Discipline is the PAUSE between registering an urge and acting on it. The longer the pause, the
greater the discipline. The pause allows you to become aware of the mental processes associated
with satisfying the urge or quelling the emotion discomfort. By separating the urge from the action
you give yourself the opportunity to replace the action (e.g., old habit) with a new better action.
Consider a smoker. Most smokers tell their doctor they would love to quit the habit if only there
wasn't so much stress in their lives. They have developed a strong bond between the emotion of
stress and smoking as a means of stress relief. To break the habit the bond must first be severed
through the mental process of "I'm feeling stress and so I will light up in order to alleviate the
stress." The discipline comes into the picture when the smoker experiences the sensation of
stress, but stalls the response. "I'll take a couple deep breaths and then have the cigarette". Or,
"I'll go for a short walk and then I'll smoke". With regular yoga practice the level of stress in the
body is significantly reduced for hours, and so other stress relief mechanisms become less
important.
Any spiritual journey, including the path of yoga, is a lifelong process and requires long term
commitment and patience. One must resist the temptation to hop from one path to another. All
spiritual paths followed with humility and integrity lead to the same place. It doesn't really matter
which path you choose, provided that it appeals to you and resonates with your personality.
What does matter, is that you stay the course. Staying the course does not imply dogma or
rigidity. Rather, it implies a lifelong commitment to do the work. In Hatha yoga, the work, in part,
is stepping on your mat and doing the practice.
To summarize, Yoga in the scope of a tool for better living is fundamentally about replacing old
habits with healthier more harmonious ones. But the process is a soft hand-over; the old habit
slowly dies away and loses its luster as the new one replaces it. Yoga ultimately wins because it
is all around more satisfying. It induces physical health and an emotional state of well being, all
without negative side effects. It strengthens you and makes you more independent. The habits
you wish to replace likely have been around for many years; perhaps your entire life. You must be
vigilant, patient, and compassionate.
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