Dealing with the Ego

The ego. It's a tricky thing. It holds onto the past and clouds the future.

I've spent a lifetime struggling with my own elephant-sized version of it. The moment I believe I have it tamed it only returns double in size, density and more wildly destructive.

At 17, when I embraced Buddhism, I thought I had it licked, "Attachment is for suckers and weaker men!". Wrong. When at 23, yoga showed me the "struggle" I was too stubborn to admit and embrace it.

Through yoga, I kept trying. Entering the fray, repeatedly engaging it. As I continued my practice I found that my mat was a safe place for me. A reprieve from the noisy and clumsy elephant. No tomorrow. No yesterday. Just now. (It sounds so cliche!) Practicing to live in the shelter that "now" provided and working towards applying that to every moment in the real world.

Do I fail? Yep, more times than I care to admit. Will I keep failing? You bet. All the while, attempting to learn and grow. Will I succeed? To be determined but I don't plan on stopping until I do. 😉

Begin again. Rinse and repeat. The cycle of things. Repetition to freedom.

~ Andrew