Vāsanā, The Unconscious Grooves That Hold Us Back
Life gives us so many incredible opportunities, and even though it may feel surprising to admit, making mistakes is one of them. Mistakes are the crossroads between repeating the same thing but expecting a different result, and self-reflecting to create a better future. Yes, some mistakes can be embarrassing, bruise our ego-identity, or send us down a path we don’t want to pursue. However, that merely highlights the paradox of a mistake – it must be made in order to learn! And, unless we allow them to, mistakes will not confine us to a cycle of unhealthy repetition. So, how do we learn from our mistakes to evolve and create a more intentional and aligned life?
In yoga, we refer to the repetition of past impressions, actions, thoughts and behaviors as Vāsanā (vah·saa·nah). In simple terms, Vāsanā can be thought of as the “grooves” that show up in various aspects of our life – physical, energetic, mental and emotional, relational, epigenetic, and karmic. If we let these grooves continue to tread deeper without our awareness, we will eventually get stuck, and give up agency over our unconscious patterns.
Initially, Vāsanā are subtle, and like most subtle things, invite us to go deeper – let’s take the example of spending hours in the same physical posture at the computer every day. Initially, this is subtle – we think to ourselves: “just a few more minutes until we move”, which then extrapolates and grows into “just a few more days until the weekend”, or “just a few more weeks until vacation”. However, the muscles and fascia in our bodies take shape around our posture, changing how we stand, move, see and even portray ourselves.
If you don’t think you are affected by this, try attending a yoga class and notice how restricted your movements are as a result of sitting for hours in front of a computer without taking the breaks you need. The “mistake” in this example is not really about the physical changes or limitations, but rather the lack of self-reflection, and the failure to the build awareness around what we are doing to ourselves.
If we get stuck in an attitude of “not changing”, we only reinforce the groove. This will affect our relationships, eating choices, sleeping patterns, as well as how we form our habits, behaviors, opinions, and beliefs. Eventually, our identity solidifies around these unchanging grooves.
Vāsanā is at work throughout. These grooves are at the source of the mistakes we make. By unconsciously repeating the subtle impressions of our past, similar experiences are repeated over and over, with the same undesired outcome. But when we become aware of the subtle impressions in our body, mind, and actions, we can change how we respond and act more consciously, aligning us with the future we envision for ourselves.
My grandfather used to say, “If you’re not using your eraser, you’re not learning.” If you are not removing your Vāsanā, you are not evolving. That starts with recognizing and paying attention to the mistakes you've made. Don’t let it slide; instead become aware, identify, and reflect. Therein lies the opportunity to work on your patterns and grooves - your Vāsanā. This process actually makes us feel more fully alive, and orients us towards a different, deeper, and more welcome future.
Kelly Suttell is Co-Founder of Yoga for Life PDX and an Integrative Healing Facilitator supporting people to find resolution and calm along their healing journey through family constellation, spiritual mentoring, and energy work. If you’re looking to understand and reconnect to your essence, your heart, and your Being, connect with Kelly for a FREE Discovery Session today. More information available at: kellysuttell.com
