Enjoying the journey

We often hear statements like, “I’ll be happy when I get a promotion”, ‘I’ll be happy when I get married”, “I’ll be happy when I get a divorce”, “I’ll be happy when I have a million dollars in my bank account”, “I’ll be happy when I ….”, and the list goes on. A person with this kind of mindset is always dissatisfied with the present situation and constantly seeking happiness in a future event. I recently came across the term “destination addiction” which is used in psychology to represent the above mindset. It represents a belief that happiness can only be achieved when one attains a certain future goal. Such a person finds something missing or lacking in the present situation and can find no peace or contentment in the present. When this person attains a much sought-after goal, he immediately sets his eyes on a higher goal.

When our kids were small, we’d undertake long road trips. Barely ten minutes into the drive, the kids would start asking “are we there yet?”. Even though we carried enough entertainment for them – their favorite music, some games etc. – they were too eager to reach the final destination. With “destination addiction” we miss out on enjoying the little joys that we can experience on the way. For example, on a mountainous road trip, we can always enjoy the “scenic look-outs” where you can enjoy some beautiful views of the valley, mountains, different types of flowers etc. This also gives an opportunity for the body to stretch and get rid of any stiffness in the back that can result from the long drive.

Thus, “enjoying the journey”, rather than being focused only on the end goal, helps us enjoy many of the life’s most meaningful and pleasurable moments along the way.

Some examples from day-to-day life

Let’s take a few examples from our day-to-day life where we can experience “enjoying the journey”.

A child learning to play a musical instrument: In the early stages, the sounds produced are usually far from being melodious. Yet, when the child learns to play a simple song (twinkle, twinkle for example) for the first time, it is a source of joy for the child as well as the parents. If the child were to focus only on becoming a master musician or to play at the Carnegie Hall, there will be no joy in learning and can lead to a frustrating learning experience. This is totally counter-productive as the child will lose focus on learning and never achieve the desired goal.

Growing vegetables in the garden: Every year in summer I grow vegetables in my backyard. Even though it takes a long time before harvesting ripe veggies, every step on the way is a joyful experience – preparing the soil with a mix of soil and fertilizer, planting the seeds, watering the beds regularly, weeding frequently etc. In my experience, tomatoes take the longest before they begin to ripen. However, there is a sense of joy in just watching the plants grow each day, gradually watching the first sprout, first tiny flowers, first tiny tomato and finally getting a ripe tomato.

Learning a language: I have been learning Sanskrit for over twenty years now. In the beginning it was a very daunting experience especially since I decided to learn it in my late fifties. As I persevered with my learning, I continued to make progress in learning to read small sentences, learning the basics of grammar etc. It was a huge moment for me when for the first time I was able to decipher and understand every word of a verse from the Bhagavad Gita. I continue to learn and enjoy reading and understanding not just yoga-related texts like the Gita and the Yoga Sutras, but also some of the classics in Sanskrit literature. I am no expert, can’t converse fluently in the language, need help understanding some difficult passages, but I continue to enjoy my journey. 

Practicing a simple yoga asana: Let’s take the example of Pashchimottanasana (seated forward bending asana). We begin by raising the arms up overhead, pull the arms up to lengthen the spine and then while exhaling slowly we begin to bend forward. Depending upon where you are with your level of flexibility, your goal may be to touch the toes or to be able to rest your chest flat on the thighs. If you close the eyes so you are not aware of how far you are into the pose, you can treat the movement of arms from vertical to the horizontal position as a journey. At every step of this journey you can experience the body going through subtle changes. That way you can actually enjoy the pose and the subtle improvements that you might experience every time you practice it. If you are focused only on the goal you’ll miss out on the subtle changes that your body is experiencing.

We can apply these concepts and enjoy the journey in all spheres of our daily life – work (seeking a promotion or a raise), family relations (finding a spouse, for example), shopping, planning and going on a trip etc.

It is important to remember that it is only in the present moment that we can attain a sense of joy, peace or tranquility of the mind. When we are focused only on the future or dwelling in the past, the mind is always in a state of agitation and can experience no joy or peace.

A Yogic Perspective

Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutras (sutra 1.2¹), offers the definition and the goal of yoga as “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind”. Mind, as we know, is constantly churning thoughts. Most of the time we are either dwelling in the past or projecting life into the future. When dwelling in the past, we can be overcome by negative emotions of anger, guilt feelings, jealousy, hatred etc. When thinking of the future, just by imagining what “might” happen, we can become anxious, fearful, or uncertain about the future. So, the goal of yoga is to bring the mind to a state of peace and calm. Many different terms are used to denote this final goal – moksha, liberation, Kaivalya, freedom and more. Given the vey restless nature of the mind, this goal is not easy to achieve. In fact, as per the yoga philosophy, it can take multiple lifetimes to achieve this goal. This could seem very discouraging in the beginning and may deter one from even to begin the practice of yoga. However, there are two aspects of the practice that make it very attractive:

Theory of Karma: As mentioned above, it may take multiple lifetimes to attain the goal of yoga. However, as per the theory of Karma the “karmashaya” or the storehouse of karmas is carried over to the next life. That means, we never start with a clean slate in the next life. The previous good karma in the form of advances in our yogic pursuits will be carried over and we’ll resume the next life from there.
Enjoying the journey: We noted above that by getting down from the vehicle and enjoying the beauty of nature at the “scenic lookouts” during a long road trip is a joyful experience. In the same manner, while the final goal may be inaccessible, we start enjoying a multitude of benefits as a result of our regular yoga practice. Such benefits include:

• more strength, flexibility and balance of the body
• better overall physical, mental and emotional health
• ability to deal with chronic ailments
• better sleep
• improved lifestyle, better choices in life – food, clothing, shelter – etc.
• clarity of thinking
• a sense of relative calm in the mind
• many more…

In sutra 2.14⁴ Patanjali while expanding on the concept of “practice” (abhyasa) emphasizes that practice gets firmly established when pursued over a long time, without interruptions and with a sense of devotion. Again, the focus is on enjoying the practice rather than being fixated on the end goal.

In the Bhagavad Gita (verse 2.47²) there is a very well-known and often-quoted verse:

“Your right is to do your action only, never on the results thereof. Do not become the agent of the results of your action. Nor should you be attached to inaction.”

Another verse in the Gita (verse 7.3³) emphasizes the difficulty in achieving the ultimate goal of life:

“Out of thousands of people, hardly one may strive for excellence. Even among those who achieve perfection through their efforts, hardly anyone knows My true nature, i.e., hardly anyone knows the ultimate truth of life.”

Concluding thoughts

“Enjoying the journey” is a concept that applies not only to the practice of yoga but every situation in day-to-day life. Whether it is learning a new skill (like playing a musical instrument), building lasting relationships, or practicing yoga on a regular basis, one can enjoy multiple “scenic out-looks” on the way to perfection. By focusing only on the end result can in reality be counter-productive as you are unable to stay focused on the task at hand.

[Note 1] Sutra 1.2: योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः॥२॥ yogaś-citta-vr̥tti-nirodhaḥ ॥2॥
“Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.”

[Note 2] BG 2.47: कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 47 || karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana | mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi ||
“Your right is to do your action only, never on the results thereof. Do not become the agent of the results of your action. Nor should you be attached to inaction.”

[Note 3] BG 7.3: मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वत: || 3||
manuṣhyāṇāṁ sahasreṣhu kaśhchid yatati siddhaye | yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaśhchin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ ||
“Out of thousands of people, hardly one may strive for excellence. Even among those who achieve perfection through their efforts, hardly anyone knows My true nature, i.e., hardly anyone knows the ultimate truth of life.”

[Note 4] Sutra 1.14: स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः॥१४॥ sa tu dīrghakāla nairantarya satkāra-āsevito dr̥ḍhabhūmiḥ ॥14॥
“That (practice) gets firmly grounded when it is persistently exercised for a long time, without interruption, and with earnest, reverential attention, and devotion.”