competitive mind

[Guest guest]

Hello yogis and yoginis,<br>I thought I'd use

this to try to get some input on a little problem I've

fallen into lately while doing astanga; I've become

extremely competitive ... both with myself and in relation

to others around me. I get upset because others

who've practiced a shorter time than I are stronger and

more flexible. I get angry with myself because my body

isn't changing fast enough. This must change, of course

.... and I wanted to see if anyone has experienced the

same problem. Since the physical results of astanga

are so remarkable, it seems to me it would be an easy

trap to fall into also for other Type-A-borderliners

than I. To challenge your body until you've almost

forgotten that it isn't the world-championships in

stretching but something to make your body AND mind stronger

and happier. If so, how did you deal with this ...

without abandoning the astanga, of course.

[Guest guest]

Hi,<br>I used to be a runner, a fairly good one,

so for me, losing sucks. When I started astanga I

went through the same thing. I was hard headed about

it too so I ended up hurting myself. I found the

cure was to ignore the other people in the room, to

get really deep into my own mind, to watch it instead

of others. Guruji mentions santoshya, or

contentment... being ok with where you are. Great theory, huh? I

have stiffness in my hips from running that will take

me years to get through, so realizing that the race

never ends and there is no winner, has helped me

greatly. This may or may not be helpful to you, but just

so you know, you're not alone.

:-)<br><br>Namaste,<br>Nada

[Guest guest]

I have had the same problem. I go through the

same thing every once in awhile. Actually though, the

other day I was practicing at my friend's dorm room (a

different school than mine) and two of my friends were

watching me. At the beginning I was very aware of them

watching and being there, but I got over it. When i got to

headstand and handstand, they started talking about how

impressed they were. I actually didn't care! At this point

I would usually be doing something to make myself

look better and make it look even more

effortless...but this time I was concentrating more on how aware I

was in the pose. So, maybe that is one step closer to

not being as competitive in class...<br><br>Lauren

[Guest guest]

i am usually a fairly intensly competitive person

in most things. so far, i've managed to avoid having

that tendency disrupt my yoga. i think i've managed

that because i did not begin this process with very

much in the way of expectations. to compete, there

should be some semblence of competence. i knew that i

did not have that competence. my goal in starting

yoga was to try to improve my health and condition,

primarily to reduce the risk of injuries that seem to have

begun hitting my peers as they have gotten older. i

have managed to tweak a few muscles here and there.

having the occasional muscle strain has helped me accept

not trying to do too much--it was defeating what i

was trying to accomplish. as a result, i have become

comfortable with the approach of accepting what i can do

currently. i try to do more each time but i don't feel bad

if i don't do as well as i did last week or as well

as the person next to me. as a result, i have

progressed steadily. that progression has reinforced the

value of an "uncompetetive" mindset for me. we all

competitive to a degree in our practices. we want to improve

ourselves. that is good. just work on accepting what you can

do

[Guest guest]

While I did not experience this problem when I

first began practicing, it did creep up on me as I

became more adept. I chalked it up to being a leftover

response to my K-12 educational experience -- that is, put

a teacher in the room and I simply had to be the

best student! I dealt with this by switching,

primarily, to a home practice -- remove the teacher and the

other students and remove the stimulus for competition.

Now, when I do go to a class -- approximately once a

week -- I am much more able to remain focused on my

own practice. In fact, I am sometimes shocked when

the teacher provides an adjustment -- having

forgotten that I wasn't alone!<br><br>Shambhbala

[Guest guest]

Competitive mind. When I notice it, I welcome it.

Why? Because otherwise its there all the time,

subconscious, unnoticed a part of every action. When I become

aware of it in class or any other time I can then

choose not to act on it and do something dumb like

stretch too far. When its there I can gently make fun of

it--it is absurd and counterproductive really to try to

be more bendy than someone else--and bring my mind

back to my breath and my dristi and keep practicing.

So maybe increased competitiveness is a sign that

your yoga is working. That is the way it has been for

me anyway--noticing competitive mind more while

gradually becoming less competitive in general.

[Guest guest]

Cool post, hulahoop, about the wonderful paradoxes of the mind. Competitiveness

is a tough issue for many of us and it's so easy to take it

seriously.<br><br>sun