“1.13 Practice (abhyasa) means choosing, applying the effort, and doing those actions that bring a stable and tranquil state (sthitau). (tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasa)”. Or, simply - practice takes practice.”
One of the things I dislike in the sober world is the language around relapses and failures.
People think that if they've had a slip, had a drink, they're back to the beginning and they've lost all their sober days.
In reality, practice takes practice.
Sobriety, like yoga, is a practice.
In yoga, we practice, then our practice falls apart, then we get back on again, then it falls apart. Then we one day get to a point where we realize - I NEED this. And we commit to our yoga practice.
Same thing in sobriety. We get a few sober days, we have a drink, we get a few more, we have a drink, we get a few more, we have a drink. Each time perhaps the sober streaks get longer or the amount of alcohol consumed gets less. We drink again and realize how much we hate being hungover. We practice until one day it sticks.
This sutra replaces the saying that so many of us were raised on - "Practice Makes Perfect." Because the truth is - we're not going to be perfect. We're human. And that's ok. We just have to keep practicing. "Practice takes Practice."
