When we practise asanas and pranayamas, it is wonderful
But if you remain disturbed at a mental level, not centered within yourself,
then asanas and pranayamas will not yield much
Yoga ,as a practice, holds a very old history,
especially Raja yoga that started almost seventy-two generations before Raja Dasharatha
Raja yoga is considered to be the kingly thing amongst all yogas – that is why ‘Raja’ ‘Yoga’
What is the ‘Raja’ in a human life? It is the mind. It rules human life.
So regulating this mind, regulating our life, in such a way that as an individual, one flourishes
And as individual flourishes, each member in the family flourishes
community flourishes, nation flourishes. and
as a result, if everyone on this planet did practise, then there is a posse of peace and prosperity
an age-old dream of Indian tradition, civilization.
For that we have to really understand what yoga means - Yujyate iti yogah
one that joins, one that unites.
And what is it that we are trying to unite? My lower consciousness with higher Consciousness
my individual self with cosmic Self
Similarly, the purpose of religion is exactly the same – re – legion
Legion is a word from legare, to join and re-legare means to re-join, same purpose
When we practise asanas and pranayamas, it is wonderful
But if you remain disturbed at a mental level, not centered within yourself,
then asanas and pranayamas will not yield much
While remaining meditative, if we practise pranayamas
in a meditative state, while remaining in meditative state, if you can do asanas
it fulfils many requirements of a bhakta, of a devotee.
For example, in Sufi tradition, in Islam, as well as in our bhakti traditions
there are parallel lines, where zikra and fikra, prem (Love) and restlessness towards God,
they are born automatically, zikra and fikra
Constant Remembrance is an outcome of a meditative state.
Right after meditation, when we enter into the world, doing all kinds of things,
it will easily get destroyed and mutated to our disadvantage.
But if we remain meditative post meditation, in all our actions, then it becomes very effective