What does it really mean to progress in your asana practice? 

Is it about achieving advanced postures, holding longer balances, or increasing strength and flexibility? 

Maybe. But not entirely. 

True development in practice isn’t just physical. It’s not about performance or how much you can do - it’s about how deeply you can listen. To your body, to your breath, your heart; to your inner landscape.

The Quiet Discipline 

The real work begins when we cultivate a quiet, gentle, and steady discipline. 

 It’s the decision to show up on the mat, even when we’re not in the mood. 

 To meet ourselves as we are - tired, distracted, motivated, emotional, energised - without judgement. 

It’s the ability to simply begin, and to be open to whatever arises in the space that follows. Maybe ease, maybe challenge. Maybe clarity, maybe confusion. And that's okay. 

This discipline isn't forceful. It's not driven by guilt or perfectionism. It's the kind of discipline that becomes an anchor in your life. Reliable and supportive. Something that allow you to show up and do what you set out to do, especially on the hard days.

How Practice Shapes Our Life 

What we cultivate on the mat spills into every corner of life. 

The awareness, the discipline, the ability to sit with discomfort or uncertainty, it all supports us in becoming better people. 

It helps us make clearer decisions. 

It allows us to show up in relationships with more presence and less reactivity. 

We become more open to listening, more grounded in how we respond, less inclined to rush, push, or impose. 

Our practice teaches us to stay with things. To soften when we may want to harden. To move forward even when it’s uncomfortable. 

Supporting Spiritual Life 

And at its deepest level, this type of practice supports our spiritual growth. 

It helps steady our mind and bring balance to our body, while helping us cultivate the awareness needed to go deeper with our meditation practice and be more attentive in our acts of service. 

The relationship we have with the Supreme requires an inner quiet and listening. 

It’s like tuning into a whisper in a noisy room. 

If the mind is loud and scattered, there’s a risk we’ll miss it. 

But when the mind is steady, we’re more able to hear that inner guidance.  

In Closing 

So yes, postural development may come. Strength may grow. Flexibility may improve. 

But the real growth happens in the way you show up. 

In your awareness. 
In your attitude. 
In your willingness to meet yourself, you practice (asana and meditation) and your life with care and attention. 

And that is what makes personal practice truly transformational.

Progress in practice doesn’t have to mean mastering advanced postures.
It might look like finally sitting with your breath for five minutes without distraction. Or showing up consistently through a difficult season. It might mean moving with more awareness, or softening your inner dialogue.

There is something available for everyone regardless of age, ability, experience, or body type.

Progress is personal.

And growth is always possible, as long as we continue to show up with care and curiosity.