Renunciate Vs. Householder Yogis: To Be or Not to Be (Human)

There are two types of yogis: renunciate yogis and householder yogis. Both have similar goals of achieving freedom and fulfillment but by different means. The renunciate yogi’s approach is “freedom from,” i.e., freedom from suffering, which requires turning away from the world. In contrast, the householder yogi’s approach is “freedom through,” i.e., freedom through facing life, engaging with life, embracing it, turning toward life.  

After trying out the “freedom from suffering” approach in my early years of yoga at the Kripalu ashram, I realized that there’s no getting out without going through. This was a huge, 180º U-turn for me. It was Tantra that captured my heart, mind, and every cell of my being.

When I first heard the teaching that the spiritual path wasn’t so much about liberation as gaining freedom from the world, but more a kind of liberation as living in the world, I was intrigued. Suddenly all of the pain and suffering I was frantically running from, became the way and means to finding inner freedom within myself. This was the beginning of embracing my perfect imperfection! Surrender became accepting what is as it is.

I began to offer myself deep compassion for my struggles and acceptance for who I was – embracing all of my gifts as well as my shortcomings.

You could say that the renunciate’s goal is to have a one-way ticket up and out of this awful world of suffering with the hope of never coming back. They practice yoga to transcend the world and isolate themselves - disconnecting from the woes of life to find a better reality. Life is a problem and the renunciate’s answer is to transcend to a better place. They’re here this time because they failed last time. Because of their karma, they had to come back to this god-forsaken world and try again. They wish to get off the karmic wheel of birth and rebirth altogether. Actually, if you think that life is suffering, then maybe this isn’t a bad strategy. For sure, I believed and practiced this for the first 15 years of my yoga journey, and it seems, no harm done. 

On the other hand, being a householder yogi, as I am now and perhaps you are too, is like having a round-trip ticket in life.

This yogi touches the highest peaks of spiritual freedom while coming back to the world to embody it and continue the journey. The householder yogi sees the world as the embodiment of consciousness, a playground of awe-inspiring beauty, learning, and possibility. Although there are problems in life, life is not a problem to be solved. Problems present doorways to possibilities They stimulate creativity and growth. Challenges only come when you’re ready to rise up, when you’re ready to change and release what no longer serves you.

So, if life is not a problem, there’s no problem to solve.

And then the question becomes: why are you here? Answer: To play. To be. To feel. To love. To heal. To succeed. To fail. To have the experience you’re having. This life then becomes the journey of the heart, to have an awakening of the recognition of the miracle of what is. The householder yogi’s goal is to enjoy life and appreciate the preciousness of what you have. Because what you have, who you are, who you love, doesn’t last forever. It’s all temporary. Everything that is born must die. Life is a journey of transformation from the known to the unknown and back again. Yoga is how to be present with it all. 

My own yoga practice is not about disconnecting or transcending reality in search of a more peaceful and calm experience somewhere else. It’s about how to connect more deeply with myself and others, to be more accepting and compassionate with myself and others. In essence, it’s simply to be more human! 

This was such a drastic change from my earlier beliefs. I’m glad I changed. My life has become so much more fulfilling, deep, easeful, and expansive.

Historically, in some of the renunciate yogic traditions, including the life of Swami Kripalvanandaji, (the yogi associated with Kripalu today), there was the notion of “the divine body.” This was considered the highest spiritual achievement. It’s unclear to me exactly what achieving the divine body meant, as there is a mystical component that is realistically impossible to achieve, namely, to become immortal and live forever. The divine body idea fed my spiritual fantasy of an enlightenment that transcended the human experience to become superhuman, ultimately to outlive death. It’s what I call the “Captain Marvel” mentality. Become a superhero!

Early in my yogic studies, I believed in the divine body, and I worked hard to achieve it. I remember many initiations and intense yogic practices, including fasting, celibacy, extended hours, days, and weeks of meditation and silence, strict diet, and purification rituals. But after being exposed to the reported heinous abuses of some of the so-called “enlightened” masters, I became disillusioned with the whole idea of transcendence and the divine body. 

To put it all in perspective, today I believe that there is nothing higher than embracing our humanity, the miracle of our capacity to love, to feel our full range of human feelings and emotions, and our capacity to discern, learn, and grow our consciousness. Yoga is the virtuosity of being ourself. Who we are is the crystallization of the divine’s desire to know itself. The divine is hiding in plain sight. It’s right under your nose and we don’t need to go anywhere, do anything, or achieve some superhuman power to experience it. It’s right here.

If you think you want to cultivate a yogic power, maybe start with simply accepting who you are. See how you do with that first. Then if you really want to go deeper, add forgiveness! 

We are IT! We are all gods and goddesses in drag, as Hafiz suggests in his poem, The Sun in Drag.

The Sun in Drag

You are the sun in drag.

You are God hiding from yourself.

Remove all the “mine”—that is the veil.

Why ever worry about

Anything?

Listen to what your friend Hafiz

Knows for certain:

The appearance of this world

Is a Magi’s brilliant trick, though its affairs are

Nothing into nothing.

You are a divine elephant with amnesia

Trying to live in an ant

Hole.

Sweetheart, O sweetheart

You are God in

Drag!

So, this holiday season may you savor the experience you’re having and take time to just be, to feel, to love and be loved. May you cultivate a consistent practice of yoga and meditation because these are the actions you can take to calm your mind, return to your heart, and release whatever is in your way.

Wishing you the most wonderful holiday season! I hope to see you on the mat.

Love,

Todd

P.S., join me for a free 3-Day Yoga Challenge for the New Year! January 5, 7, and 9. Details here.