The Inner Discipline of Yoga: Finding Motivation Through Practice
The Challenge of Beginning
When we decide to practice yoga or meditation, it’s often not our bodies that resist—it’s our minds. We say we want to do it, but somehow we don’t. There’s a quiet battle between intention and action, and it’s in this invisible space that our true practice begins.
Many of us have whispered the same excuses to ourselves: “I’m not flexible enough. I don’t have time. People like me don’t do yoga.” But beyond those words lies the real learning—the art of transforming thought into experience.
This reflection draws inspiration from psychologist Dr. Amanda Crowell’s research, who identifies three main ways in which we sabotage our own goals. These same patterns apply beautifully to yoga and meditation.
1. “I’m not capable of doing this.”
Failure is often misunderstood. It’s not a verdict—it’s a teacher.
According to Carol Dweck, professor at Stanford University, failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. Yet, many people stop before they even start, believing talent determines ability.
I remember my first yoga class almost thirty years ago. I couldn’t touch my shins, and during meditation I made my shopping list. I stared at the clock, restless, waiting for the bell to release me from silence.
Years later, I had the privilege of studying with Guruji – Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, father of Ashtanga Yoga, who said:
“Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.”
That simple truth changed everything. Through steady practice, what once seemed impossible slowly unfolded—advanced asanas, long meditations, moments of profound inner peace. But the real discovery wasn’t mastering the posture; it was realizing that the practice itself is the goal.
When you accept imperfection as part of your path, your discipline becomes softer, wiser, more alive. You stop trying to reach somewhere else and begin to be truly here.
2. “People like me don’t do that.”
Our identity can be both a compass and a cage.
We carry beliefs about who we are—“I’m not spiritual,” “I’m not athletic,” “I’m too old”—and these labels quietly shape what we allow ourselves to experience.
Yoga invites us to shed those labels. It teaches us that our being is not the same as our identity. The Self—unchanging, luminous, authentic—exists beneath all the layers we’ve acquired.
Psychologist Erik Erikson described adolescence as a crisis of identity, a time when we borrow, imitate, and construct temporary selves. Many adults never leave that stage. We keep playing the roles we once adopted.
To begin your inner path, align your yoga and meditation practice with who you currently believe you are. If you see yourself as organized, notice the order of the asanas, the clarity of breath, the clean rhythm of movement. Meet yourself where you are.
Over time, this harmony dissolves the old identity itself. You no longer need to be someone practicing yoga—you simply are yoga.
I remember a retreat many years ago. A student refused to chant Om, saying it was a Hindu or Buddhist ritual, incompatible with his Christian faith. I told him:
“Don’t chant to believe—chant to feel. It’s just a vibration in the chest, deeply relaxing.”
Later, he realized that inner peace enhances prayer. Today, he begins his yoga classes chanting Om.
Spirituality is not about adopting symbols but about recognizing resonance.
So, observe yourself with compassion. Let your practice reflect what’s true for you now—and it will naturally grow beyond identity.
3. “I want to practice, but for the wrong reason.”
Motivation can be external or internal. Practicing yoga just to lose weight or look fit might bring you to the mat, but it won’t keep you there.
When the mirror becomes the goal, the soul loses its reflection.
Early in my journey, I too struggled with consistency. While studying psychobiology, I discovered the brain’s neuroplasticity—its ability to change through experience. That insight awakened something deep in me: a longing to evolve, to become more flexible both physically and mentally.
Decades later, I still practice—but my reasons have transformed. Now, I return to yoga not out of need but out of gratitude. It’s no longer an obligation; it’s a homecoming.
Ask yourself: Why do I practice?
If the answer feels superficial, dig deeper. The real reason is often simple yet powerful—to know yourself, to breathe fully, to be at peace.
A Reflection for the Journey Ahead
At the Centro de Retiros de Yoga y Meditación Pirineo, we believe that the practice of yoga and meditation can help build a better world—one person, one breath, one moment at a time.
Take a moment to reflect on these three questions:
- Are you telling yourself you’re not capable?
- Are you believing that people like you don’t do this?
- Are you practicing for the wrong reason?
When you find your own answers, your practice will flow naturally, effortlessly, joyfully.
If you feel the call to deepen your journey, to breathe amid the mountains and silence of the Navarre Pyrenees, our retreat space awaits you with open arms.
