To Tweet or Not to Tweet | A Yogini's Grapple with Social Media

Confession: I can't keep up with all of the social media outlets. I used to do a way better job at it, but that was when I sat at a computer all day and hated the work I was doing. Of course I needed a mental break from the hum-drum daily grind, who wouldn't. Please note: This is not to say that anyone who does keep up with social media hates the work they are doing, this is my personal experience and it was just that way for me. But now that I'm  teaching more, I'm out of my house and away from the computer, finding less time to log in and see what's happening in the virtual social scene. 

This happens mostly with Twitter for me. I try to log in, I really do! When I eventually do, I see people happily tweeting away all day long with huge followings and all kinds of stuff. Half the time I'm not even exactly sure what they are saying, but I don't have the time to investigate. I think it's great that people are so connected and know how to use these tools as I think they are a valuable resource. I just wish I had more time for it, but it's not my reality at the moment. I do my best with the time I have and I feel okay with that right now. 

I used to let this make me feel bad, but now I practice a little detachment with the whole process. I think this has happened for the following few reasons:

1. My purpose around said Twitter account has changed. I am no longer looking for everyone in the world to read what I have to say. Now I just believe my message will get to the people who need it most. 
2. My teaching has changed and therefore I'm less driven by how many people turn up to practice and more in touch with how I'm serving the students that are there (see #1). 
3. I'm putting my practice into action and detaching from feeling "left out", "left behind", "out-of-the-loop", "inadequate" or even "competing" with other yoga bloggers. All of those feeling and emotions have nothing to do with practicing yama and niyama and really living what I teach. 
4. I stopped measuring my success by how many people read my blog or join my Facebook and Twitter page. In other words, I kicked my ego to the door and am allowing my purpose to drive me, not some insatiable need to be accepted by the online yoga community.  

Why have these things happened? For starters, I am much more comfortable in my skin and with my voice (written or spoken) and seeking Twitter followers is not a priority right now. It's always such a delight to discover and connect with new people, but I'm just not as focused on making it happen. It will happen naturally you see. It's not about how many followers I have or how many people #FF me on Fridays or how often I get in conversation with someone on Twitter. It's not how fast my Facebook group grows or how many people read my posts. If I am really living my yoga, then my aim is to put what I'm learning and teaching out there in the hopes that it may help at least one person in this lifetime and detach from the outcome. 

In the Bhagavad Gita it states, "Therefore always do without attachment the work you have to do; for a man who does his work without attachment attains the Supreme." (3.19) 

Listen, I am not Self-Realized yet, but if I'm aiming to get closer in this lifetime, I'm going to work on detaching from the outcome of what I consider to be my life's work. 

I feel liberated by this realization and no longer keep to a strict schedule of Tweeting. Besides for me, it ALMOST seems the complete opposite of the yoga practice. All of those tweets just appearing over and over again is a huge visual aid of my monkey mind. I'm trying to soothe my monkey mind, not agitate it over here! So I say, all the more power to those who can Tweet, Facebook, E-mail and still keep a calm mind and practice what you preach. 

Do you feel overwhelmed by Social Media? How do you balance it in your day? Have you ever felt "left out" of the conversation because you didn't log in?