The Deeper Purpose of Yoga & Why Consistency Matters More Than Motivation
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1) Do You Think the Deeper Purpose of Yoga Is to Become Something More, or to Strip Away Everything That Keeps Us From Being Ourselves?
What comes up for me with this question is that the purpose of yoga is to create awareness. Awareness is presence, and being fully present in the moment is not always easy. We are constantly being pulled into thoughts and emotions about the past and future. Much of the time, we believe our thoughts and interpretations are reality, and in doing so we live within an illusion.
Yoga is about seeing through that illusion of self. Not necessarily stripping away our identity, but realizing that the identity we are attached to is always changing. Yoga invites us to look deeper and discover the unchanging aspect of ourselves that remains hidden beneath the chaos of the changing world.
Many religions teach this truth using different words, but the greatest understanding I have gathered always comes back to presence. Through the tools of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, we cultivate balance in our lives and our energy. This balance makes it easier to focus, become present, and catch glimpses of our true nature. In doing so, we suffer less.
You can practice presence every day. Multiple times throughout the day, become still and observe. Observe yourself. Observe your surroundings. Don't judge anything as good or bad. Simply notice.
Then ask yourself: Who is observing?
The observer is the one who has been silently there all along. The one who is impartial to life's ups and downs, to aging, success, and failure. The part of you that sees everything and never changes.
When we truly arrive in the present moment, there is a deep peace that is always available. Yogis and mystics have long taught that as long as we are swept away by the illusion of the mind, caught in duality, likes and dislikes, judgments and identities, suffering follows.
Peace lies in the present moment of unchanging awareness.
So, coming back to the original question, it is true that yoga helps strip things away. But what it really removes are the illusions that keep us suffering. Beneath those illusions is the awareness that has been present all along, quietly witnessing life as it unfolds.
2) What's Some of the Worst Advice You've Ever Received That Surprisingly Turned Out to Be Good Advice?
YOLO. You Only Live Once.
At one point in my life, I used this idea as permission to be as impulsive and irresponsible as possible. In that context, it wasn't very good advice.
But I've come to see that it can actually be great advice depending on how you apply it.
Do the hard things. Create experiences. Take healthy risks. Don't be afraid to fail.
When approached from a grounded mindset, "You Only Live Once" can be a reminder not to waste your life living in fear. But when it's used as an excuse to chase dopamine and avoid responsibility, it becomes something very different.
Like many things, its value depends on the mindset behind it.
3) Do You Think Being Consistent Is More Important Than Being Motivated?
Yes, I absolutely think consistency is more important than motivation.
As humans, we naturally gravitate toward comfort and conserving energy. If we only did things when we felt motivated, we might spend a lot of time waiting.
It's a Catch-22 because the things that often require the most effort are also the things that create the greatest rewards.
That said, sometimes we do need to let things go. The important thing is making sure we're letting go because it's truly no longer aligned, not simply because it became difficult.
Motivation is a skill, and like any skill, it grows with practice.
Learning to show up when you'd rather binge Netflix, scroll social media, or stay comfortable is how resilience develops.
Maybe you've experienced this yourself. You were consistently exercising, taking classes, meditating, or eating well. Everything felt natural and effortless. Then a vacation, busy season, illness, or injury interrupted your routine.
Suddenly, getting back into it feels nearly impossible.
You know it's good for you. You know you'll feel better. Yet the motivation isn't there.
This is where consistency becomes more important than motivation.
You keep showing up.
It's similar to a saying in AA: "Don't leave before the miracle happens."
We cannot rely on motivation because feelings are constantly changing. They come and go. They were never meant to be the foundation of our actions.
Consistency creates the foundation.
The more we practice showing up when things are hard, the easier it becomes to stay the course. Getting back into a rhythm is often much harder than maintaining one.
That's why consistency matters so much. It keeps us moving forward even when motivation fades, and over time, it gives our fleeting moods less power over our lives.
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