Ego Depletion

Do you want to make a big shift in your life? You want to begin a healthier diet, or an exercise program, quit smoking, quit alcohol, tackle compulsive shopping, or in our case, begin a masterful Breathing Program. There are many stages and pitfalls along the way, some you know well, and then, there is this other obstacle called “Ego Depletion.” Read on.

First, there is the “Bloom of Inspiration.” You see the Big Picture. You see the long term effects of where you could go, For example, you know without a doubt, deep in your bones that regular exercise will help your body, emotions and mind. It will make your whole life happier, if your body is happier and functioning well. A vital body and mind will help you accomplish all the other things in your life you want to achieve. Regular exercise makes sense. You see the bigger picture about where this new activity will lead you. You decide to take action.

The second stage is important: to make a commitment to yourself. “I want to effect this change in my life.” It is powerful to write your commitment down, and build in a system of reminders to help you stay on track. Use your phone, write post it notes and place them around the house. Keep a calendar of your practice is powerful system that helps you get to exercise. Give yourself small rewards for getting through your practice. Announcing your intention to a group of friends adds extra power and force to help make this great change in your life. Sometimes the social connection can be the smartest way to keep you accountable and on track with going in the direction you have chosen.

You make great strides for a week, maybe two. You are riding the high of your initial inspiration. It takes will power to get the whole thing started, and it will take will power and all the other tricks you can think of to get you through the many walls of resistance that naturally show up. You may even make “sacrifices” like not going to a friend’s party because you know it will be a slippery place, you will feel like shit afterwards. and you might not exercise for a week after Bob’s party. Going to Bob’s party would be a disaster, because, well, you know Bob.

If you make it through this stage, congratulations! You chose long term advantage, for impulsive short term gratification. This kind of “Executive Decision” is usually connected to the Orbitofrontal cortex which is found behind the eyebrows. (Imagine if you had a practice that strengthened that part of the brain, like This Next Breath!)

30 or 40 days pass and you are still with your exercise program. You have been true to your commitment and intention. You enter a new wonderful phase, called “Momentum.” Now your inspiration has turned from “good idea” into a habit. Your project suddenly gets easier. You don’t have to force yourself to get out of bed and exercise. You are getting so much self esteem, joy and power from feeling like you are in control of your life. You can make change! You can steer your life towards a better future! This is a very empowering stage. It has become “The New You.”

Time passes. A few months go by. Life changes. Things happen. The shininess fades. And then a critical obstacle called “Ego Depletion” rears its ugly head.

Theories on “Ego Depletion” are a crucial topic in social psychology. It is based on the idea that will power is a limited quantity. It occurs when mental and physical energy is low and the barriers to impulsivity break down. The self control to make long term choices over short term gratification falls apart. The personality that was originally inspired, that made a commitment, that lived the commitment for 30 days or 30 years, falls apart. Emotions arise. Thoughts become slippery things. The voices in your head suddenly start finding “reasons” why you should do the opposite course of action. “It’s too hard” “ I need a break” “Everything in moderation.” There are literally thousands of ways humans self sabotage our best intentions. We find plausible “reasons,” but the reasons were ultimately based in emotion! (see previous blog post.)

Some psychologists have suggested using fructose, glucose on the tongue, but not fully consuming it to help make a shift back into your original inspiration.

For the Yogis, it always comes back to the Witness. Can I Witness those thoughts, rather than identify with those voices. Can I stay operating at a higher level? Dealing with personality and behavior change is the toughest and most rewarding adventures of all.

Here is where a breath practice can serve like no other endeavor. Breath practices are closely connected to our higher evolution. Breath and Spirit, one’s innermost essence, are one and the same reality to the yogi mystic. Come back to this next breath, over and over, and over again when the going gets rough. Being able to observe what is arising in the mind by staying on the edge of the moment can be daunting. This is where skillfulness with a breath practice can come to your aid and help steer your life towards a better future.

In the Hatha Yoga Pradeepikaa and in the writings of Swaamee Kripalu, you will find that they speak so highly of breath practices leading to the evolution of your consciousness like no other practice. Anuloma Viloma in particular, is unparalleled in helping you make the quantum leap of your life. Breath practice like long exhales and the subtle body energetics we use in this program, bring you into the “Seat of the Soul,” where you resonate with the essence of your life’s purpose. You get the bigger picture of your life. A long term breath practice, like we offer in This Next Breath, are like the movie “Ground Hog Day.” You evolve into a better version of yourself.

Warning: it is helpful to remember, “Humans have an infinite capacity to deceive themselves.” May we all catch our self deceptions before acting on them. Heaven help us all.