Determination in yoga is not any version of stubbornness or will power or fortitude, qualities that are often considered positive and that we sometimes associate with determination. I try to keep such qualities out of my yoga practice, because I don’t want to consciously bring anything onto my yoga mat that might make me aggressive or willful. 
This doesn’t mean that I want to be lazy or less than fully involved and engaged in my practice, but simply that I want to approach my yoga less forcefully. Yoga does require commitment: commitment to showing up on a regular basis, to being willing to gently try even when you feel tired or checked out, to being open to whatever presents itself, to responding to what is actually happening and not what you think should be happening. As I’m sure you have heard many times and in many forms, yoga is about being true to the present moment. This means developing our conscious ability to observe and participate in the present moment, and learning how to use our asana practice as a forum for experiencing and enhancing this awareness.
Being present, however, also means that we cannot come onto our yoga mat with an agenda. Often when we are determined we become committed to a plan or an idea that obstructs our ability to be open to the present moment.
