Values ​​and Yoga: Acceptance #1

Every person has certain values ​​that are important to them and by which they live. In our new series we want to introduce you to the values ​​of our society and our coexistence through yoga teachers. Maria, co-founder of Find Your Yoga, starts with the value:

acceptance

This is what Wikipedia says:

Acceptance (from the Latin “accipere” for to approve, accept, approve) is a nounization of the verb accept, which is understood as to accept, acknowledge, consent, accept, approve, agree with someone or something.

You often hear from people: “You just have to accept it.” But you don’t HAVE to accept anything. Because acceptance is something that every person must actively do and, more importantly, do voluntarily. Active and voluntary, these are two important foundations of acceptance.

I am active in accepting. I accept something as it is. A short definition: “ Acceptance describes the unrestricted willingness to accept a fact, a situation and/or a person”. In contrast to this are the words (and actions) of tolerance and toleration, which describe a passive state. I tolerate a situation or a person I don't like. That sounds pretty simple. Because I don't really have to do anything other than continue to look at the situation. I allow other beliefs and ways of acting to happen. It doesn't affect me any further.

Acceptance is more difficult. If I really want to accept something that I don't like, then I have to come to terms with myself. Why do I have resistance to something or someone? I have to take action. I have to look for myself where certain things come from and I have to actively accept what I might actually resist because I wish it were different.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't express your displeasure in situations that require active action. For example, I think of an older man being insulted by teenagers on the street. It's not enough to accept that the world is sometimes a difficult place. But acceptance helps afterwards, when the youngsters have been driven away and the cocoa has been drunk with the older man. You can then practice accepting that you can't change everything and that not everything is in your power.

“Yoga is self-acceptance,

not self-improvement!”

When I started yoga, I quickly became aware of my own physical limitations. My legs hurt when I was standing in the dog; when I was meditating, my mind never worked as it should. Everyone knows that. And then there were two options for me: I could have rolled up my mat and left, or I could accept that I was just at the beginning. I stuck with yoga. I have accepted my physical and mental limitations. And most importantly – I kept working on it. Because acceptance is also something dynamic. You have to accept - hey, yes, I can only reach my shins with my hands. But I can also (change) this situation. By having trust and setting goals for myself. My hands now touch the floor, bent over, and I have developed further. And it's great to see and it doesn't stop. And of course there are still yogis who can do a lot more than me, but hey, that's okay. The whole thing can also be found in the Yoga Sutra: "Yoga practice must have three qualities: discipline, self-study and acceptance of one's own limits."

Acceptance begins with each individual. Accepting where our own limits are, what mistakes and weaknesses we have and what makes us tick. Accept that the mood is sometimes good, sometimes bad; but also accept what is given to us. Not what I would like, but what is real. Acceptance also means accepting other people as they are and letting them live their own lives. And here too the dynamics come into play. If I accept a person as they are, then I also have to accept that they will change and that relationships will change with them. Anyone who has children knows that they won't stay small forever. And so the world is subject to eternal change and all I can do is accept it. Or at least practice it a little bit every day. Because it happens one way or the other, or completely differently.

Acceptance is when you can say: “YES, the way I am and the way it is is ok !” In addition, loving acceptance demands openness and calmness from us. It's really hard to accept, because staying open and calm when it comes to the nitty-gritty is, well, hallelujah. But what we get as a reward is freedom. And acceptance from other people. And that's why it's worth it.

Small yoga meditation exercise for acceptance

• Sit upright and close your eyes.
• Take a few deep breaths and arrive.
• Concentrate on your calm and regular breathing and then ask yourself the question: “Who or what am I resisting in my life right now?”
• Be open to whatever comes. See what it feels like when you consciously perceive your resistance. What feelings arise? Where do you feel it in your body? And what does it do to you if you just accept that you have resistance within you?

(This exercise comes from the great meditation program Headspace . There is a whole series of exercises on acceptance that we warmly recommend to you.)

I wish you all a wonderful start to 2018 with lots of love and acceptance for you, your environment and fellow human beings. And if nothing else works, then just take the last part of acceptance and DANCE!

Maria

Former operator of Find Your Yoga (2017-2023)

You can find all of our previously published articles in the “Values ​​and Yoga” series here.

Would you like to share your thoughts on a value in our society related to yoga? Then please send us an email to mail[at]findedeinyoga.org . We are happy!

You can find all previously published articles in the “Values ​​and Yoga” series here .

Still looking for YOUR yoga teacher? On Find Your Yoga, over 4,000 yoga teachers introduce themselves personally. Use our yoga teacher search now: here !