Right education is so important for our younger generations because they are our future leaders of the world. If they have right understanding and right conduct, if they are selfless and wise, then there will be positive changes in the world later, individually, socially, environmentally or politically and so on.
But sadly, lots of selfish and ignorant people have taken advantage of the education and media network to manipulate and corrupt the minds of these young people, implanting selfishness, racism, anger, hatred and untruthfulness into these naive young minds.
Yoga classes are a form of education too, not just physically and mentally but also spiritually. It depends very much on the teacher’s perspectives and his or her intention of giving Yoga classes, whether it is for spiritual realization or not.
As Yoga teachers, we need to be able to propagate the real teaching of Yoga. Which is based on truthfulness, dispassion, discrimination of real and unreal, self control, morality, equality, selflessness, compassion, wisdom, right thinking and right effort.
In order to spread the teaching of Yoga and its practice, we should be able to practice what we teach, and not just preaching what we have heard from our Guru or what we have read from books, and without real practice and understanding in ourselves.
We should have correct understanding, self control, morality, dispassion, discrimination of real and unreal, equality, compassion, selflessness, confidence, humility, right conduct, right thinking and right effort. Then only we can guide the students and encourage them to follow and practice what is taught in the scripture.
We need to know the teaching of Vedanta – Yoga philosophy, and practice it by hard and with sincerity in everyday life. Then only we can spread the teaching to the people who want to learn from us and want to know about Yoga and its meanings.
We need to have very strong faith and firm believes in the scripture of this ancient teaching for self realization. We need to be humble and really confident in the teaching and in our own practice too, then only we can have the power to touch people’s hearts or their souls.
Having pride and arrogance in us by attaching to the name and form of being a Yoga teacher will not help the students to become wise and towards self realization.
We need to have certain degree of understanding of the Vedanta, then only we can share this knowledge with all the people who wish to know the real meaning of Yoga and its practice.
We need to remain humble, free from pride and arrogance. And detached from our duty and responsibility, detached from the results and outcomes of what we have done – the fruit of actions, detached from the achievements of the students, detached from praise and criticism, and free from all expectations.
We need to purify our own self, our thoughts, actions and speech, before we can ask the students to do so. Purification of the body and mind is the main practice through out the whole life every moment.
We need to be able to eradicate lustful and evil thoughts, and minimize our cravings and desires, and able to deal with our own feelings and emotions, and stay detached from our ego. Then only we can guide the students to do the same and help them in their daily practice.
We should be truthful and selfless in our everyday life, not just having an image of a Yoga teacher in front of the students preaching truthfulness and selflessness but being untruthful and selfish outside the classes. Only then the students will respect what we are teaching to them.
If we ourselves do not follow and practice what the Scripture said and what our Guru taught us, then what are we teaching to the students in the Yoga class actually?
Merely capable of perform many Asana postures and teaching others to do many Asana postures, without emphasize on Vedanta in everyday life, will not help ourselves and anyone else to come out of miseries and to achieve peacefulness.
No wonder some people complain that they are still a very unhappy person and didn’t get any spiritual understanding after attending Yoga classes for some times. Although they had benefited from the Asana exercise to improve their flexibility, fitness level and physical health. But because they have no right understanding of Vedanta and don’t know how to deal with difficulties and emotional problems in life, and instead they had turned to alcohol and drugs to make themselves feel better by the end of the day, to get by and for that temporary excitement and runaway from their problems.
After the effect of the alcohol and drugs is gone, they will continue feeling depressed and unhappy with themselves, their lives and other people and happenings in the world.
They are in depression most of the time and so unhappy and angry with the world and their lives.
But Yoga practice and carry out the teaching of Vedanta in everyday life will really help them and free themselves from miseries, depression, anger, frustration and unhappiness.
No doubt that after a good well-paced and well-balanced Yoga Asana session with a very good final relaxation will bring a certain level of peacefulness into our mind and new energy into the body system, makes us feeling good and fresh.
But without practicing Vedanta in our daily lives, we will still be caught in worldly attachments, strong egoism and ignorance.
And our emotion is going up and down very often according to the different events that we are encountering every moment.
We might still be generating lots of evil and negative thoughts, doing selfish and ignorant actions, and speaking untruthful and harsh words.
And this will continue to create more tension and negative energy into our mind and the body system, which makes the good feeling and peacefulness that we had gained from doing Yoga Asana and the relaxation disappears into thin air and we continue caught up in the daily ups and downs in life, feeling angry, upset, depressed, jealous, low self esteem, and full of fear and worries.
Sometimes when we go to a real Yoga class, the teacher does not teach any Asana at all, but giving discourses on Vedanta or purification approach to the students which really benefits them in life. People are touched and making an effort to practice Vedanta in their lives.
After a few months later, the students will feedback to the teacher that they actually becoming happier, more patient and stronger in their heart when dealing with their everyday life’s happenings. They are more loving and selfless when being with their family and friends. Their family and friends had noticed the changes in them and also influenced by their cheerfulness, positiveness and new great energy.
This is what we call a real Yoga class.
It has the power of touching people’s heart and let them to have a little or significant positive changes in their thoughts, actions and speech. It is healing their painful hearts and bring meanings into their lives. They had became a selfless and confident person, and become an understanding human being full of compassion and having self control all the time.
They are attracting more and more positive energy, positive people and happenings around them. Their lives had changed and improved, doesn’t matter a little or a lot.
Everyone needs time to evolve doesn’t matter slow or fast, but at least it is moving towards positive evolution.
I believe there are many good and real Yoga teachers out there. They know what they are doing and are propagating the real meaning of Yoga to many people in the world, making our lives more meaningful and peaceful, and also making the world a better and happier place for everyone to live in.
I am grateful for having them in the world and with a humble heart, I pay respect and bow to these great Yoga teachers. Thank you for being here.
May their compassion and mission shine forever.
May we all attain true happiness and true freedom.
