The Antidote to Suffering

I hope you all had a great week. Recently I have been spending some time with the concept of suffering. According to Buddhist psychology, we are all supposed to experience some suffering in our lives. It is what helps us recognize true joy. However, as humans, we do spend so much of our lives trying to avoid pain and discomfort because… well it’s uncomfortable. The irony is that the two main ways we try and avoid discomfort; either by pedaling away from it or rushing through it both actually cause more suffering. On the mat, we explored the antidote to suffering which is explained in this quote. 

“The antidote to suffering lies not in the avoidance of pain, but in our ability to meet it with curiosity, compassion and acceptance.”

The yoga mat is a great place to practice this antidote; to meet our bodies and our practice with curiosity, compassion, and acceptance rather than judgment, expectation and frustration. What we practice on the mat has the power to help us be “better at it” off of the mat; where it truly matters.

Reducing suffering is not about avoiding it or running from it… our suffering both waits for us and follows us… but rather it is about how we meet it. With the perspective that curiosity offers, we can find space for compassion and acceptance and from there, gratitude follows.