The 8 Limbs of Yoga & Goal Setting
Empowering your Yoga Practice
New Year’s Resolutions are a time-honored tradition in the United States, both in setting them and in letting them fall by the wayside by Easter. Would you be surprised if I told you that it’s not the actual goals that are the issue, but rather that you tried to achieve them by yourself or that your motivation may not have been aligned with what matters to you? Finding goals abandoned at this time of year provides another opportunity to consider why what we set as goal(s) may not be as important as how we think about the goals.
Svadhyaya is often translated in western yoga as self-study. This self-reflection is intended to be deep, deliberate contemplation that can include reading the sacred texts of yoga. We can begin to practice svadhaya through meditation on our own lives, including not just what we do, our motivations, and what we plan to do but also the environment we are in, our life direction, and how changes may lead us to the life we want to live.
Setting an intention is different than goal setting, but can help to set you on the path to choose your goals. While we may make goals public, sometimes for accountability, our intentions are for you. Our intentions are personal and individual, just as our yoga practice. We each practice yoga in our own way, in our own space, for how it works for us on any given day. We can use the discipline of an asana yoga practice to prepare the mind to begin practicing svadhyaya in meditation.
Is your goal challenging, but not impossible? Setting a goal that is a challenge can help you put more effort into the goal, but you need to consider your resources, current skills and knowledge, and the ability to develop skills along the way to meet the challenge. By allowing for personal growth and skill building as an integral part of your goal achievement, your chances of reaching your goals increases significantly (1). Incorporating aspects of the 8 limbs of yoga that serve you is a fantastic way to achieve personal growth even if you don’t achieve your goals in the way you envisioned them. Sometimes the path to achievement leads to other unanticipated rewards.
Are you setting the goal with a feeling of success or are you anticipating failure? Yoga teaches us to observe without judgment. We can learn to gain a sense of santosha (contentment) or ahimsa (don’t judge yourself with harshness). We often overlook this kindness to ourselves when we don’t follow through with goals. If your goal is centered on well-being, keeping that motivation in mind can be a powerful driver of success and goal achievement. It can also help you have a strong commitment to achieving your goals. If you anticipate not being able to meet your goal, then you may try coming back to giving yourself grace in meeting an artificial timeline or perhaps unrealistic goal. We sometimes need to be reminded that we all possess the capacity to do great things and that we deserve kindness.
Can you work with others to achieve your goals? Receiving feedback, having accountability to others, and having opportunities to share challenges and successes with others who share like or similar goals can be a game changer in achieving your goals. Your yoga practice and goals are personal to just you. Finding community is important to connect with others. And the more connected you are, the more likely you are to find success in your goal achievement. Going to a yoga class can be a good way to be in a like-minded community that can also jump start your thoughts and invigorate your goals.
Be honest with yourself. Satya is one of the Yamas and Eight Limbs of Yoga and in one translation means honesty. We have a personal worldview that is influenced by all of the messages we receive from multiple sources every single day. Social media, TV, friends and family all influence us daily, and in more ways than we may realize. So, be honest with yourself, your authentic self. Do you really want to go to three classes a week or is this a goal that was provided to you as an option based on fitness culture? If you find yourself struggling to meet your goals, take a look at what the path to those goals looks like and be honest with yourself as to how well they fit in your worldview and your lifestyle.
Is the goal for you or someone else? Ouch. This one may sting a little. If your goals are motivated by something outside of what you have control over, then your goal may be centered on performing or mastering a task, but not much more. Consider asteya, translated as non-stealing. This non-stealing does not mean tangible goods, but rather stealing or taking away from yourself, your energy, and your personal intentions. If your goals are motivated by you and what you truly want, then you may come away with a greater mental focus and clarity in what achieving your goals means. Both motivations can lead to goal achievement, but it’s important to recognize and deeply consider both options. By incorporating the practice of asteya, you can keep your why focused on what you want.
You may question your why. Think of your initial goals as a big picture first draft. They are subject to revision. As you set your initial goals, you may find they don’t meet your needs or will not get you to where you want to be. You may also find that maybe the goal you set wasn’t realistic given your circumstances. For example, starting from zero yoga experience to wanting to take 3 classes a week may be more than what you’re able to do, both in time and energy. We tend to abandon our goals when they don’t work at first, this is an expected part of making things happen.
If you have some goals you would like to reach, start with achievable, but challenging goals that will also give you an opportunity to learn something as a part of the process. Make goals meaningful, connect with community for support, and go into it with an intent to succeed and learn (2).
In the end, the most important thing you can do when working on intentions and goals is to trust your gut. If you lose your way, treat yourself with kindness and acknowledge this wasn’t the path or the time for you just yet. Observe yourself without judgment to identify where you might start on your journey again and find contentment in your current circumstances and that you will move forward as you learn and grow.
Dr. Cassandra Barragan is a social worker, educator, and yoga teacher. Her research centers on the importance of social connections as we age and is owner of Namaste Yoga Center in Royal Oak, Michigan.
