The Yogic Secret to Work-Life Balance (That Also Supports Your Mental Health)
In yoga philosophy, this balance is known as Abhyasa and Vairagya — steady effort and letting go. Let’s explore what that really means...
The Invisible Belief Driving Overwhelm
Many of the women I work with are doing everything right on the surface:
They have a career, a family, and a home. They’ve studied hard, worked their way up, and are often in roles that require real responsibility — in education, management, healthcare, and consultancy - or run their own business.
And yet, they’re quietly exhausted.
They’re cooking separate meals for each family member, meeting their dietary requirements, while eating toast themselves. They’re replying to emails with a child on their lap. They’re powering through illness, skin flare-ups, and digestive discomfort without making the connection: this isn’t sustainable.
Why?
Because of a subconscious belief passed down from generations before:
If something has to give, it should be you.
You hold the whole thing together — but you’re not supposed to fall apart. And if you do? You still feel guilty for not keeping it all going.
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Yoga Offers Another Way: Abhyasa and Vairagya
Yoga, at its core, offers a radical and sensical reframe of this cycle through the twin principles of Abhyasa (steady effort) and Vairagya (letting go).
These concepts appear throughout the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita — not as abstract philosophy, but as practical life tools.
Patanjali writes:
“Abhyasa vairagyabhyam tan nirodhah”
(YS 1.12 – The mind becomes still through sustained practice and letting go.)
And in the Bhagavad Gita (6.35), Sri Krishna reminds us:
“Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and difficult to control. But it can be conquered by steady practice and non-attachment.”
These two wings — effort and letting go — are how we begin to fly.
Without them or only one, we can’t move forward.
A bird with only one wing can flap as hard as it wants, but it will just go in circles.
It’s the balance between the two that creates motion.
Not perfect symmetry — but rhythm, steadiness, and lift.
Abhyasa: Showing Up with Steady Effort
The word abhyasa comes from the root as, meaning “to sit” or “to be present.” It speaks not of perfection, but of persistence — action that builds over time, like a snowball gaining speed down a hill.
It’s not about pushing harder.
It’s about showing up — with presence, with care, with consistency.
You return to your yoga mat, even when you don’t feel flexible.
You nourish your body with warm meals, even when you’re tired.
You keep tending to your goals and your wellbeing, even when progress is slow.
Abhyasa is what keeps your inner fire burning without burning you out.
Vairagya: Letting Go Without Giving Up
Vairagya is often misunderstood.
It doesn’t mean apathy or detachment in the cold sense.
It means creating space — the space not to be ruled by outcome.
The word comes from raga, meaning passion or “colouring.” Through vairagya, we begin to notice how our mind becomes coloured by expectations, attachments, and imagined timelines. And slowly, we begin to let that go.
In practice, it looks like this:
You do your best — and release how and when results arrive.
You work steadily — and allow space for rest and change.
You hold your goals lightly — so they don’t harden into self-judgment.
As Ranju Roy beautifully puts it, “Vairagya is the open space where new possibilities can arise.”
Why This Matters for Mental Health
This isn’t just spiritual — it’s deeply psychological.
Without abhyasa, the mind drifts. We feel lost, unmotivated, scattered.
Without vairagya, the mind fixates. We grip too tightly, spiral into anxiety, and lose perspective.
Together, they offer a middle path.
One where effort doesn’t lead to burnout — and surrender doesn’t lead to giving up.
This is the foundation of emotional resilience.
A healthy nervous system.
A calm mind.
A sense of spaciousness.
Balancing the Bird: A Teaching from Nature
In Yoga Teacher Training, we often say:
Abhyasa and Vairagya are like the wings of a bird — without them or only one, we cannot fly.
Too much effort? The body tightens, the mind becomes rigid.
Too little? We lose momentum and slip into inertia.
Balance, in yoga, is not just physical. It’s energetic. It’s mental.
And it begins when we let go of how far we think we should be — and return to where we are now.
Final Thoughts: Freedom Starts Here
If you’ve been carrying the weight of the world, trying to get everything right — this is your reminder that you’re allowed to pause. To breathe. To loosen your grip.
You can care deeply — without carrying everything.
You can commit to your practice, your wellbeing, your work — without demanding perfection.
You can find freedom in the middle —
Steady effort. No expectations.
Abhyasa and Vairagya.
And when you do?
You’ll find yourself not only more balanced, but also more well.
A Quick Glossary: Abhyasa, Vairagya & Yogic Balance
If some of these words are new to you, here’s a simple breakdown:
🧘 Abhyasa
Steady, consistent effort — the kind that’s grounded, present, and repeated over time. It’s about showing up for yourself, again and again, with care.
🌬️ Vairagya
Letting go — not in a careless way, but as a conscious release of attachment to results, timelines, or control. It’s what creates space for calm and clarity.
⚖️ Together, Abhyasa and Vairagya form the heart of yogic practice — a rhythm of doing your best and releasing the outcome.
Let me know — did any of this resonate with you? Are you juggling it all? Always available for others? I’d love to hear your thoughts — feel free to leave a comment below, message on Instagram, Facebook, or even via email.
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
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