Plateau in Practice – Flourish in Life
Plateau –
1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land
2. a state of little or no change, a stable level, period or state
Eventually we all reach a plateau in our asana practice. For some of us this plateau comes sooner rather than later. Reaching a plateau in our asana practice can be very frustrating, and when we don’t feel we are ‘progressing’ doubt creeps in and daily practice is abandoned. But a plateau is not just a state of little or no change, it can be understood as a finding of stability, and also an elevated, expansive position in which we can enjoy and experience this stability more fully …
For me this first plateau came with the posture Eka Pada Sirsana (foot behind head). My body was just stuck. Sharath would tease me “Like robot”, Guruji would laugh. For many, many years my efforts were really in vain, there was no real reward physically for the effort I was putting in, I truly had plateaued.
I reassured myself that it was ok. Having a solid meditation practice helped. I told myself “its not about the asana.” I could tell myself that until the cows came home – but at that time I didn’t believe it 100%. I was in Mysore studying for 6 months, and this was my fourth trip to study with Guruji and Sharath. I expected some level of change in my asana practice – but my body wasn’t complying. I had the rhetoric down so at least I knew intellectually the practice wasn’t about the physical asana. But that intellectual knowledge was yet to trickle down into my being. You see, I believe its only when you plateau that the practice actually begins to happen and our our theoretical understanding of the possibilities of the practice become embodied.
When we plateau in our asana practice all of a sudden we have A LOT to work with.
Most generally we feel uncomfortable because society has taught us to seek external reward for our work and efforts, to look outside of ourselves for positive approval, recognition and affirmation that we are indeed ok. When we are physically progressing in asana we usually feel good. Further, in many yoga communities it is thought that physical mastery equates with spiritual depth. The yoga community has mistakenly adopted the spurious logic of the meritocracy, presuming that when it comes to asana effort = results.
The problem with the logic of a meritocracy is the presumption of an ‘equal playing field’ to begin with. That is – we all physically and mentally start our asana practice at the same place. Clearly this isn’t the case – our bodies are different, not only have they been held different for 20, 30, 40, 50 years, they structurally are set up differently. All of this impacts on how our asana practice unfolds.
When we get stuck on a posture for months and years we easily become disenchanted. We miss what we perceive to be positive reinforcement from our teacher in the form of a new asana. New asana = we are ok, we are loveable, we are doing ‘well,’ our teacher is happy with our practice. Often the Ashtanga community perpetuates the notion that practice is a linear progression.
Physical mastery is celebrated in the yoga world. It means something. It gets likes on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Fancy postures sell retreats, workshops and teacher training courses. The funny thing is – we can’t really evaluate the depth of someone’s spiritual understanding by the postures they can do. Our practice reveals itself in our life.
I thought initially my teacher was disappointed or frustrated by my lack of physical prowess. I came to realise over time that he didn’t care. It wasn’t important to him. What was more important to him was how my practice was playing out in my life. He seemed more interested in the completion of my PhD, the birth of our baby, our continuing visits to Mysore as a family, and the fact that we remained happily married. This is what seemed to please him, this seemed to be where his values lay. Rather than having any real care for my practice besides that I did it, his encouragement and positivity seemed to focus on how our lives were playing out off the mat.
Of course finally I “got” the posture – after four years of daily practice … Only to ‘unget’ it many times over due to childbearing, childrearing & injuries.
Currently on another lengthy post-baby plateau I embrace the plateaus. Plateaus are not just stagnation, they are periods of stability, an elevated position from which we can see clearly. Indeed my experience has been that throughout many of these plateaus, my life has flourished. A beautiful family, a deeper a deeper connection with my husband, two successful businesses and time with friends, there is an abundance to my life I should recognise more often!
Somehow the stability of the plateaus provided perspective – an elevated expansiveness in which life could naturally flourish. The plateaus taught me truly how to let go. I no longer deeply desire physical gains from my practice, although certainly they are enjoyable when they come for the physical and energetic freedom they offer. There is little mental chatter about what I can or can’t do, about whether I am getting new postures or sequences.
I can now say with certainty that this practice has nothing to do with the asana. The asana is simply a framework for spiritual practice as a householder. By not being able to do something for a lengthy period of time you will learn a lot more than being able to do it with relative ease. Plateaus are a lesson in non attachment, and an experience of settling into what IS, without craving, without aversion.
So embrace your plateaus, allow them to be an opportunity for you to gain a new perspective, to let go. Your view on your life will change, you will be overcome by the beauty and freedom these periods of stability create in your life when embraced