Leaning Into Aversion

MY JOURNEY WITH RUNNING AND MEDITATION

On Christmas Day 2024, I surprised myself by completing my first-ever Park Run. Running had never been on my radar as a way to celebrate the holiday season, yet there I was, lacing up my shoes and joining the crowd. To my delight, I loved it and have been a regular at Saturday morning runs ever since.

This running journey began just six years ago. Before that, I firmly believed I hated running ; it was uncomfortable, exhausting, and simply not for me. Reflecting on this reminds me of how people often respond when I ask about their meditation or yoga practice: “It’s not for me,” “I’m not flexible,” or “My mind is too busy.” We create countless reasons to avoid what feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

In yogic philosophy, this avoidance is known as dveṣa - aversion. It arises from past negative experiences or conditioned responses, leading us to avoid discomfort at all costs. While this might feel protective in the moment, it often reinforces fear and resistance, keeping us from living fully and authentically.

Humans naturally gravitate toward comfort. However, yoga invites us to observe aversion with curiosity and compassion. By acknowledging and leaning into dveṣa, we can transform resistance into growth. Mindfulness, meditation, and non-attachment (vairagya) offer tools to embrace discomfort with equanimity, revealing new pathways for self-awareness and joy.

So, what do you avoid? Meditation? Running? Dancing? Rest?

Both running and meditation felt challenging for me at first. I started small, practicing consistently, and over time, I found ease and even enjoyment.

“We don’t sit in meditation to become good meditators. We sit in meditation so that we’ll be more awake in our lives”

-Pema Chödrön

My invitation for 2025 is to lean into those aversions.

Get curious, try them out, and approach them with compassion.