The sixth spiritual law of yoga is the Law of Detachment, which reveals a great paradox of life. In order to acquire something in this world, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn’t mean you give up the intention to fulfill your desire–you simply give up your attachment to the outcome.
Attachment is based on fear and insecurity. When you forget that the only genuine source of security is your true self, you begin believing that you need something outside yourself to be happy. Unfortunately, whenever your happiness is based upon something outside yourself, insecurity arises because you know at a deeper level of your being that whatever is bringing you happiness can be lost and therefore has the potential to bring you pain.
According to the principles of yoga, the only true security comes from your willingness to embrace the unknown. Being open to what is happening rather than trying to control how things unfold, you experience the excitement, adventure, exhilaration and mystery of life.
Applied to the practice of yoga, the Law of Detachment encourages you to relinquish your attachment to an idealized pose. Rather than seeking only to achieve the perfect posture, have the intention for your practice to awaken deeper and more expanded levels of awareness within you. Then cultivate an attitude of curiosity on your mat. Instead of having expectations for what you will and won’t be able to do, be curious and experiment. You never know what might happen! Finally, cultivate that field of pure awareness, where you are simply the observer, not attaching any reactions or story lines to what’s happening on your mat, just simply observing how each posture is going to unfold for you each day.
