the mortgage on your house, obtaining a luxury car, losing
ten pounds, or purchasing a new outfit may result in
greater feelings of security within yourself. Unfortu-
nately, whenever your happiness is based upon something
other than your true Self, insecurity arises because you
know at a deep level of your being that whatever is bring-
ing you happiness can be lost and therefore has the
potential to bring you pain.
According to the principles of yoga, the only true
security comes from your willingness to embrace the
unknown, the realm of uncertainty. By relinquishing
your attachment to the known, you step into the field of
pure potentiality in which the wisdom of uncertainty is
factored into all your choices. Practicing detachment and
embracing uncertainty, you relinquish your need to hold
on to the past, which is the only thing that is known.
Being open to what is happening rather than trying to
control how things unfold, you experience the excite-
ment, adventure, exhilaration, and mystery of life.
Applied to your practice of yoga, the Law of Detach-
ment encourages you to relinquish your attachment to an
idealized pose. Rather than seeking only to achieve the
perfect posture, have the intention for your practice to
awaken deeper and more expanded levels of awareness
within you. By relinquishing your attachment to an ideal-
ized form and allowing your awareness to embrace the
essence of yoga, your body will naturally release its resist-
ance, increase its flexibility, and will improve as a side
benefit for your detachment.
Yoga is not a competitive sport, and you will not
achieve integration of body, mind, and spirit through force
and effort. Rather, yoga is a system of mindful surrender.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga 67