Yoga and Poker Part Iv: Practice and Non-attachment to Results

Perhaps one of the hardest things we as humans most learn to do is to learn how to do things for ourselves. What this means is not that we should be selfish and only look out for our own interests. What is meant by this is, as a simple example, that when we go to the gym we should go because we want to feel good and be healthy. People should not go to the gym just so that they can impress the girl next door or to wow their friends because they have the biggest biceps of the group. We are constantly trying to do things that will make others happy instead of making ourselves happy thinking that in order to be satisfied with ourselves we must be satisfactory to others.

A life philosophy that I have often heard and am a big proponent of goes as such: how can you love others and be a happy person if you don’t love yourself and are not happy person? It is like teaching a person how to play guitar without ever having plucked a string. All this pondering about the meaning of life is fascinating enough but what does this have to do with yoga and, more importantly, poker?

Going back to the previous discussions of the yoga sutras, we must go back to the very beginning and study some of the core principles and pieces of advice given by Patanjali to all practitioners of the science of yoga.

In the beginning of the yoga sutras one of the very first pillars mentioned is abhyasa, or practice. This does not mean that one must constantly do asanas (poses) it merely means that one needs to be persistent in trying to maintain a tranquil state of being, which is the entire point of yoga.

The essential companion to abhyasa is vairagya, or non-attachment. Yoga teaches us that we must learn to let go of the many attachments we hold on to in our everyday live such as fears and distractions we pay attention to that cloud us from getting in touch with our true inner-selves.

These concepts, carried out during the practice of yoga, can be readily applied to one’s poker game. There is a reason why many of the best-known poker players in the world gained their renown through impressive and consistent online play, not just by winning a tournament on television - players who clock in such a great deal of hours gain their skill through experience and tenacity, not chance. Many of these players not only spend a great deal of time playing the game, they have also put in hours in the library studying texts and learning what the best in the business have to say. They learn every single strength and weakness of their game thereby finding ways to work with their shortcomings as well as gifts.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules. There are several young poker players that have begun to dominate the poker world such as Josh “JJProdigy” Field, Dario Minieri, and Annette Obrestad. These players seem to have an uncanny feel for the game and made it straight to the top as mere children with little or no experience. These players should be used as learning examples, but should not be emulated considering less than 1% of poker players have that kind of natural talent. The best way to improve one’s game is to simply put in the time, practice, and study. Studying the game is a key ingredient that keeps many average players from becoming truly great players.

Studying does not mean to sit and read one book. It goes much deeper than that. Studying the game means not only playing and reading, but watching others play poker. Sit down one day and watch a WSOP tournament on TV and take notes with a pen and paper. Take note of the various betting strategies players use and how their personalities reflect their playing style. Some writers even claim that by simply observing the way a person dresses and walks one can deduce a great deal about their playing style. Doing this on TV can be a little difficult considering the players are at such an elite level and are quite good at hiding their weaknesses, but there is still a great deal to learn from them. Even going to a local casino and observing other players can be a great help and for beginning players would do more than watching the pros.

There is much wisdom in the saying “practice makes perfect”. The ancient yogis were some of the original propagators of consistent practice in order to better their yoga practice as well as their lives. You too can take this advice and apply it to your poker game in order to increase the size of your bankroll.

Non-attachment to Results

Many reading this article might be starting to get a little bit skeptical at this stage of the series. How in the world could non-attachment to results be of any use to a poker player? If one doesn’t care about the results of a poker game, doesn’t that mean that you won’t be competitive and that you won’t want to win? In poker, the most important part of the game is to win because you can only lose so much before you owe a loan shark your home or various appendages.

These are all excellent questions and deserve an equally respectable answer. The whole idea of non-attachment to results and how this can be related to poker does not have anything to do with how competitive a person is. The point of not having any sort of attachment to results does not necessarily even have to do anything with winning. For example, in yoga as one progresses one is able to do incredible physical maneuvers that previously would have never been remotely possible or imaginable. The catch is that the point of yoga is not to be able to wrap your body into a pretzel and levitate; it’s to gain a deeper connection and understanding with the Self. The more a person becomes obsessed with the results and how amazing they are becoming the slower they will progress. In fact if you practice yoga and after three years the only accomplishment you thing you have made is that you can sit in full lotus and brag to everybody about it, you have possibly even made a regression because you have become distracted by your physical body.

The same ideas can be transferred to poker. As we progress with our poker skills and slowly realize the various dimensions of the game it is easy to become obsessed with these various improvements. Suddenly you can count cards, read other’s expressions and calculate odds without blinking. It can be very easy for a player who has reached such a level to think that they have nothing left to learn about poker and that they know everything there is to know. A wonderful yogic lesson is that no matter how advanced a practitioner one becomes, one is always an infant in terms of how much knowledge they have and how much they have left to learn. The same goes for poker. No matter how good you become there is always an infinite amount of knowledge available that one can continue to build upon and learn from.

By being unattached to results, we remain diligent students who are as wide-eyed about whatever endeavor we have decided to undertake as when we first started. Once a person is convinced they are an expert or a know-it-all, the learning process ends and that person will stagnate in whatever they are pursuing. The amount of energy a human being can spend obsessing over themselves is extraordinary. Many people look in the mirror for hours, brag to friends and even seek praise solely to feel good about themselves. All of these habits are signs that one must continue to put more attention on self-improvement.

The most important aspect of the ideas revolving around non-attachment to results is that of focusing in on the present. When one focuses one’s attention on what kind of results they are achieving they are taking their mind away from concentrating on what is happening right in front of them. This is an especially important skill that has been mentioned over and over again in this article. If one cannot detach themselves from results, they will have a difficult time staying in the present. For poker players, this means that they will be unable to focus every ounce of their concentration to the various dimensions required to win a major poker tournament.

**I don’t see a conclusion anywhere! Give it some closure and make sure the rest looks like an appendix**

For anybody who has read through this article and is inspired to try some yoga, below are a few suggestions of several popular yoga styles taken from www.yogasite.com :

Anusara

Anusara (a-nu-SAR-a) means, "to step into the current of Divine Will", "following your heart", "flowing with Grace", "to move with the current of divine will." A new style developed by John Friend, Anusara yoga is described as heart-oriented, spiritually inspiring, yet grounded in a deep knowledge of outer and inner body alignment. Each student’s various abilities and limitations are deeply respected and honored.

Ashtanga

For those who want a serious workout, Ashtanga may be the perfect yoga. Developed by K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga is physically demanding. Participants move through a series of flows, jumping from one posture to another to build strength, flexibility and stamina. It's not for beginners or anyone who's been taking a leisurely approach to fitness. The so-called Power Yoga is based on Ashtanga.

Bikram

Bikram Choudhury's yoga is hot, hot, hot, so be prepared to sweat, sweat, sweat. In class, they crank the thermostat up high, then perform a series of 26 asanas designed to "scientifically" warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons. Founder Bikram Choudhury studied yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda

Iyengar

Ever think standing was just a matter of keeping your body on top of your legs? It's hard to appreciate how involved a simple thing like just standing can be, how much concentration and how many subtle movements and adjustments it takes, until you take an Iyengar yoga class. Of course, the point is that you're not just standing. You're doing Tadasana, Mountain pose, and in yoga in the style of B.K.S. Iyengar, Tadasana is an active pose. B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the best-known yoga teachers and the creator of one of the most popular styles of yoga in the world. His style of yoga is noted for great attention to detail and the precise alignment of postures, as well as the use of props such as blocks and belts. No doubt part of Iyengar's success is due to the quality of teachers, who must complete a rigorous 2-5 year training program for certification.

Kundalini

Kundalini yoga in the tradition of Yogi Bhajan, who brought the style to the West in 1969, focuses on the controlled release of Kundalini energy. The practice involves classic poses, breath, coordination of breath and movement, meditation.

Kripalu

Called the yoga of consciousness, Kripalu puts great emphasis on proper breath, alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and "honoring the wisdom of the body" -- you work according to the limits of your individual flexibility and strength. Alignment follows awareness. Students learn to focus on the physical and psychological reactions caused by various postures to develop their awareness of mind, body, emotion and spirit. There are three stages in Kripalu yoga: Stage One focuses on learning the postures and exploring your body’s abilities, Stage Two involves holding the postures for an extended time, developing concentration and inner awareness and Stage Three is like a meditation in motion in which the movement from one posture to another arises unconsciously and spontaneously.

Sivananda

Sivananda is one of the world's largest schools of yoga. Developed by Vishnu-devananda and named for his teacher, Sivananda yoga follows a set structure that includes pranayama, classic asanas, and relaxation. Vishnu-devananda wrote one of the contemporary yoga classics, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. First published in 1960, the book is still one of the best introductions to yoga available.