In yoga philosophy, the term closest to what we commonly call the ego is ahamkāra — the “I” that identifies. It is not an enemy, but rather a psychological function that helps organise our experience: “I am this”, “this is mine”, “I want”, “I don’t want”. Without it, there would be no functional sense of identity.
Once we understand what the ego represents in the context of yoga, it becomes important to distinguish between a healthy ego and an inflated one. Yoga is not about erasing our identity, but about reducing our attachment to it. A healthy ego allows us to move through the world with clarity and healthy boundaries; an inflated ego turns the practice into performance, comparison, and the pursuit of self-image.
Comparing ourselves to other practitioners and feeling the need to perform postures “perfectly” can lead to frustration and competitiveness, taking us further away from the true purpose of the practice. Yoga is not meant to impress others; it is a path towards deeper self-understanding.
As the practice deepens, something subtle begins to happen: this sense of “I” starts to feel less solid. Instead of being completely identified with thoughts such as “I am this”, “I can’t do that”, or “I need to be better”, we gradually develop a greater awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
The practice itself teaches us that we are not limited to our ego. The ego remains present — thinking, comparing, and wanting to control — but it no longer occupies the centre of our experience. We begin to create space between “I am this” and “this is happening within me”.
Yoga does not ask us to destroy the ego, but rather to stop being controlled by it. In place of a rigid and fixed identity, a more conscious and flexible relationship with ourselves begins to emerge. In that freedom, the practice gradually becomes less about “who I am on the mat” and more about cultivating awareness of what is unfolding, moment by moment.
Over the years of teaching and practising yoga on São Miguel Island in the Azores, I have often observed how comparison and the pursuit of perfection arise on the mat, regardless of a practitioner’s level of experience. Perhaps one of yoga’s greatest teachings is not learning how to perform a posture perfectly, but learning how to observe ourselves with greater honesty, presence, and compassion.
