While the external expression of asceticism is an integral part of our repentance, it is ultimately the inner disposition of our heart that brings us closer to Christ. Saint Paul writes: Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (I Timothy 4:8). For this reason, it is possible to live a very ascetical life without necessarily undertaking the difficult spiritual feats of the saints. In the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, both men were engaged in the ascetical act of prayer, but the first was praying with an attitude of humility and repentance, while the second was filled with pride in his own virtues. With the proper attitude in our heart, even the smallest effort on our part will bear fruit by the action of God’s grace.
 
(from Bishop Tikhon's talk in Los Angeles on "Asceticism in the World")