Break the cycle of old conditioning
In Yoga teachings, we learn the term “samskara.” This represents deep mental and psychological conditioning. It influences how we form habits and perceive the world, causing us to feel stuck in a repetitive loop.
Over many years we create “subconscious grooves” – think of it like driving on the same dirt path would create deep ruts – this is experienced in repetitive thoughts, feelings, self-limiting beliefs and negative behaviours. We often aren’t even aware of them and live our life stuck on autopilot.
Through this we create a negative feedback cycle – every time we react to an “old groove” or trigger, we subconsciously reinforce it. We are basically telling our brain and body that it’s a normal way to respond – even if it creates a lot of pain and drama in our life.
Examples might look like this:
Sudden anger that feels red hot and uncontrollable. Often leading to feelings guilt and regret later on.
Fear of rejection or abandonment that might manifest in withdrawal or people pleasing
Cyclical thoughts like “I’m not good enough” or “If they really knew me, they wouldn’t love me.”
Binge eating to avoid emotional troughs and later culminating in feelings of shame.
One statistic suggests up to 90% of our daily life is rooted in these old, automatic thoughts, behaviours and emotional responses. Without any awareness that we are being driven by these Samskaras, we not only continue to repeat them – we reinforce them, making it ever more difficult to break free from.
In yoga, there are specific teachings that can help you identify and transform these Samskaras. You’re not trapped in this cycle forever if you choose not to be.
The path forward looks like this:
Start with the principle of Svadhyaya – self observation. It takes practice, but learn to slow down before responding to habitual reactions. Think of a time when you wrote a heart felt text message and they do not reply straight away. Even though you can see they’ve read it. Old Samskaras of rejection, abandonment, anger might arise. A sense of creating a story in the mind that reinforces your samskara is often what happens next. Slow it down and wait. Be curious about why you respond to things.
Abhyasa – Intentional, deliberate and repetitive practice. You can only dismantle old conditioning by consistently choosing new, healthier responses – over and over again. This literally begins to create a new “groove” that rewires the old pattern. In a sense, it is a form of devotion to your greater self.
Sankalpa – Clear intention. Start small, but begin to consider how you want to break free from your own samskaras. It will be the guiding light that keeps you focused on removing negative patterns and finding alignment with your heart and values.
Finally, find a practice that allows you to turn the gaze inward and carves out uninterrupted time and space for sitting with what is uncomfortable. There must be a willingness to face what is challenging and this is often where finding a great yoga teacher can change everything. They will offer you the tools, mediations, reflections and practices to safely explore and release what’s been imprinted over a life time.
When this happens, you can experience life with a whole new perspective. Letting go of the weight you’ve been carrying, it sprinkles out to everyone around you. If this resonated, reach out to me for a chat HERE
