Finding Balance in Your Yoga Practice (and Life)
Amelia questions how we find harmony on and off of the mat.
Talking to a friend the other day, I realised how important it is to find balance in our lives as nothing is ever simply black and white and there is so much nuance to balance. Now, I know this is a yoga blog, but bear with me—I’m not talking about balancing in tree pose here. Instead, we’re exploring that deeper sense of inner peace that can come when we are able to sit in that space of balancing our effort, ideas or dreams with not clinging to something to be a certain way.
Often, I find myself drawn back to the Yoga Sūtras for their timeless wisdom on navigating the inner mental world. The definition of yoga given to us in the Yoga Sūtras (written in India around 1700 years ago) is not about postures at all—it’s purely about the mind. Yoga is defined as the practice of stilling or directing the fluctuations of the mind towards clarity. Specifically, in the yoga tradition, this means moving forward with spiritual clarity. If yoga is about stilling the mind, what does that mean for how we live each day?
In Sutra 1.12, we’re told: “The fluctuations of the mind are stilled through dedicated practice (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya).”
Abhyāsa and vairāgya are considered the wings of yoga practice—too much of one without the other, and you end up flying in circles. Could one exist without the other?
In yoga, the mind is described as restless, jumping between thoughts, running toward desires, and away from fears. Practicing yoga steadies this restless mind, bringing it toward stillness and clarity. These two wings—abhyāsa and vairāgya—are tools we can use to stay on track in practice and in life.
Let’s Go Deeper into These Sanskrit Words
Abhyāsa (Practice):
This means consistent effort in keeping the mind steady—whether through meditation, breath awareness, or mindful living. The key isn’t doing something once, but repeating it patiently over time. Just like training a muscle, you strengthen focus through steady practice.
Vairāgya (Detachment):
This means learning to let go—not clinging to pleasure, not running from pain, and not being trapped by desires. It doesn’t mean renouncing the world, but rather cultivating a healthy distance: enjoying things without being obsessed by them. How different would life feel if you enjoyed things fully, but didn’t cling to them?
In our modern yoga classes, abhyāsa looks like showing up consistently. Vairāgya is not being obsessed with the results.
What would it look like if practice and detachment really were the “two wings” of your life?
How Do We Apply This?
In yoga class, balance may look like:
Stay steady in your effort, but don’t force the body. Instead, find ease in each posture so you don’t feel the need to push past what’s available. How often do we push in a posture instead of softening into it?
Use the breath as an anchor of mindfulness, but accept that you’ll lose it many times. You are human! If the breath drifts away, does that make the practice any less valuable?
Explore each posture fully, but don’t compare yourself to others in the room.
Pay attention to alignment, but release the idea of a “final pose.” What matters more: the shape of the pose or the quality of awareness within it?
Practice consistently, but don’t cling to progress. Growth unfolds naturally when effort is steady but not grasping.
In Daily Life, This Balance Might Look Like
Show up fully for your work, but don’t measure your worth by achievements. What if your worth wasn’t tied to what you achieved today?
Keep a daily routine, but don’t worry if it changes sometimes.
Speak your truth, but don’t cling to being right. Is being right more important than being at peace?
Look after your body, but don’t obsess over appearance.
Learn every day, but don’t define yourself by what you know.
Give your best effort, but let go of the outcome.
Stay committed to your goals, but allow space for detours. Could you stay committed without needing everything to go as planned?
My final invitation to you here is to play with this idea, in your life or in the quiet moments at the end of practice. Is your effort balanced with letting go of the outcome and how does that ultimate contribute to how you navigate your life?
- Written by Amelia Stevens
Fancy joining Amelia in class? Catch her holding space for our new lunchtime practice ‘Fire 45’ on Mondays!