Practice without renunciation is avoidance. Renunciation without practice is not long-lived.  Together, practice and renunciation make all our dreams possible.

Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat:  Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga

Day 6 – For years, I awoke and rose at 3:55 a.m., shuffled out to the porch with a half-cup of coffee and a big glass of water, and jumped around, pounding my feet and joints into their current somewhat decrepit state of present moment.  I was convinced that this movement was the answer.  I maintained a precarious, yet disciplined, schedule, ate small doses of food spread strategically throughout the day, and collapsed in bed at 6 p.m., ready to do it all again.  And, like all things this regimen, I became too tired, hungry, and injured, to do this.

Abhyasa, practice, and vairagya, nonattachment or renunciation, work hand-in-hand.  I use to believe that renunciation…