Yoga Lesson: Detachment

Published on March 1, 2009

The ancient yogis understood that desire (kama) was a legitimate goal and an essential part of a balanced life. But they also saw that excess desire created impurities in the mind and produced unnecessary suffering in one’s life. The yogis’ technique for reducing desire was cultivating detachment (vairagya) through the conscious severing of our attachments to the objects of this world. Vairagya applies both to our likes and dislikes, with the ideal goal of seeing both sweet and bitter fruits of life as the same. The practice of detachment needs to be balanced with Abhyasa (Effort), and must never be an excuse to abandon one’s worldly duties and obligations.

Premium Content

Please login as a premium member to view the additional content on this page. If you are not a premium member you can upgrade your basic account or sign up for a premium membership to access this page and receive all of the benefits of supporting our site.
Please contact customer service if you are having trouble viewing premium content.

Share with

Friends

Our Latest

Yoga Articles
  • Purusharthas

    Purusharthas: The Four Goals of Life

  • Trimurti

    Trimurti: The Hindu Trinity of Brahma Vishnu Shiva

  • Brahman

    Brahman: Definition, Meaning, and Philosophy

  • Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra: Meaning, Benefits, Videos and Tips

  • Living Like a Yogi

    17 Rules for Living Like a Yogi

  • heart opening yoga poses

    The Best 16 Heart Opening Yoga Poses

  • Negative Energy in a Person

    18 Clear Signs of Negative Energy in a Person

  • Three Doshas

    The Three Ayurvedic Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

Remove Ads with a

Premium Membership

Viewing ads supports YogaBasics, which allows us to continue bringing you quality yoga content. Sign up for a premium membership to remove all ads and enjoy uninterrupted access to the best yoga resources on the web.

Explore More

Yoga TipsAdviceArticlesPracticesBasicsTechniques

  • Five Vayus

    The Five Vayus

  • yoga with a beginners mind

    9 Ways to Practice Yoga with a Beginner’s Mind

  • hot yoga

    Hot Yoga: Definition, Benefits, Cautions and Tips for Newbies

  • yogi

    What is a Yogi? And How Do You Become One?

  • Skillful Yoga Student handstand pose

    8 Qualities of a Skillful Yoga Student

  • Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra: Meaning, Benefits, Videos and Tips

  • evening yoga

    6 Benefits of Practicing Yoga Before Bedtime

  • yoga pose symbol

    5 Popular Yoga Poses And What They Symbolize

  • 11 Ways to Improve Your Yoga Practice

    11 Ways to Improve Your Yoga Practice

One response to “Yoga Lesson: Detachment”

  1. DonnaBell Avatar
    DonnaBell

    I’m gonna try and do this one. My mom has been getting on me about asking for stuff that Idont need. So… I have my yoga mat and my good health that I have room to make better so I’m going to work on that. :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Timothy Burgin Avatar
About the author
Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has studied and taught many styles of yoga and has completed a 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training. Timothy has been serving as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com since 2000. He has authored two yoga books and has written over 500 articles on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Timothy is also the creator of Japa Mala Beads and has been designing and importing mala beads since 2004.
Yoga Basics