I have done many readings regarding yoga and meditation, some of which I have done prematurely, without yet having a specific idea about this subject. Like so many words in Sanskrit, in many cases they just confused me.
Some books have been very pleasant, others heavier, others definitely very bad. Some readings were mainly dedicated to the practice of asanas and others to adjustments. And again: sacred texts and ancient texts. Many, maybe too many yoga styles listed, from the most classic to the most dynamic. Other texts should have talked about yoga, but in reality it wasn’t.
I’ve kept all the books I’ve bought in recent years and in my spare time I decided to take some of them back in my hand, to read them again. My vision of what yoga is has changed a lot. Reading takes a completely different form from the past. As well as practicing it.
YOGA PRACTICE OR FASHION?
I’ve been to yoga classes in the city many times. Many times I did it in a superficial way, I went in and out of a place, often taken by the new things and the “spiritual” titles that are given to events or workshops. On these occasions I found various types of teachers. Some very good, some just visiting. Others, however, who had no idea what they were doing, the important thing was to chant an “O – O – O – O – M” all together and say “Namastè”.
I have often experienced competitions in class, who has the most beautiful leggings, the most expensive mat or thinks too much about the place that has to “be zen” to the nausea or with the latest generation accessories all around. But then what’s real? Can fashion pants really make us more flexible? Or does guided meditation (which is so fashionable) really make us spiritual? I also admit that I’ve been transported many times by such nonsense, forgetting the real reason why I went to practice.
YOGA AS LIFESTYLE
But what is the essence of yoga? What is the reason for the practice? Does it all end with a simple lesson? Taking lots of pictures to prove your skills? Behind the word yoga hides a whole world that requires endless study, requires patience and dedication, not being flexible. Yoga is expressed in everyday life and you have to live in its fullness as a lifestyle.
«Yoga means union – the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions», said BKS Iyengar, one of the greatest yoga masters on earth, who has tried to eliminate the barriers between East and West.
In his book The Tree Of Yoga he also explains that «Meditation is not something that can be expressed in words. It must be directly experienced in one’s life. Nor can meditation be taught. If someone says he is teaching meditation, you can immediately know that he is not a yogi at all». Precious teachings, to be treasured in order to find our own way. And, above all, so as not to be distracted by appearances.
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