The Pathless Path

Written by Larissa Link

How can a Path be Pathless?? 

The Eightfold Noble Path is not a script or prescription you have to follow. It’s a set of tools that can guide you on YOUR path, which is uniquely different from anyone else’s path. The good news is that it’s yours to discover! The challenging news is it can be wild and messy, and you might go off on random footpaths that lead to unkempt places, and the path becomes unclear.  

There are literally millions (billions at this point?) of wisdom traditions, books, blogs, podcasts, how-to workshops, and the like that might point you in a good general direction, but no one knows what’s exactly right for you. Except you. Which can be both freeing and empowering, and terrifying. 

We’ve all heard the ‘script’ (even if you don’t buy into it) of: get a good job, find a human, maybe have a family, and all is well. While we know that’s only one way, and not necessarily what everyone wants, it is one way that’s common and familiar, and our beautiful little pattern-making-machines (brains) want what’s known and familiar, simply because it feels safe. Knowing that there are many paths you can take and feeling safe taking your own path are very different things. 

The Pathless Path is “pathless” in 3 ways: 

1. No One Path: There’s no ONE path that everyone can follow to be content, fulfilled, and at peace. Your path may be completely uncharted and essentially pathless. You are finding your way, one step at a time. 
2. No Final Destination: The path is also pathless because there’s no known destination. There’s no place you arrive and then suddenly you’re happy all the time. The path simply continues and sometimes takes us places we’ve never even dreamed about. 
3. An Inner Journey: The “path” is also an inner journey, pathless because there’s nothing tangible or material to work with. We walk hundreds of mental loops every single day. Are you aware when you are on a less than helpful path? Do you have tools to help you change directions when you become aware?

This does not mean your path is solo and lonely! We can offer each other support, guidance through experience, and we can slow down enough that we can integrate what we’re learning along the way. We also need each other to illuminate things we can’t see, like when our Inner Critic is saying “you can’t” or an old fear is holding you back. A dear friend, one of the tools on the Path, or a great podcast, can point you back to your true self in the times you need direction the most. 

Let’s look at some of the ways you might use these tools in your life: 

Wise Effort and Wise Action, 2 tools on the Path, can be used both at the macro level in life – like planning how you want to spend your time and how much energy you have to give – and at the micro level like in your yoga practices or thoughts – perhaps using less forceful effort and more gentleness (action) with yourself. 

While it sounds nice to be more gentle with yourself, certain fears or obstacles can come up. Two common ones I hear are, 1.) “If I’m gentle with myself, I’ll never get anything done.” and, 2.) “I’m trying to be gentle, but my Inner Critic is so loud.” This is where the tools of Wise Intention or Wise Perspective might come in to support you. The first phrase is a belief, a perspective you carry, and when you can see it as simple a perspective, you recognize it isn’t who you are. A tiny moment of separation from a held belief can start to shift that belief, and an itty-bitty moment of gentleness may land because you’re intending to be gentle. And these tiny moments matter! They add up with practice 🙏 

Practice: 

This month in our meditations, we’ll specifically look at the tools on the Path (check out last months’ blog for the 8 tools) and add the nuanced layers of Dedication over Discipline, Precision over Perfection, Wise/Whole over “Right”. It’s difficult to use any of the tools if parts of you think you have to use the tools perfectly or “right” in order to achieve success.  

Action: 

1. Take a moment and ask yourself, is there anything on my to-do list today I can give less effort/energy toward, so I can have more effort/energy to give to what’s most important? 
   • EX: This might be as simple as sending an email now, instead of continuing to think about how to word it perfectly. Now it’s done! 
   • Or maybe I can delegate (or say no) to an obligation to make more time for myself or my family? 
2. Am I being hard on myself or someone else for not achieving something exactly as planned? Or am I skipping something I enjoy because I can’t give it 100%? 
   • What is one TINY change you might make here?  
     • Remind yourself that mistakes happen and that doesn’t change who you are as a person. (even if you don’t believe this right now, your practicing wise thinking by inclining your mind in this direction❤️‍🩹) 
     • Do 10 minutes of movement on your mat at home if you can’t make a studio yoga class. 

These are not always easy things to do when our habits are otherwise, and that is part of the path. Sometimes it’s slow, and that’s okay ❤️. Pausing and taking a deep breath is sometimes the wisest action you can take. 

Join Our Sangha (community): 

There are so many paths, and although no one knows what’s exactly best for you, we can help illuminate each other’s path through shared practice, support in community, and little nudges to remind you of who you truly are (whole and wonderful, exactly as you are :). If you’ve even been unkind to yourself, thought or been taught that there is one right way to do things, or are trying to navigate your way through life with a little more ease, please join our community in morning meditations as we continue to explore the Pathless Path.