The Stagnation of Progress

Often times in our life (and our practice), we can feel stuck or stagnant in our forward momentum. They say a rolling stone gathers no moss, and that may be true - the idea being that if you keep moving, the stuff that can accumulate when there is minimal progress won't have time to accumulate. That's all well and good when it's the stuff that doesn't serve us, but what about the beneficial things that take time to work their way into our lives. There's no stone I know that can sustain a lifelong perpetual rolling. And that's when I think of the sloth, the slowest extant mammal. They are so slow moving that they have developed a symbiotic relationship with various species of algae.  At first glance, this may appear unattractive, unhygienic or potentially detrimental. However, algae provides protective camouflage, as well as various nutrients the sloth absorbs through their skin. Though the pace is slow, there is pace, there is movement - even if it's indiscernible by the human eye.

This is how we can feel in our daily experience - on and off the mat. We may quit a job to make a life change, to have time to self-reflect, only to find ourselves feeling like we're right back where we started when the new job search commences. We may step away from a physical or breathing practice because we don't see any visible progress, or we still feel grumpy and unhappy. We're not right back where we started, we have made progress, and yet we may still be grumpy. What we're failing to see is not whether we've made progress, but the ability to acknowledge a difference. So when we can't acknowledge the differences (no matter how small), we assume it's because there is no progress. Most people go through life unaware of their self, their thoughts and actions and how those thoughts and actions affect their outlook and experience of life. The practice of yoga teaches us to become aware, if you take on the challenge of learning to be aware. Self-awareness doesn't happen by default - very few things in life happen by default. To make changes, it requires effort and energy. Sometimes we have the motivation to put forth the effort, sometimes not.. but nonetheless, change requires it.

When we lack the energy and effort, we perceive a sense of stagnation. That stagnation can either serve us or it can destroy us. If we allow it to serve us, then one could argue that there's no actual stagnation at all. The metaphorical algae is merely taking time to grow in order to provide protection and nutrients for our personal growth and forward momentum. The next time you feel like progress has slowed or ceased, perhaps take a mental inventory and acknowledge that the mere fact you noticed a sense of stagnation establishes a new baseline for progress.

~Sara