These past few weeks, I’ve been in a slump. I’ve been grumpy, dreary, and just generally ho-hum. Eventually, I realized just what I needed to pick myself back up again.
I realized that what I needed was a healthy dose of ego.Â
Yep, you heard me. Ego: one of the most criticized concepts in the yoga world.
In yoga, ego gets a pretty bad wrap. In fact, some practitioners believe that destroying the ego is one of the central goals of practice and the key to a lasting connecting with the divine. Sri Sathya Sai Baba once said, “Banish the ego and develop the spirit of surrender. You will then experience Bliss.”
It’s true: the ego has a dark side. It has the power to kindle narcissism, greed, selfishness, and a whole host of other gnarly characteristics. But, it’s also has its benefits. Ego grounds us; it nourishes self-esteem; it drives us to achieve our goals. In many ways, ego is crucial to our daily lives and to our connection with something higher.
These past few weeks, I’ve struggled to nourish my sense of self. This struggle stems largely from the physical and emotional shifts inherent in pregnancy and approaching motherhood. More than ever before, my personal desires seem unimportant and my focus centers around the life inside me. My body is literally not my own anymore. It’s also someone else’s home! When I feel the baby kick, I’m immediately reminded that my body encompasses two souls. Personal identity and ego are bound to go into a tailspin under the weight of that realization! With my ego challenged, I felt a bit muddled and ambivalent.
I realized that the key to re-kindling my inner spark was to reconnect with my ego, my “me”-ness. So, I took time to care for me: I took a walk; I got a massage; I took a bath. I made a conscious effort to nourish myself. And, you know what? It worked.
Ironically, the ego – often thought to pull us away from the divine – was the exact thing I needed to re-connect to a higher sense of Self. A little self-care left me feeling brighter, more alive and more attuned to the beauty of the world around me. Having tended to my own needs, I feel more ready to serve others – as a friend, a yoga teacher, a partner and an expecting mother.
So, take some time to ask yourself: What have I done to nurture my self today?
Do something that nourishes you. Ultimately, when you serve yourself a healthy dose of ego, you’ll be all the more prepared to step out into the world with eyes wide open and make a difference.
How do you give yourself a healthy dose of ego? Leave a comment below!
