"Whichever way we attempt to split the polarities of life, one thing is certain: we will suffer when we do. Life lived from only one side of a polarity is extremely difficult, as we have seen. It takes an enormous amount of energy to continually push away the denied aspect of the polarity. For what we deny inexorably intrudes into our convenient organization of life. Whatever aspect of reality we split off from awareness will continually be presented to us by life. And more often than not, it will come to us, as Jung said, as fate — an unwanted and feared intruder. The more energy we have used to suppress it, the more powerful will be its reemergence in our lives."

To Practice: Try for one week to make a place in your mind, body, and soul for pain or loss. See how this affects your experiences of pleasure or gain.

Stephen Cope in Yoga and the Quest for the True Self