“You are whole and complete just as you are. The longing you feel is not evidence of your lack; it is evidence of your depth.” — Unknown
Hey lovely,
As the title of this yogi note asks... What if you already have everything you need?
Let's dive into what this question is really about.
There’s a story most of us are living inside of, so quietly and for so long that we’ve stopped noticing it’s a story at all. It goes something like this: when I have that thing - the job, the relationship, the body, the house, the clarity, the confidence, the answer - then I’ll feel complete. Then I’ll be enough. Then I can finally relax.
Sound familiar? It’s one of the oldest stories humans tell themselves. And it is extraordinarily convincing, because the wanting always feels so real. So urgent. So true.
But what if the story isn’t true?
What if the incompleteness you feel isn’t a fact about you, but a habit of perception, one that can, with a little gentle attention, begin to soften and shift?
This is what yogic philosophy has been pointing at for thousands of years. And it turns out, modern neuroscience is pointing at it too. 😉
THE SANSKRIT WORD THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
In yogic philosophy, there is a concept called Apurna; the sense of incompleteness, of lack, of not-enoughness. It is considered one of the fundamental veils over our true nature, a kind of forgetting that causes us to seek outside ourselves for what already exists within.
Its opposite is Purna - wholeness, fullness, completeness. The Isha Upanishad, one of the ancient yogic texts, opens with one of the most beautiful and mind-bending lines in all of philosophy:
“That is whole. This is whole. From wholeness, wholeness comes forth. When wholeness is taken from wholeness, wholeness remains.”
In other words, you cannot subtract from completeness. No matter what you gain or lose, acquire or release, achieve or surrender - the wholeness underneath it all remains utterly intact. You were never actually incomplete. You only forgot. (Mind bending right?)
Apurna, therefore, is not a fact about reality. It is a misperception of it. A case of mistaken identity confusing the temporary, changing surface of life (circumstances, achievements, relationships) with the unchanging depths beneath it.
This doesn’t mean desires are wrong or that wanting things is a problem. Wanting is human and beautiful and deeply alive. The teaching is more subtle than that. It’s the belief that fulfilment lives only on the other side of the wanting, that’s the illusion. That’s the Apurna talking.
WHAT THE BRAIN IS ACTUALLY DOING
Here’s where it gets fascinating. Neuroscience has a name for the mental habit that keeps us locked in the not-enough story, and it’s called the hedonic treadmill.
Research shows that humans have a remarkable capacity to adapt to new circumstances, positive or negative, and return relatively quickly to a baseline level of wellbeing. The promotion, the new relationship, the bigger home; they bring a genuine lift. But over time, we adapt. The new becomes normal. And the wanting begins again, just one rung higher on the ladder.
What this tells us is that the treadmill never stops on its own. No external achievement can permanently satisfy the internal feeling of lack because the feeling isn’t actually about the thing. It never was.
But, and this is the genuinely exciting part, the same research shows that practices like mindfulness, gratitude, and present-moment awareness can interrupt this cycle. Not by eliminating desire, but by shifting where we place our attention. From what we don’t have yet to what is already, quietly, extraordinarily here.
THE NOISE OF NOT-ENOUGH
Apurna is loud. It has a lot to say. And it has a lot of very convincing accomplices... Social media algorithms designed to make you feel behind. Advertising built entirely on the premise that you are currently insufficient, and a culture that rewards endless striving while quietly pathologising rest and contentment.
Some of the ways Apurna speaks to us:
— “I’ll be happy when…” (fill in the blank - it’s always changing)
— “Everyone else seems to have it figured out except me”
— “I should be further along by now” (this was my curse all through my 20s and early 30s)
— “I need to fix this about myself before I can feel good”
— “More... just a little more... and then I’ll feel settled”
— “Something is missing, but I can’t quite name what it is”
Notice how none of these are about facts. They’re all about interpretation. About a story being told about a self, in a moment, by a very persuasive narrator who has one consistent message: not yet. Not quite. Not enough.
You don’t have to believe everything you think. Especially the thoughts that have been thinking themselves for so long they feel like truth.
COMING HOME TO FULLNESS
This is one of the deepest gifts of a yoga practice. Not the flexibility. Not the strength. Not even the stress relief, though all of that is wonderful and real. It’s the repeated, embodied experience of arriving. Of being here, in this breath, in this body, in this moment and finding that it is, somehow, enough.
Every time you step onto your mat and breathe consciously, you are practising the opposite of Apurna. You are practising presence. And presence is the only place where fullness lives, not in the past you’re processing or the future you’re planning, but right here, in the astonishing, ordinary, sacred fact of being alive right now.
The wholeness you’re looking for is not somewhere ahead of you. It has never been ahead of you. It is the ground you are standing on right now, even as you reach for the next thing. Especially then.
A PRACTICE FOR THIS WEEK
This one isn’t about doing more. It’s about noticing differently.
THE FULLNESS INVENTORY — 5 minutes, pen and paper preferred
- FIND A QUIET MOMENT. Not a perfect one, just a quiet enough one. Make a cup of something warm. Sit down.
- WRITE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE: “Right now, in this moment, I already have…” Then keep writing. Don’t aim for impressive; aim for true. Warmth. A working body. Someone who loves you. The fact that you can read these words.
- NOTICE THE RESISTANCE. The voice that says “yes, but…” Let it speak, then gently return to the list. The “yes, but” is Apurna. The list is Purna. Both are allowed here.
- READ IT BACK SLOWLY. Let it land. Not as toxic positivity, as honest inventory. This is what is actually here, right now.
- PLACE ONE HAND ON YOUR HEART. Take three breaths. Whisper or think: “I am already whole.” Even if only 20% of you believes it. That 20% is the truth speaking.
A MANTRA TO CARRY WITH YOU
“Purnamidam — I am already whole. Everything I need is already here.”
Repeat it on your mat. In the shower. In the queue. Especially when Apurna gets loud.
The repetition is the practice.
You are not a project to be completed. You are not a problem to be solved. You are a whole, complex, luminous human being who sometimes forgets their own wholeness, which is, incidentally, the most human thing in the world.
The wanting doesn’t make you broken. It makes you beautifully, deeply alive. But underneath the wanting, underneath all of it, there is something that has always been full.
Always been whole.
Always been here.
You don’t have to earn your way back to it.
You just have to remember. 🌿
What's Happening In The Pantry 🧘♀️
Just a reminder, we no longer have Sunday classes. The lovely Ele had to step away for a while, but hopefully we'll see her back from time to time.
Our next beginner course doesn't start until August If you know someone who's looking to get into yoga and doesn't know how or where to start, then now is the perfect time to start your campaign to get them into our awesome beginner courses. Our beginner Yoga course has been running for 12 years and is the best and most well-rounded around (If I do say so myself). With a good mix of philosophy, breathwork, and of course, physical postures, but what really sets us apart is the emphasis on finding ways to let the poses fit you rather than the other way around. Plus, you wonderful folks who make up our amazing community.
It's also a great course to brush up on your basics and get back into the swing of things if you've been away from your yoga practice for a while...😉😊
For more information and to secure a coveted spot in this fantastic course, check out our website.
Beginner Plus Starts on MONDAY the 8th of June (TOMORROW)
This may well be the only one this year, so don't miss out!
For those who have been through the Beginner Course or have been doing classes for a while and wish to advance their practice, knowledge and skill base, this is the next step you need to take to advance to the next phase of your yoga journey.
We only run these sessions once or twice a year and the next one starts on the 8th of June!
Head on over to our website, check it out and then get yourself registered 😉
We've also got a SOUNDBATH happening on the 21st of June
I realised it's happening on the winter solstice, so I've renamed it that and themed it accordingly 😁.
This is going to take us from the slumber and restoration of winter to the new beginnings and possibilities of Spring. I'm super pumped for this. Make sure you grab your ticket for this event before it slips your mind, because it will be here in a flash!
Book your spot in the session and bring your friends to share the delights!
Head here to book all your regular yoga classes and maybe even try some new ones!
Remember, you can join us online from anywhere in the world, live or at a time that suits you, with our instant 14-day on-demand Zoom recording!
Don't forget you can also join us for a FREE meditation session every Saturday morning, and even if you can't, you can book in via Zoom and do the meditation later in the day, or every day, until the next session :)
Your YouTube Class Of The Week
Anddd we are back with a normal yoga vid :)
This is another look at The Cosmic Fountain of Youth, the sequence that first introduced me to yoga!
Feel free to share these vids far and wide because sharing is caring, and it helps me with the algorithm :D
With so much love, and the quiet knowing that you are already enough 🌿
Tash & The Yoga Pantry team
See you on the mat 😻
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Let’s spread the yoga love far and wide!
I see you, and I appreciate you. You are awesome...and don't you forget it ;) x
