“Know that sorrow being the means of convincing man of the need of inner life, is a spiritual teacher,” says The Rosary of Gems, a Tibetan text. Undoubtedly, those who have suffered deeply listen sooner to a spiritual message! This is not to glorify suffering, but to drive home the fact that how we handle distress determines our spiritual progress. Yet, the yoga of hardships is something we are not to seek, but put into play as soon as we spot anguish creeping into our life. As soon as times begin to get tough, tighten your guards and be attentive. Instead of getting swept away in grief or indulging in anger or self-pity, practice the Sakshi bhava, or the attitude of observing, or witnessing.

Only through observing can you destroy afflictions, advises Patanjali. The entire range of yogic exercises including physical postures, breath control, meditation and concentration are designed to inculcate the witnessing consciousness. Watching ones breath, for instance, enables one to start watching ones mind, and stay objective in extreme circumstances. Another boon of suffering is the fact that it intrinsically lessens your karmic load by exhausting negative karma. These are indeed times to pay back for something that we may not remember, but nature’s records do. These are times to study your suffering, and ascertain its source within yourself. When you have the humility to take responsibility for your pain, and acknowledge your hardships to be self-earned, you become qualified to receive subtler insights.