I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. – Bruce Lee
Discipline is a key aspect of the yoga practice and it permeates all aspects of our lives. Every picture-perfect yoga pose, and every flexible body, is a product of discipline. Whilst I do not think that there is any necessity to “achieve” anything within the yoga practice, the fact remains that every good and beautiful thing in this world requires hard work and discipline. It takes discipline to show up on your mat even if you’re tired or lazy – but your body will thank you for it later. It takes discipline to calm your mind and take deep breaths – but that is the essence of practice.
The same applies in life. Everyone wants to have good relationships – but that takes hard work and discipline. Discipline to spend time with that person, discipline to be fully present in that person’s presence. Discipline to sacrifice that which needs to be sacrificed for the sake of the relationship.
At the end of the day, each of us must choose what is important to us and what we want to spend the finite life of ours chasing. It takes discipline to make that choice too.
