🔥 Effort: What We Get Wrong About Trying (and Why It’s Burning Us Out)

Alright gang, let’s talk about effort — a.k.a. that “can’t be arsed” energy that’s been popping up in class polls and chats lately. 😉

I get it. 😍
Some mornings, even I stare at the mat like it’s a mountain. The washing suddenly looks important, the kettle calls my name, and scrolling reels feels like “self-care.”
We’ve all been there.

But here’s the thing that cracks me up (and hurts a little): we’ll happily put ridiculous effort into avoiding the very thing that would make us feel better.
Reorganising the kitchen drawer, refreshing our inbox, convincing ourselves we’ll start tomorrow — that’s effort too. Just misdirected.

And that’s where I want to start today — because most of us don’t have an “effort” problem.
We’ve just been taught to spend our energy in all the wrong places.

---

🚫 Effort Isn’t Hustle

The modern world has hijacked the word effort.
We think of it as hustle, grind, tension, overdoing.
Effort has become a synonym for struggle.

So when someone says, “I just don’t have the effort,” what they really mean is:

• “I don’t have the energy for more pushing.”
• “I’m afraid effort means exhaustion.”
• “I’ve tried before and it didn’t work — so I’m protecting myself from failure.”

Sound familiar? 🤔

From a Tantric Hatha perspective, that’s misdirected prana — energy leaking outward instead of being channelled inward.

“Yoga is not about doing more; it’s about doing what matters with your whole self.”

True effort — tapas — isn’t about clenching your jaw and muscling through.
It’s aligned action.
Effort that feels clean, devotional, and powerful — not because you’re fighting against life, but because you’re moving with it.

---

⚡ The Real Problem: Energy Debt

Let’s look at it through another lens — psychology.

When people tell me they can’t be bothered, what I often see is energy debt.
We’ve drained our nervous systems with constant stimulation, decision fatigue, and doing things that don’t actually light us up.

So when it’s time to do something that would help — like practice — the system says, “Nope, we’re done here.”
Not because you’re lazy.
But because your body is in survival mode.

That’s why the type of practice matters.

In Tantric Hatha, we work with effort differently:

• Moon practices 🌓refill and soothe the system.
• Sun practices 🌞 awaken and direct the energy.
• Fire practices 🔥 refine and focus it.

Each one is designed to help you rebuild your relationship with effort — so it nourishes rather than drains.

You learn when to soften and when to stoke the flame.

---

🔥 Effort that Leads to Effortlessness

“Effort is what leads to effortlessness — but only when it’s rightly applied.”

That’s the alchemy of Fire.🔥

When you meet resistance and think, “I’m too tired,” “I’ve lost motivation,” or “I can’t be bothered” — that’s often the exact moment the practice is working.
You’re hitting the layer where transformation begins.

But because we’re conditioned to believe all discomfort = bad, we pull away.
We interpret the fire of transformation as a sign to quit, when it’s actually a call to stay.

The trick is learning to move from:
Effort → Alignment → Flow
instead of
Effort → Struggle → Burnout.

Right effort. Right time. Right intention.

---

💡 Real Effort Feeds You

Back in the day, I thought more effort = better results.
So I did triathlons — because apparently one sport wasn’t enough punishment. 😂
The result? Not enlightenment. Just burnout.

What I’ve learned through yoga is that effort doesn’t have to be loud.
It doesn’t have to be sweaty, dramatic, or performative.

Sometimes real effort is showing up to breathe.
Or holding still when your lower mind screams to fidget.
Or rolling out your mat when your head says, “CBA.”

It’s effort that feeds you — not effort that empties you.

That’s what we mean when we talk about Fanning the Flame in our Sadhanas.
It’s not about pushing harder.
It’s about applying your energy with precision — to the practices, the rituals, and the moments that actually change you.

---

🌙 Effort that Heals, Not Hurts

So here’s the invitation:
Next time you catch yourself saying, “I just don’t have the effort,” try asking:

“Am I actually out of energy — or just spending it on the wrong things?”

Because let’s be honest — resistance is sneaky.
It’ll tell you you’re tired, but what it really means is, “I’m scared to meet myself.”
It’ll tell you you’re too busy, but somehow there’s time for doomscrolling.

Effort, rightly applied, burns through that fog.
It clears the clutter, redirects your energy, and reconnects you to what actually matters.

---

🔥 Your Practice This Week

Inside the YL Membership App and our current Fire Trilogy Sadhana, this is exactly what we’re working with — the art of right effort.

If you’re in it, use this week to notice:

• Where does your energy leak?
• Where does it renew?
• Where do you waste energy on things that don’t serve?

If you’re not in yet, this is your sign.
Join the community that’s practising with life — not against it.
Where the effort you put in returns tenfold as strength, steadiness, and flow.

Because yoga isn’t about trying harder.
It’s about learning where effort ends and grace begins.

Josie x

---

💬 Let’s talk: What’s your relationship with effort right now? Are you the “push through everything” type, or the “maybe later” crew? Drop it in the YL App — honesty is welcome here.

🔥 Join the Fire Trilogy Sadhana → [link]
🌙 Try this week’s Fire Practice or Micro Practice replay → New content DROPPED – access via the app members only.
🧘‍♀️ Find your rhythm inside the Yoga Local App → [Memberships link here]

---

Q1: What is “aligned effort in yoga”?
It’s effort that matches your state and the season: refill (Moon), direct (Sun), refine (Fire). No grind; just right timing and right dose.

Q2: How do I practise when I ‘can’t be arsed’?
Shrink the task. Two minutes of breath, three postures, or a single micro practice. Effort begins with arrival.

Q3: Isn’t effort just more pushing?
Not here. Tapas = devotion applied wisely. If you finish more nourished than when you started, that’s aligned effort.

Q4: How does the Yoga Local membership help?
Structure beats mood: 40-day Sadhanas, live classes, replays in the Vault, and micro practices make consistency easier than avoidance.