Abhyāsa & Vairāgyam: The Two Wings of Practice

How Yoga helps us work with the mind: Part IV

Yoga Sutra I.12 Abhyāsa vairāgyaābhyām tan nirodhaḥ‍ ‍

Mastering attention comes through practice and relinquishing.

If the second sutra tells us what yoga is, the twelfth tells us how to get there: Practice and relinquish what gets in the way of attention.

The Sanskrit word abhyāsa is rooted in the concept of sitting, of staying with something. [root √as: to sit; to be].TKV Desikachar described abhyāsa as the effort to remain in a particular direction, the steady return to practice again and again regardless of what the mind would prefer to do instead. It is not heroic effort. It is consistent, patient, ordinary effort. The kind that does not make headlines but gradually, over time, changes the landscape of the mind.

Vairāgya, the companion to abhyāsa, is often translated as non-attachment or dispassion, butVairāgya does not mean indifference to life. It does not mean withdrawing from relationships or responsibilities. It means that when something is getting in the way of our movement forward, we relinquish it or let it go. Abhyāsa is the effort we make and the things we do. Vairāgya is what we give up in service of our greater goal.

In the Viniyoga tradition, these two principles are understood as inseparable. Abhyāsa without Vairāgya can tip into rigidity, into a forcing of the mind that creates its own kind of suffering. Vairāgya without abhyāsa can drift into a form of aescetic discipline that may be imbalanced or unhelpful. Together they create a way forward: unifying both the practices and effort with the relinquishing of what no longer serves.

At Innermost Yoga, this balance is reflected in how practice is designed for individuals. Abhyāsa comes first — we do some practice. As that takes shape in one’s life, it becomes clear what is ready to fall away. This is what practice actually looks like over a long period of time. One aspect of practice reveals the next step. Yoga isn’t a dramatic transformation but a life-long, sustainable becoming.