Knowing the Why: Moving Beyond “That’s the Way It’s Always Been”

I hear it so often: “That’s just the way we’ve always done it.”

It’s said in schools, workplaces, churches, and families, a phrase meant to shut down curiosity. But when I hear it, I can’t help but wonder: what happens when we stop asking why?

When we accept “the way it’s always been,” we risk losing connection to meaning. The words may sound harmless, but they carry a quiet danger: they trade intention for inertia.

The Danger of Habit Without Meaning

Without intention, practice becomes mechanical.

In yoga, I’ve seen people fold into postures out of habit, but their breath isn’t present. The body moves, but the spirit doesn’t follow. They’re going through the sequence, but not really practicing.

In life, it’s the same. We carry on traditions without remembering what they were meant to honor. We say words, repeat routines, and pass down beliefs that may no longer serve us. And when the why is forgotten, the practice loses its heart.

We should ask the "why" all the time, because going through the motions without knowing why can be empty at best and dangerous, costly, or even unethical at worst.

The Power of Asking Why

Asking why is not rebellion; it’s wisdom.

It is the difference between moving through a flow on autopilot and stepping onto the mat with presence.

“Why am I here?

Why do I breathe this way?

Why do I keep showing up?”

When we ask why, we return to intention. We reconnect with purpose. We give ourselves permission to release what no longer serves and deepen what does.

I don’t meditate just because someone told me to. I meditate because it reconnects me to myself, to silence, to stillness. That’s my why. Without that clarity, meditation would just be sitting still with my eyes closed. The why is what turns a posture into a practice, a breath into a prayer.

Adaptability vs. Blind Routine

This doesn’t mean abandoning discipline. Discipline or devotion is sacred. But devotion without intention can harden into blind routine.

When we know our why, we can be both devoted and adaptable; we can stay faithful to practice without being chained to empty repetition. Some days my practice is strong movement; other days, it’s a soft, quiet seat. The connection, presence, and truth are what anchor me, not the exact form it takes.

Adaptability without devotion drifts. Devotion without adaptability calcifies. But together, they create something alive, flexible, rooted, and responsive.

When the Why is Missing at Work

I remember working in a place where “that’s the way we’ve always done it” was almost a motto. Whenever someone suggested a new idea, that phrase was the wall we ran into. The systems were outdated, the processes clunky, and sometimes the “old way” wasn’t just inefficient, it was costly, even dangerous.

What struck me most was that no one paused to ask why. No one asked if these practices still served the company or the people working there. Tradition or habit carried more weight than wisdom.

But here’s the thing: traditions themselves aren’t the problem. In fact, when we know what a tradition was built on, the history can be rich and beautiful. There is wisdom in honoring the roots. The danger comes when we keep moving through the motions without remembering the meaning, when habit replaces intention.

That experience taught me something I now carry into my yoga practice and into daily life: just because something has always been done doesn’t mean it should continue. Without asking why, we risk wasting energy, perpetuating harm, and losing the soul of what was once sacred.

When the Why is Missing in Society

The absence of why ripples far beyond the yoga studio or the workplace.

We hear phrases like, 

“Boys will be boys.” 

“That’s just the way life is.” 

“That’s how it’s always been done.” 

 These words protect old systems while silencing curiosity. They discourage the very questions that move us toward justice, equity, and integrity.

When we don’t ask why, we accept harmful norms without challenging them. We inherit habits without examining whether they fit the world we are living in now. We trade responsibility for convenience.

Asking why is part of living with integrity. It’s how we turn inherited patterns into conscious choices. It’s how we honor the beauty of history without being trapped by it.

Invitation

This week, choose one thing you do without thinking, maybe a routine, a tradition, or even a phrase you say to yourself.

Pause.

Ask why.

Does it still nourish you? Does it reflect the person you are becoming?

When we know the why, the how becomes clear. And our practice, whether on the mat, at work, or in the everyday rhythm of life, becomes alive again.