, usually compulsive ones such as addictions, not just the familiar ones, it can even be nail biting. Other common examples can be procrastinating or some relationship dynamics, and many more..
Yoga can be quite simple and often does not even require a yoga mat, a great sign of progress is increased frequency of moment of mindfulness. We want to bring things from the dark corners of the unconscious to the bright surface of consciousness, we then start to be more and more aware of the workings of the mind and begin to notice that we are free to choose whether we want to act out the contents of our thoughts or not. We can also use this capacity for mindfulness to create new habits, ones that help us grow and expand our wellbeing, habits like practicing yoga and meditation regularly or taking care of our physical and mental health, or engage in activities and interactions that add real fulfilment to our life. When we develop an understanding of how habits function and how they affect us we may have more clarity about how to start a new habit and what it takes to make a good habit stick.
Rituals can infuse our habits with deeper levels of experience, we can use them for added value, either for more effective motivation, or for keeping our intentions genuine and avoid getting lost in dullness, numbness, or in ego-driven achievement oriented ambition. They can give us a profound feeling that what we do is connected to something bigger, or that it is rooted in something truly meaningful. They can be very useful particularly during our formal yoga practice when they can help to let go of the urge for control or the desire for a particular outcome. They enable us to become increasingly comfortable exploring different dimensions of truth, and navigate unknown territories within, without being lost in the currents of the distracted mind.
We should always remind ourselves that rituals are tools, props like a block in Ardha Chandrāsana (Half Moon Pose), that ground and stabilize us so we can settle into the moment with awareness of the feelings, thoughts and sensations that are arising and passing away continuously. This kind of awakened embodied state where we intersect with truth—the truth of who we are in the context of body, breath and mind—can be tremendously useful as we dive deeper into our yoga practice.
Every time you prepare to start your yoga practice, whether at home or in the studio, when you align your mat with floor in a particular way or choose your favorite spot in the room, pay attention! Maybe take a moment to bring your hands together in front of the heart in a special symbolic gesture (Añjali Mudrā) and set an intention, or connect to some deeper purpose that you would like the practice to serve, maybe offer a sincere gratitude to someone or something, or remind yourself how lucky you are to be able to do this practice that many people don't have access to for some reason or another. Try to notice during your practice if you are simply getting to the next pose or moving mindlessly through familiar sequences of poses, or holding them with an attitude of indifference and dullness, and maybe use this opportunity to look closer into the nature of reality at that moment, the rich texture of your experience in your own body, breath, and mind, making the practice a genuine and curious inquiry into the essence of being who you are.
There is an image that is used in some of the ancient teachings of yoga which is that of a special nectar or elixir, named amrita, which is said to potentially drip from the crown of the head down the throat, only when the soft palate in the mouth is fully released. This is simply an image describing pure wisdom, one that is the ultimate antidote to the poisonous Saṁsāra or conditioned existence. The release of the soft palate is the anatomical expression of a peak of a profound sense of awe. We often use the sound "wow" when we are in this state of reverence, at the peak of that sound the palate becomes empty, open, spacious. In this very short time the thinking process comes to a halt and we get a taste or a glimpse of spiritual enlightenment, when we are completely open to the fullness of the present moment, without words or concepts that mediate it. This is the state of true freedom that yoga can lead us towards, and with time and practice these short spontaneous moments expand and get more stablished, particularly when we practice as though we are participating in a joyous ritual that is rooted deep in our heart.
If you find yourself curious about these kinds of topics - join a workshop, a retreat, or any other event on offer.
Looking forward to sharing yoga with you in 2025.
Wishing everyone peace and happiness,
Oren
♡
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