It's essential to put FAITH into practice.

Shraddha.

My favorite Sanskrit word.

We usually translate Shraddha as “faith,” but it doesn't refer to an abstract, distant faith or one based solely on belief. Shraddha is the faith born from experience. A faith built through practice.

It emerges when something that once seemed impossible finally happens. When, after time, dedication, discipline, and surrender, the body responds, the mind transforms, and what seemed unattainable becomes real.

In Yoga, we often forget to observe the entire transformation process that occurs along the way. How many times have we thought:

“This posture is not for me.”

“My body will never be able to do this.”

“I have too many limitations.”

“I received diagnoses that say I can't.”

“I heard that I shouldn't.”

“I was told that I am not capable.”

But the path of practice shows us, repeatedly, that limits are not always what we imagine. Each overcome obstacle strengthens something within us. And it's important to remember this, because challenges don't disappear. They keep coming up. What changes is how we relate to them.

In my case, if I had paid too much attention to everything I heard from certain “specialists,” I probably would never have been able to perform so many postures.

It was faith that sustained me.

Faith in Yoga.

Faith in the method I chose to follow.

Faith in the teachings.

Faith in the teachers who guided me, especially SharathJi.

Faith in all the practitioners who inspire me daily.

And, above all, faith in myself and in the potential for transformation and healing that exists within every human being.

There's a saying that goes: “Faith moves mountains.”

In Yoga, faith moves us from within. It propels us, keeps us firm, helps us continue even when results haven't yet appeared. Faith is a powerful force, and when cultivated with sincerity, it becomes fuel for practice.

In the Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali states in aphorism 1.20:

“Shraddhā vīrya smṛti samādhi prajñā pūrvaka itareṣām.”

Through faith, the necessary energy is born to move forward, overcome obstacles, and stay on the path. The realization of Yoga requires time, consistency, and presence.

Therefore, when some students ask me for reading tips in the very first days of practice, I often feel like recommending, instead, two essential things:

Faith and love.

Faith, so that experience reveals what still seems distant today.

And love, because everything done with love becomes deeper, more meaningful, and truer.

By Lucas Carvalho