by Swami Ramananda
While humility is the hallmark of a sincere spiritual aspirant, we may rarely think of practicing it.
In an age where self-empowerment is synonymous with personal growth, the idea of humbling
oneself is decidedly unpopular. It can easily be dismissed as a sign of weakness or allowing
oneself to be pushed around.
Understood and practiced correctly, humility is an essential part of spiritual growth. It is letting
go of the need to be right, the effort to defend ourselves, and making space for the truth, whether
or not the truth is in agreement with what we want. For example, no real communication can
happen without accepting the possible validity of another person’s point of view. Then even
when we disagree, we have allowed ourselves to be touched by another person’s perspective.
We humans, like all animals, make an instinctual effort to achieve some mastery over our lives in
order to survive. Things like securing a home and a livelihood depend upon asserting ourselves
enough to achieve success. A healthy self-esteem serves us in accomplishing these basic goals,
but will lead us astray if we then identify our success in life completely with this ability to
control the world around us.
It is just as important to realize that there are ways in which we cannot control the outcomes of
our efforts, and that our happiness does not have to depend on events conforming to our plans.
We can put tremendous effort into building our dream house or getting the perfect job, only to
have a hurricane or a stormy boss take it away in a matter of minutes.
Real mastery requires not only the courage to try, but also the courage to accept being
unsuccessful, without losing the ability to learn and adjust. This is where humility comes in – it
is exactly the virtue that allows us to accept what comes or to see that we are making a mistake.
Then, instead of being lost in disappointment over that mistake, we can move onward with a new
lesson to guide future efforts.
online & in-person.
Swami Ramananda C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life, and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential.
He leads all levels of Yoga teacher trainings and programs around the globe. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program and has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings. He a founding board member of Yoga Alliance and is a co-founder of The Spiritual Action Initiative which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.
