Effort does not lead to growth

Effort does not lead to growth; effort, whatever the form may take, whether it will be will-power or habit or a technique or a spiritual exercise, does not lead to change. At best it leads to repression and a covering of the root disease.
Effort may change the behaviour but it does not change the person. Just think what kind of a mentality it betrays when you ask, "What must I do to get holiness?" Isn't it like asking, How much money must I spend to buy something?

Anthony de Mello in "The Way to Love" pages 192 - 193

Will power covers up inability

In the systems of teaching generally accepted today emphasis is placed on achieving a certain aim at any price, without regard for the amount of disorganized and diffused effort that has gone into it. So long as organs of thought, feeling, and control are not organized for action that is coordinated, continuous, smooth and efficient - and therefore also pleasant - we are involving parts of the body indiscriminately, even if they are in no way required for this action or even interfere with it. One result is that we quite often perform an action and its opposite at the same time. Only mental effort can then make the part that is directed toward the goal overcome the other parts of the body operating to frustrate it. In this way, unfortunately, will power may tend to cover up an inability to carry out the action properly. The right way is to learn to eliminate the efforts opposing the goal and to employ will power only when a superhuman effort is required.

Moshe Feldenkrais in "Awareness through movement" page 61

Listen to your body

You have to learn how to listen to your body, going with it and not against it, avoiding all effort or strain and centering your attention on that very delicate point, the back of the waist (where the spine moves in two opposite directions). You will be amazed to discover that, if you are kind to your body, it will respond in an incredible way.

Vanda Scaravelli "Awakening the Spine" page 16