Go Deeper into Doubt to Work it Out
Doubt is a common obstacle that we come up against time and time again in life, and also in our yoga practice. Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, listed this as one of nine common challenges for yoga practitioners. Buddha invited his students to question absolutely everything, to move courageously towards places where doubt reveals itself in order to develop wisdom. It’s pretty solid advice, I think, to never accept something as true simply because an authority asserted it to be so. You must walk the path for yourself, investigate everything personally, and ask a lot of questions.
In yoga we receive a barrage of conflicting information given to us by teachers with a wide variety of experiences. You may be told to grab your big toe in Triangle Pose, other teachers recommend you use a block to help support yourself. Some teachers state you must begin with breathing exercises, others insist that they must be done at the conclusion of an asana practice. All of this conflicting information does nothing to alleviate doubt. Human Beings like to be told that it is this way, or, it is that way. However this is not the methodology of yoga. Yoga is a path of radical self inquiry.
Doubt, (Samshaya in Sanskrit) is not necessarily a negative quality. It means that you are able to hold two or more differing opinions at the same time. I’m always suspicious of people who seemingly have no doubt about their methods, or willingness to view things from another perspective. The complications arise when you become paralyzed with unknowing. Instead of taking action, you simply give up. Taking action requires having faith in ourselves, and a willingness to experience failure. It involves developing trust and discernment in how we process information and experiences.
Rainer Marie Wilke writes:
“Your doubt can become a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing. It must become criticism. Demand proofs from it, test it, and you will find it perhaps bewildered and embarrassed, perhaps also protesting. But don’t give in, insist on arguments, and act in this way, attentive and persistent, every single time, and the day will come when, instead of being a destroyer, it will become one of your best workers — perhaps the most intelligent of all the ones that are building your life.”
In teacher training, the most common thing I hear from students is “But which way is right?”, and “How do I do this correctly?” The answer is almost always, “well, it depends”. As individuals with unique constitutions, life circumstances, cultures, a wide variety of bones, and bodies, and ranges of movement – the best advice is always to go deeper into doubt and work it out. When you experience those inevitable plateaus that are filled with doubt, you can be certain that the yoga practice is actually working.
Richard Freeman explains there is “usually about a three month love affair with yoga. After about two months of practice people start to think that they are practically enlightened. Then usually around the third month, something happens and the yoga actually starts to work. And the first thing the ego structure does is to look for an escape route. People start heading for the door just at the moment when they should stay”.
I come up against doubt all the time in my life, and also through the conflicting methods handed to me by many respected teachers. I have come to relish this place of doubt as a place that inspires research and observation to the biophysical feedback that come from experimentation. And just when I think I have it all worked out, I am reminded that indeed I do not. The answers I had were just half of the answers. I must go back and work on my personal process of yoga again, and again, and again.
Join Nicky for her “Literature and Wisdom of the Yoga Sutras” workshop on June 13th from 2:30-5:30pm!
This three hour, interactive discussion is an introduction to the yoga teachings of Patanjali in an informed and easy to understand manner. No previous understanding of yoga philosophy is required! Thought provoking learning materials, and self-reflection questions will be handed out in class. Come and learn what yoga is really about.
• Discover the historical context and mystery of Patanjali. Who was he? When did he live? What is so unique about the Yoga Sutra?
• What are the five movements of the mind according to the Yoga Sutras?
• What are the obstacles on the path to yoga? How can they be remedied?
• What are the eight limbs of Yoga? What might this ethics system look like to modern practitioners today?
Nicky teaches six times a week at 889. Register for Nicky’s classes
Nicky is our Lead Teacher for 889’s Living Yoga School in 2015/16. Learn more about our world-class Program.