I often hear or read people talking about their “Yoga Journey”. Today it occurred to me that this concept of a “journey” has a fundamental flaw. In essence, Yoga is about dwelling in the moment. Forget how good or bad you were yesterday or whether you will get that new asana tomorrow. Be totally in the now.
The concept of a journey, or a progression, seems to me to be based in the ego. It comforts us to think that we are heading towards a goal and that we are getting better at what we are doing. But is this is missing the point? If you are on a journey it is inevitably away from the goal of Yoga. A journey implies action and action is karma. Yoga is the state of no karma.
Use the concept of a “journey” or a “river flowing to the sea” if it helps motivate you to put your mat down, but know in your heart of hearts that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You are abiding in the pot of gold at every moment. You just need to realise it.