The important thing to understand on this spiritual journey we're on is knowing the difference between what is real and what is imaginary.

If we only live in the imaginary, then we risk the spiritual practice becoming a way for us to ignore reality. On the other hand, some of us can get attached to difficult realities, which can lock us into those negative cycles of thinking.

Luckily, yoga practice and meditation teach us that we are not helpless victims of the life experience.

We have the power to break our subconscious thinking patterns if we learn to accept our failures in the practice. It's no secret that this spiritual journey is made up of struggles - that's why we call it a practice, but through this practice we have the opportunity to learn.

One of my biggest lessons on the yoga mat was (and sometimes still is) the acceptance of failure. More than that, it's being able to sit with this failure with a relaxed and non-judgmental attitude.

For me personally, the more I expect something to work out in a particular way, the more tightly I'm wound to it, which breeds negative thoughts and judgmental behavior. Does this happen to you?

If the answer is yes, realize that the brain doesn't subconsciously know the difference between imagination and reality. The way you react to real-world stimulation is the same way you react to a visualization, and your subconscious mind will interpret it as such.

It is this reaction that is the root of suffering, and I'm discussing the ways we can recognize these moments during our meditative and yoga practices so we can train our brain to understand the difference between what is imagined and what is reality.

Recognizing this opens up the possibility to remain neutral in the face of failure, which makes it much easier to break the unconscious patterning of the mind. I want to empower you to sit with your failure without judging yourself, and learning to recognize the difference between your reality and your imagination is a great place to start.

What failures have you learned to face on the yoga mat? Send an email at [email protected]. You could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

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