Many people like to say, “I didn’t practice yoga today” or “For many months or years I have never been practicing yoga”
There is nothing wrong to say like that. This is because they think yoga practice means doing a session of yoga asana, pranayama and meditation practice.
But real yoga practice (observation, awareness, non-attachment, letting go) is happening unceasingly every moment in our heart, in our life.
There is not a single moment that we are not practicing yoga. It is like the breath. Each inhalation and exhalation is yoga. If we say that we didn’t practice yoga, it is like we have stopped breathing.
Even when some people think that they didn’t know what is yoga practice, or had never heard of yoga in their life before, or they refuse to practice “yoga”, they don’t practice asana, pranayama and meditation, it doesn’t mean that they are not practicing yoga.
Anyone who knows how to be happy in life without hurting themselves or other beings, and are not being disturbed or affected by the condition of impermanence, have love, peace and compassion in their heart, has no discrimination towards all the different types of nationality, religion, believe, race, sect, caste, sex, language, skin colour, educational level, family background, social status, past experiences, behaviors, personality, and etc. And they respect and embrace all including the lowest of all, then they are practicing yoga whether they are aware of it or not.
Anyone who knows what is selflessness, compassion, wisdom and non-attachment, they naturally are practicing yoga. In fact they already have attained yoga in them. Yoga is not separated from them.
The difference of practicing yoga and not practicing yoga is, whether we are aware of ourselves being selfish or not.
When we are practicing yoga (observation, awareness, non-attachment, letting go) from moment to moment, naturally we will be in a state of equilibrium, balanced, peacefulness and calmness. Being happy and free from tensions. Full of confidence about our own self. Not being disturbed by whatever the mind perceives through the senses and not being affected by the condition of the world, the life, the body and the mind.
And when we didn’t practice yoga (observation, awareness, non-attachment, letting go), very naturally, we will be in a state of imbalanced, instability, either under agitation or depression. Being unhappy and full of tensions. Lack of self-confidence. Being disturbed by whatever the mind perceives through the senses and being affected by the condition of the world, the life, the body and the mind.
And so, whether we are practicing yoga or not, it is not determined by whether we did a session of asana, pranayama and meditation practice or not.
It is whether we are attached to all the names and forms and being disturbed or affected by all the conditions of names and forms or not.
It is whether we are being influenced by the positive and negative energy or not.
It is whether we are attached to the body, the mind, the intellect and the ego or not.
It is whether we are free from impurities or not.
It is whether we have self-control or not.
It is whether we are developing awareness, selflessness, compassion, wisdom and non-attachment or not.
It is whether we are being controlled by the craving and aversion in us or not.
It is whether we are free from the duality of good and bad, praise and censure, happiness and unhappiness, success and failure, superiority and inferiority, like and dislike, want and don’t want or not.
It is whether we are being influenced by the thoughts, feelings and sensations or not.
It is whether we are being at the present moment now, letting go of the past and the future, not being disturbed by the past memories or the future imaginations or not.
It is whether we are able to be free from fear and worry or not.
It is whether we are able to observe everything as it is and able to accept the truth as it is or not.
It is whether we know how to love ourselves and others, be kind and compassionate towards ourselves and others or not.
It is whether we have love and peace in ourselves or not.
It is whether we are able to perform all our duties and responsibilities without intention, without expectation and renounce from the fruit of our actions or not.
It is whether we are surrendering our selfish ego or not.
It is whether we know who we really are or not.
It is whether we can accept the present moment now as it is and accept ourselves as we are or not.
At the end, nothing is not yoga. Everything is yoga…
Be happy.
