Getting fustrated or Feeling Deflated in Your Yoga (Asana) Practice, or life.

It’s incredibly common to feel competitive frustrated, or deflated during our yoga practice ( and life ) especially when what we want to happen simply doesn’t, despite our hardwork commitment and best efforts.
 
We want to straighten our leg but it won’t quite go.
We want to balance in bird, but don’t have the wrist mobility.
We want our heels to reach the floor, but they won’t get because our ankles are stiff.
We want longer arms to bind, but your body says otherwise.
 
And it’s not just on the mat   It’s the small and big stuff in life too;
 
We want to be in the top ten of the race—but arrive mid pack despite training hard for months. 
We want an A in the exam—but get a B despite studying every night.
We wants to have a child but can’t despite trying for years.
We don’t want people or pets we love to die but they will.
We  want to make the 10 a.m.train—but get stuck behind a very slow driver for miles.
We want everyone to have had a good time on the yoga retreat we have just taught but not everyone might.
 
The Effort Is Yours — The Outcome Is Not
We can only ever do the best we can in any given moment. What comes next is not ours to control. And we have no right to think it is:
 
Not the body.
Not other people.
Not the world.
 
And yet, we’re constantly told the opposite.
 
We hear:

• “Know what you want and go make it happen.”
• “Create the life you want.”
• “ You can be whatever you want to be”

 
Entire industries are built on this idea. There are even books dedicated to getting what you want—some going so far as to teach how to manipulate events or others to achieve it.
 
Goal-setting and striving are often seen as inherently good.
 
But this is NOT the yogic mindset   

What Yoga Philosophy Actually Teaches
 At the heart of yoga philosophy is a simple but radical idea:
 “Renounce the fruits of your labour.”

 This teaching, rooted in texts like the Bhagavad Gita, invites us to act without attachment to the outcome.
 At first, this can sound completely backwards.
 If we’re not doing something for a result… then why do it?
 
But the meaning is deeper:

• Do the action fully.
• Do it with presence and sincerity.
• Do it as well as you can in that moment.
• Do it without expecting anything in return. 

  
And let go of what happens next.
Because the real value lies in the doing—not the result.
  
Why We Feel Deflated
We feel deflated not because something didn’t happen…
…but because we were attached to it happening.
 
We attach ourselves to outcomes:

• I want the job.
• I want the faster time.
• I want more money.
• I want the perfect practice.
• I want things to go my way.

 
Then we subtly (or not so subtly) try to control everything to make those outcomes happen.
 
And when life doesn’t comply?
 
We feel like we’ve failed. Fustrated, sad, deflated, demoralised, angry  we may even blame someone else or say right im never doing it again  
 Yoga tells us to wake up to that mindset and become free of it   
 
The Truth About Control
We don’t control:

• The world 
• Other people
• Timing
• Outcomes
• Everything about our own bodies
• The weather 
• Most things 

 
Trying to force control where it doesn’t exist leads to tension, frustration, and suffering. ( read that sentence again) 
Yoga asks us to step out of that struggle.
 
A Different Way to Measure Success
Instead of asking:
 “Did I get what I wanted?”
 
Ask:
 “Did I do the best I could in this moment?”
 If the answer is yes, then nothing is missing.
 You are exactly where you need to be.
 Growth is happening—even if it doesn’t look how you expected.
  
Life Isn’t About Being Happy All the Time
We’re often sold the idea that life should feel good, smooth, and successful.
 
But life isn’t about constant happiness.
It’s about growth.
 
Growth can feel uncomfortable.  
 
As Micheal Singer says “ life is sandpaper” it’s mean to shape you into something unique.  It’s not meant to be smooth sailing but  t
Rather to evolve you.  

—-
Bringing This Back to Your Practice:
The next time you feel fustrated  or deflated in your yoga practice or in your life, pause.
 
Instead of judging yourself, reflect:

• Am I present?
• Am I trying sincerely?
• Am I meeting myself where I am?
• Am I doing the best possible in this moment ? 

If so, then your practice is working.
 
Not because of what it looks like, but because of how you’re showing up.
 
This is something I constantly have to work on in myself   

———-
Trust the Process:
There’s a quiet intelligence to life that often sees further than we can.
Things don’t always unfold according to our plans— but that doesn’t mean they’re going wrong. Our plans may be wrong  
Sometimes, what unfolds is exactly what we need…even if it’s not what we wanted.
 
As my granny said “What’s for you won’t go by you!” 
 
Final Thought:
Yoga is not about achieving the perfect pose.
 
It’s about releasing the need to do the perfect pose  
So rather than becoming deflated when things don’t go your way, return to this:
Do your best. Let go of the rest.
That is the practice.
That is yoga