Y.S. I.12 abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah. Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness.
The Yoga Sutras tell us that the way to finding inner peace and contentment is by practicing the two wings of yoga: Abhyasa and Vairagya. In his commentary on the yoga sutras, BKS Iyengar defines these two concepts like this:
Abhyasa is a dedicated, unswerving, constant, and vigilant search into a chosen subject, pursued against all odds in the face of repeated failures, for indefinitely long periods of time.
Vairagya is the cultivation of freedom from passion, abstention from worldly desires and appetites, and discrimination between the real and the unreal. It is the act of giving up all sensuous delights.
Abhyasa builds confidence and refinement in the process of culturing the consciousness, whereas vairagya is the elimination of whatever hinders progress and refinement. Proficiency in vairagya develops the ability to free oneself from the fruits of action.
How does this apply to our practice of asana?
Abhyasa: First, you have to practice, consistently, without lapses, over a long period of time. This builds up your strength and flexibility and it keeps you ready for the next pose, the next practice. Lapses in practice result in losses: of strength, flexibility and the ability to perform certain poses. This would be the equivalent of the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared.
Vairagya: Is freedom. Freedom from expectations, from negative thinking, from putting yourself in a box.
Controlling one’s consciousness to cultivate a yogic mind through sustained practice and dispassion helps prevent injuries and cultivates radical self acceptance.