What does it mean to think of yoga as a gift?

Plenty of people practice yoga because they sense that it has the power to transform their life. They sense that it can create a shift away from the ego-centric, achievement-oriented model that the modern world incessantly celebrates. But it is all too common to see yogis unconsciously applying the same achievement-oriented approach to their yoga practice. They strive and struggle to “achieve” new poses, and feel frustrated when they fail. They secretly compare their postures with other students, and end up working so hard that they forget to breathe.

I believe that reducing our tendency to be goal-oriented and ego-focused is one of yoga’s most important lessons. One way to become less ego-focused is to think of our practice not as an achievement, but as a gift. To give you a more nuanced understanding of what that might mean, I offer you a (paraphrased) quote from yoga philosophy teacher Douglas Brooks. “What makes something a gift is that you didn’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, and you can’t pay it back.” What will happen to your practice — and to you — when you begin to think of yoga as a gift?