What exactly is our ego? It comes from the Latin for ‘I’ so that’s a good starting point!. Freud talked a lot about the ego as one of three personality constructs. It has a crucial job, to put Freud into very simplistic terms, of keeping the balance between our id (selfish principle - think immediate gratification) and superego (our conscience - think Jiminy Cricket). In sum, it’s our conscious mind, the part of our identity that we think of our ‘self’ and the part that helps us stay aware of ourselves. Me.
Our ego is fragile and is vulnerable to external pressures which can lead to inner conflict, difficult choices, unhealthy focus on desires and wants. This can upset the balance of ‘me’ which can lead to it being threatened further. It can all get really difficult…
Yoga has a lot to say about the ego and I will keep it simple! But suffice it to say it can offer us more insight into ‘me’ and help foster a healthy balance in life. The external pressures that can threaten our egos are too numerous to mention but we might find the following rocking our world: social media, seeking perfection, criticism, pressures to conform, fear of failure…
Yoga philosophy would argue that our ego is a separate identity that we construct based on our thoughts, feelings and experiences which are often influenced by external factors.
If we identity too closely to our ego and we become attached to the ego it can lead to suffering. If our ego creates an illusion of separation between ourselves and others, it can lead to suffering. Practising mindfulness and meditation can encourage us to transcend the ego. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali states that 'the ego is essentially everything that binds us from seeing our True Self'.
If we push ourselves into a pose that is potentially damaging, this is our ego. Yoga teaches non-attachment (Aparigraha). If we compare our practice with someone else's, that's our ego. Does it serve us? Yoga can help us notice when our ego is not serving us and encourage humility on and off the mat.
Just as we strive to maintain balance in tree pose, yoga encourages us to cultivate balance within ourselves, including our relationship with our ego.
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