Managing Spiritual Overwhelm

When I was a child I used to love flipping through the Sears Wishbook every holiday season (my heart smiles just thinking back on it). You could have used it as a doorstop it was so thick. I can still remember the delight that ran through me as I flipped the pages, taking in all the inviting pictures of toys that tempted and filled me with greedy toy acquisition desire.

My Current Version of the Sears Wishbook
These days I'm more likely to be flipping through a Kripalu or Omega catalog. And while this catalog content is very different from the Wishbook catalog content of days gone by, the same thing happens -- I'm overwhelmed by pages upon pages of goodies. The goodies in this case are workshop and trainings that tease with the promise of everything from enlightment to stress reduction to inner peace to muscles as loose and flexible as those of a Cirque de Soleil performer. It's enough to make my monkey mind morph into monkey mind on speed.

How to Choose?
Being that I love to learn and I enjoy new experiences, my looking at one of these catalogs is akin to an alcoholic going into a bar. It ain't pretty, let me tell you. Just the other day I was flipping through the glossy pages of the latest Kripalu catalog that arrived in my mailbox and I find myself dogearing pages by the dozen. Am I actually going to attend all of these workshops and/or trainings? No. Heck, if I did, I'd gain permanent resident status at Kripalu. Then it hits me -- do I actually need to attend any of these events?

The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Now starts the whole bargaining/rationalizing process. It goes a little something like this: "Well, I don't need to go -- I have a lot of training under my belt already. But more training isn't a bad thing. I could pass along the new things I learn to my clients. After all, isn't that why they pay me -- for my knowledge. If attending will help me better serve my clients, then I should go. And I sure do love it in the Berkshires." Get the picture? As I said, it ain't pretty.

The Case for Saying No
I've studied a lot of things over the years -- different yoga traditions, eastern healing practices, bodywork, and a whole lot more (too much to mention here, that's for sure). Yes, I've gained a lot of knowledge. But I've also contracted a hefty case of overwhelm. Ironically, the more things you study the less likely you are to experience the benefit that you were searching for in the first place. For my own practice, I like to keep things simple. I use a few modalities, the main one being yoga. I find that when I keep it simple, my mind and body are calm, healthy, and happy. When I start wanting to attend more workshops, things get cloudy. And then I can practically hear Patanjali whispering in my ear.

The wise sage -- who, I'm going to assume knows a heck of a lot more than I do -- urges us in the 32nd sutra of the first chapter to choose one path, one direction. Choosing one path and staying on that path -- as opposed to jumping off at the first fork in the road -- isn't an option. It's a must in order to achieve your goal. Usually I shy away from musts, but I think our wise sage has something here. After all, there are only so many hours in a day -- if I practiced all of the techniques I've learned over the years, I'd have to stay awake 20 hours each day and devote every minute to practicing. Not all that practical, eh?

The Harsh Reality of Overwhelm
When we try to do too much at once, we don't get as much accomplished as if you had chosen one direction and stuck with it. The reality is that there are many styles of yoga out there. There are also hundreds (possibly thousands) of healing modalities. There are many paths to enlightenment, clarity, happiness. Our job is to choose one (one style of yoga, one style of yoga, etc. -- you can have a few spiritual practices but only one style of each). Hopping from one style to another doesn't serve us. It's a little like going to a buffet but focusing on only one type of food. Yes, it's hard, but I find that cutting back and choosing one thing is worth it.

I am currently in a yoga training in a lineage in which I've never studied before. I chose this lineage because I felt like I was "home" when I practiced it. Rather than the ecclectic mix I had been practicing prior to starting this training, I now exclusively practice in the tradition in which I am studying. I was surprised that making this switch wasn't easier. After all, I love this tradition, so why would it be difficult to convert my yoga practice exclusively to this type of practice?

Frankly, I like variety. Yet, I'd been enjoying multiple dishes from the yoga buffet for years. Committing to one style was difficult at first. Now that I know what it's like to choose one and go deeperly into it, I'm wondering why I didn't do it sooner. Going deeper into one practice can be quite amazing. Difficult at times -- it's always easier to skate along the surface of many practices -- but much more rewarding then sampling. Yes, that Patanjali had the right idea -- one path.

How to Choose -- and Stay On -- One Path
If you're like I am, you're always tempted by the shiny new toy. You could be practicing the same type of yoga for years but when you see something new, your eyebrow quirks and you think about exploring just a bit. How do you stay focused and avoid spiritual overwhelm? Here are a few tips:

• Start out with an open mind. Be open to trial and error in the beginning. As you explore these new things notice how you feel each one. Is it just a passing fancy, or does it attract you on a deeper level? I usually wait a few weeks before signing up for something so that I can determine whether or not my decision to attend is born of impulsiveness or true interest. Allow yourself a finite period to explore and try new things.
• Make a heartfelt choice and then devote some time to your chosen practice. Take a few months with a particular style of yoga to really determine if it's for you. Don't just write something off after one class or one experience with a particular teacher. To truly get a taste for something and to experience a glimpse of its long-term benefits you have to give it a chance.
• Set a spending limit -- learning new things can be mighty expensive. A weekend workshop at Kripalu can set you back $500 or more. Start by setting a budget for how much you're willing and able to spend on finding a practice that's right for you. 
• Evaluate -- after you've been working with a particular practice for some time, sit down and think about how it's affected you. Has this practice reaped any benefits for you? Do you enjoy it? Do you feel inclined to study this practice more deeply? Do you feel satisfied or do you think there's something a little more appropriate for you out there? You might want to scribble in a journal for 5 minutes after each practice. That way, you can look back over your notes after your trial period is up to see if the practice has had a positive effect.

Enjoy the Exploration
It's important to have fun with this process. There are no mistakes here. Believe me, I've taken quite a few classes that don't inform my personal and professional practice today, but I still enjoyed the experience of learning. The truth is -- there's something for everyone out there. You just need to take the time to explore and then you need to stick with it to get what you were hoping for from it in the first place.

A Cautionary Tale
I have a friend who has taken every class, training, and workshop under the sun. He's certified in a ridiculously long list of modalities. Yet I notice that his personal life isn't all that stable. He's often suffering from the issues/symptoms that all of his learned practices are supposed to heal. My opinion is that he's too scattered and he's gorging at the buffet. By skating on the surface, he's not going deeply into any one thing so he's not reaping the benefits. Every time I talk to him, he's enthusiastic about the hot, new thing. Then it dies down and something else takes its place. Yep, spiritual overwhelm. In this case, too much is just that -- too much (and, at the same time, not enough).

Being open to initial trial and error and then committing to one type of practice can bring about rich benefits. I find that when I'm satisfied with my practice, I'm less likely to be tempted by the bevvy of new teachings that are always cropping up. Now when I find something catching my attention it's because I'm interested in its foundational teachings (which, ironically, I find are usually a spin on something else that already exists). I'm not hooked into changing up my own practice so that I can follow the next hot thing.  My practice is too rewarding to abandon for the sake of variety and newness.

Namaste!

Comments

[Jessica]

Hi :)

I've been doing yoga for about three years now, but never really "committed" to the lifestyle and just sort of did it at the local community centre for exercise purposes.

Recently however (past year or so), I've become extremely absorbed in the entire philosophy, practice, spirituality of yoga, and about finding myself through this process. Growing up in a strict Catholic household, my beliefs were always central to this, but I never really felt fulfilled. When my mom passed away 6 years ago, I found little comfort in my religion and its conceptualization of the afterlife and spirituality in general.

I am feeling much how you described above ... in a state of "spiritual overwhelm." Your article helped me so much, and I'm hoping you could get back to me if you ever have time in helping guide me through this wonderful journey of self-discovery and spirituality. I've studied hatha yoga, have a good friend who has studied Kripalu (I like the sounds of that one), I did the hot yoga, power yoga, etc. but was wondering if you had any suggestions.

What really speaks to me are the philosophical and spiritual aspects of yoga, and how by being good to your body and essentially your soul, you are on the path to enlightenment. I hope to find a discipline of yoga that allows for decent physical exercise (I'm also a runner so I like my yoga to be a decent pace; not too extreme but I like to feel it the next day!) but also really emphasizes the spiritual aspects, and focuses on healing.

I'm sorry if this seems demanding or overwhelming (it's all so overwhelming!) but if you have time ever, I'd love to hear your words of wisdom.

Namaste.

[Spiritual Health]

Hey,Nice post!I want to see more on this!

[Jennifer Perry]

Diane,
Thank you so much for this...you have no idea how much I needed to read this now!
Namaste.

[Diane Cesa]

Couldn't agree more Linda! Thanks for the reminder.

We should all know about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_materialism

Excerpts from Chogyam Trungpa's book: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/cutting.htm

[Diane Cesa]

Thanks for sharing your experience in your comment Nadine. I just love your words about the depth we can find by spending our lives in one direction. So true! Yet it is often the opposite of what we believe to be true. Thank you for reminding us!

[Diane Cesa]

Your very welcome Lisa! Thank you for commenting.

[Lisa]

Thank you SO much for writing this post. I, too, spent hours drooling over the recent Kripalu catalogue. And I, too, started to wonder if I really needed all of those classes. After intellectualizing far too much - but not experiencing enough - I truly appreciate your wisdom on the subject.

[Nadine Fawell]

Great post, Diane!
And so true. I have been finding recently that I only want to go deeper in the tradition that interests me, and with very specific teachers with whom I resonate. Yes, I too have the monkey-mind thing of more more more training, but, seriously, there is so much depth, we can actually spend lives in just one direction. The thousand-headed one was right!

[Linda-Sama]

Chogyam Trungpa talked of spiritual materialism. More people should know what that means.