One of the yoga students requested the yoga teacher to give a "gentle" yoga asana session this morning, as after a few days of continuous yoga asana practice, the physical body was experiencing discomfortable sensations like muscular fatigue, tightness and soreness.
This was the teaching in the class today.
This is what yoga practice is about. It is being aware of the reality of the present moment now as it is, and accepting the reality as it is, without generate craving or aversion towards the pleasant or unpleasant experiences. This physical body is now experiencing discomfortable sensations coming from a few days of yoga asana practice, is actually a great opportunity for us to learn how to accept the reality of the present moment now as it is, even though it's not necessarily the way that we would like it to be, or the way that we think how it should be. As well as we are learning, experiencing, observing and accepting about the truth that everything is impermanent. It doesn't matter they are pleasant or unpleasant sensations, thoughts, conditions or feelings, they all are impermanent.
The yoga asana class is just being what it is. It is neither an intense session nor a gentle session. In the same yoga asana class, there are some students might be very fit, strong and flexible physically, and some others might be less fit, less strong and less flexible. Those who have stronger physical condition and are familiar with the yoga asana poses and exercises, they will say that this yoga asana session is an easy and gentle session (for them). While the others who have poorer physical condition and are not so familiar with the yoga asana poses and exercises, they will say that this yoga asana session is a difficult and intense session (for them). But the yoga asana poses and exercises in the yoga asana classes have no qualities or intentions to be something easy or difficult, gentle or intense. The yoga asana class is neither a beginner level nor advance level class. When our body can do it and feel pleasantness, our mind will judge "it's easy", while when our body encounters unpleasantness and cannot do it (yet), our mind will judge "it's difficult". The same exercises everyone is doing, some will say it's easy, and some will say it's difficult, but the exercises themselves have no quality or intention to be something easy or difficult.
Yoga, or peace and compassion, is not determined by how strong and flexible we are to perform the yoga asana poses, neither it is about how perfect we can perform the asana poses, or how good we look and feel during and after performing the asana poses or exercises, or whether we can perform all the yoga asana poses easily, or not.
Performing the yoga asana poses and exercises in a yoga class is not about trying to attain good feelings or pleasant sensations, or to avoid unpleasant sensations. It is not about "I only want to do the yoga poses and exercises that I like to do that make me feel good, and I don't want to do the yoga poses and exercises that I don't like to do, that make me feel tired and sore later," or "I only want to do the exercises that will make my body feels comfortable, and I don't want to do any exercises that will make my body feels uncomfortable."
This was the teaching in the class today.
This is what yoga practice is about. It is being aware of the reality of the present moment now as it is, and accepting the reality as it is, without generate craving or aversion towards the pleasant or unpleasant experiences. This physical body is now experiencing discomfortable sensations coming from a few days of yoga asana practice, is actually a great opportunity for us to learn how to accept the reality of the present moment now as it is, even though it's not necessarily the way that we would like it to be, or the way that we think how it should be. As well as we are learning, experiencing, observing and accepting about the truth that everything is impermanent. It doesn't matter they are pleasant or unpleasant sensations, thoughts, conditions or feelings, they all are impermanent.
The yoga asana class is just being what it is. It is neither an intense session nor a gentle session. In the same yoga asana class, there are some students might be very fit, strong and flexible physically, and some others might be less fit, less strong and less flexible. Those who have stronger physical condition and are familiar with the yoga asana poses and exercises, they will say that this yoga asana session is an easy and gentle session (for them). While the others who have poorer physical condition and are not so familiar with the yoga asana poses and exercises, they will say that this yoga asana session is a difficult and intense session (for them). But the yoga asana poses and exercises in the yoga asana classes have no qualities or intentions to be something easy or difficult, gentle or intense. The yoga asana class is neither a beginner level nor advance level class. When our body can do it and feel pleasantness, our mind will judge "it's easy", while when our body encounters unpleasantness and cannot do it (yet), our mind will judge "it's difficult". The same exercises everyone is doing, some will say it's easy, and some will say it's difficult, but the exercises themselves have no quality or intention to be something easy or difficult.
Yoga, or peace and compassion, is not determined by how strong and flexible we are to perform the yoga asana poses, neither it is about how perfect we can perform the asana poses, or how good we look and feel during and after performing the asana poses or exercises, or whether we can perform all the yoga asana poses easily, or not.
Performing the yoga asana poses and exercises in a yoga class is not about trying to attain good feelings or pleasant sensations, or to avoid unpleasant sensations. It is not about "I only want to do the yoga poses and exercises that I like to do that make me feel good, and I don't want to do the yoga poses and exercises that I don't like to do, that make me feel tired and sore later," or "I only want to do the exercises that will make my body feels comfortable, and I don't want to do any exercises that will make my body feels uncomfortable."
Yoga asana practice in the yoga classes is for us to find out what is the ego and how to be free from the ego, or how to let go of the ego. It is for us to practice non-attachment or letting go of attachment. It is for us to practice letting go of the identification with the body and mind. It is about letting go of craving and clinging onto the objects or conditions that we like and agree with, and letting go of aversion towards the objects or conditions that we don't like and disagree with.
Yoga asana practice and the exercises are for us to purify the mind, to remove impurities, to balance the mind, to calm the mind, to silent the mind, and to channel or direct the mind attention to contemplate on the Truth of things, names and forms, and to inquire who am "I". It is to eliminate ignorance to know the Truth. During the yoga asana class, we are limiting or restricting our thoughts, physical activities and speech by focusing on learning and performing the exercises and yoga poses. Most of the yoga poses request great amount of concentration being in the present moment, and letting go of fear, for us to be able to do it. And during this period of time, our body and mind is being busy engaging in performing wholesome yoga asana exercises, and not engaging in unwholesome thinking, physical activities and speech.
Attending yoga (asana) classes is not about expecting the teacher to give us something that we prefer, or what we would like it to be, or what we can agree with. It is about learning to be open-minded to adapt and accommodate the exercises that we are not familiar with, and to adjust ourselves into any types of exercises while knowing our own physical limitations, and we just do our best without forcing, or trying to challenge our physical body to go beyond its limitations. We don't have to force ourselves to perform all the exercises in the yoga class. We don't have to look like other people in the yoga class, or be like the yoga teacher when we perform the asana poses, as we all have a different body and having different physical limitations. We should know when to take some rest and when to continue practice. We should know whether it is the ego rejects to continue the practice, or it is the physical body has come to its limitations and it needs to take some rest. We learn to become our own teacher and take full responsibility for looking after the well-being of our body and mind.
We learn to forbear or withstand certain amount of physical "discomforts" coming from performing the yoga exercises (this discomfortable sensation is not the same as the sharp painful sensation coming from muscular tendon injuries due to pushing our body beyond its limitations, which is an alarm warning us that we should not go beyond that limitation), and allowing the physical body to improve the skill, stamina, strength and flexibility gradually as we practice regularly. Allowing the physical body to continue to practice the exercises that it doesn't familiar with, until it can adjust and adapt into all these yoga exercises effortlessly.
Unless the physical body is experiencing or suffering from certain injuries or illness, then we should allow the physical body to take some rest, and avoid performing certain physical activities that will stimulate or exaggerate the injuries or illness. In order to improve physical fitness level, we need to "push" the physical body to its maximum limits, but not beyond its limitations, so that we can train the body to become skillful, fitter, stronger and more flexible without injuring it.
In the beginning of our yoga asana practice, it is normal that our body will feel discomfort, struggle, tiredness and soreness from time to time, as the physical body needs regular practice to adjust and adapt into the physical activities that it doesn't familiar with, and it needs to take sufficient rest in between practices. Then only the physical body can improve its overall fitness level with continuous regular practice. Eventually as we continue performing the exercises while enduring some discomfort sensations due to the unfamiliar physical activities, the skill, stamina, strength and flexibility will improve, and all these muscular fatigue, tightness and soreness will become less and less. Our body will develop stronger endurance, stamina, strength and flexibility.
There's nothing wrong if we only want to do some easy exercises within our
comfort zone, and don't want to experience any muscular fatigue, tightness and soreness, or
discomfortable sensations at all, but then the body won't be getting the
required stress endurance training that is essential for developing
certain skill, stamina, strength and flexibility. Although peace and compassion has nothing to do with the over-all physical fitness level to perform the yoga asana practice, but the mental endurance, strength and flexibility that can be developed while dealing with the effects of the regular yoga asana practice, will help the mind to move forward on the path of yoga during challenging times.
This practice of non-attachment is not just being observed or practiced in the yoga classes while performing the yoga exercises, but it is every moment in our heart, in our life, we are practicing non-attachment. We learn to accept the reality of the present moment now as it is, even though it is not what we would like it to be. We accommodate the discomfortable or difficult situations and conditions. It is not about trying to change the situations and conditions that we don't like, into something that we like it, to accommodate us, but we are able to make adjustment and adapt ourselves into any discomfortable or difficult conditions and situations. When we experience some discomfortable situations or difficult conditions in life, we do not and cannot ask life to be easy and gentle on us. Instead, we accept the reality as it is, make necessary adjustment, and adapt ourselves into any discomfortable or difficult conditions and situations, and accommodate the present conditions and situations that we don't like or disagree with, that is unpleasant, in peace.
This is the inner strength and flexibility that we want to develop in our yoga practice while performing the yoga asana exercises. It is about life. It is not just about attending a yoga class performing some yoga asana poses, and telling ourselves and other people that we are practicing yoga, or we have done our yoga practice everyday, but then in life, we attached onto the body and mind, over-powered by the ego, and we are constantly being affected, disturbed, influenced, determined by the desire of craving and aversion towards the situations and conditions that we like and dislike, agree and disagree with. It is about being able to be undisturbed, unaffected, uninfluenced or undetermined by the qualities of names and forms that our mind perceives through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch,feel and think, without generating craving and aversion. It is knowing and accepting the truth of things as they are. Knowing that everything is just what they are. They are not something good or bad, positive or negative, happy or suffering, meaningful or meaningless.
Compassion is not just about performing some good and kind actions in the world. It is about accepting the reality as it is, and accepting everything and everyone as they are. There is no fear, no worry, no anger, no hatred, no greed, no dissatisfaction, no selfish desires, no selfish expectation, no discrimination towards all the different qualities of names and forms, no preferences of likes and dislikes, no attachment towards the qualities of names and forms, no jealousy, no possessiveness, no pride, no arrogance, no disappointment, no criticism, no condemn, no attachment towards the actions and the result of the actions, and so on. It is realizing what is non-duality, namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, oneness, non-separateness, and being free from dissatisfaction, restlessness, unpeacefulness or suffering deriving from ignorance.
In the process of learning and trying to perform the yoga practice and yoga asana poses or exercises in the yoga classes, we are actually developing inner strength and inner flexibility. These are the qualities that will allow us to realize unconditional peace and compassion, that will free us from ignorance, doubts, impurities, restlessness, dissatisfaction, anger, hatred, disappointment, fear, worry, unhappiness or suffering.
The physical stamina, strength and flexibility are just a side product coming from performing the yoga exercises regularly. It is not the main purpose of performing the yoga practice.
We should be developing patience, perseverance, determination, will-power, forbearance, withstand, acceptance, tolerance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, cheerfulness, courage, observation, mindfulness, awareness, thoughtfulness, humility, concentration, being in the present moment, one-pointedness, self-discipline, self-control, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, non-identification, non-attachment and letting go of the ego, during the process of learning and practicing the yoga asana poses, breathing exercises, chanting, studying or contemplating on the yoga teachings, selfless service, restraining the senses from going out chasing after the objects of the senses, concentration exercises, and meditation practice.
These qualities act as a medium, or a tool, or an instrument for us to render the mind calm and pure, preparing the mind for meditation, or self-inquiry, or contemplation upon the Truth, to realize the nature of names and forms of selflessness and impermanence, and realizing unconditional peace and compassion.
Without these qualities, it is not easy for us to realize peace and compassion, as we will be easily be annoyed, frustrated, irritated, angry, disappointed or hurt by the perceived names and forms or the objects of the senses that we don't like and disagree with. There is no peace, as we are constantly being affected, disturbed, influenced, determined or over-powered by all the impurities that arise in the mind coming from the egoistic reactions of the ignorant mind towards what it perceives through the senses, from moment to moment.
When we hear the yoga teachings about "Go beyond the physical body", it doesn't mean that we challenge our physical body to go beyond its limitations to make it stronger and more flexible than what it is now, but it is about going beyond the attachment or identification with the physical body. Let go of the identification with the impermanent conditions and abilities of the physical body as "I". By making the body stronger and more flexible, or being able to perform many asana poses, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion. Peace and compassion doesn't come from being physically strong and flexible.
Being a "vegetarian" or "non-vegetarian", is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being a good person or bad person, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Performing good actions or bad actions, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being highly educated or have limited education, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being artistic or not, creative or not, intelligent or not, is also not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Having good conditions or bad conditions in life, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Having a good physical health condition or poor physical health condition is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Peace and compassion is there as it is, upon the annihilation of ignorance and egoism. It is realizing the Truth of names and forms where everything is selfless and impermanent, and realizing namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, non-duality, oneness, or non-separateness beyond all the different names and forms.
Yoga is not about being positive or optimistic. It is about not attached towards the qualities of names and forms, or to go beyond what our minds think and believe is positive and negative, happiness and suffering, good and bad, meaningfulness and meaninglessness. All these qualities are not the truth of what things really are. Everything is just what it is. They have no qualities or intentions to be good or bad, positive or negative, happiness or suffering, meaningful or meaningless. All these "qualities" are coming from our own minds projecting onto the names and forms to be what our minds want to believe what things are.
And so, allowing the teacher to teach whatever the teacher wants to teach in the yoga (asana) class, without expecting the yoga class to be something that we prefer or what we would like it to be. But we make adjustment, and adapt ourselves into the practice that are new to us, or being different from what we familiar with. In the same session, some students will prefer more gentle form of exercises, and some will prefer more intense form of exercises, even if the class is stated as "gentle yoga class" or "intense yoga class". As we all have different expectation or projection towards what type of gentleness is "gentle" and what is not, or what type of intensity is "intense" and what is not. A gentle class can be too gentle for certain people or might not be gentle enough for some other people. An intense class can be too intense for certain people or might not be intense enough for some other people. Everyone has different types of physical stamina, strength and flexibility, different types of physical limitations, and different types of likes and dislikes towards certain asana poses or exercises. And all these names and forms are impermanent. Every day it's different. Every moment it's different.
The physical exercises and the effects that come from attending yoga (asana) classes are for the mind to be aware of the ego, and not to be influenced by the desire of craving and aversion that comes from the ego, until the mind is free from the egoistic desire of craving and aversion.
Om shanti.
This practice of non-attachment is not just being observed or practiced in the yoga classes while performing the yoga exercises, but it is every moment in our heart, in our life, we are practicing non-attachment. We learn to accept the reality of the present moment now as it is, even though it is not what we would like it to be. We accommodate the discomfortable or difficult situations and conditions. It is not about trying to change the situations and conditions that we don't like, into something that we like it, to accommodate us, but we are able to make adjustment and adapt ourselves into any discomfortable or difficult conditions and situations. When we experience some discomfortable situations or difficult conditions in life, we do not and cannot ask life to be easy and gentle on us. Instead, we accept the reality as it is, make necessary adjustment, and adapt ourselves into any discomfortable or difficult conditions and situations, and accommodate the present conditions and situations that we don't like or disagree with, that is unpleasant, in peace.
This is the inner strength and flexibility that we want to develop in our yoga practice while performing the yoga asana exercises. It is about life. It is not just about attending a yoga class performing some yoga asana poses, and telling ourselves and other people that we are practicing yoga, or we have done our yoga practice everyday, but then in life, we attached onto the body and mind, over-powered by the ego, and we are constantly being affected, disturbed, influenced, determined by the desire of craving and aversion towards the situations and conditions that we like and dislike, agree and disagree with. It is about being able to be undisturbed, unaffected, uninfluenced or undetermined by the qualities of names and forms that our mind perceives through the senses of what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch,feel and think, without generating craving and aversion. It is knowing and accepting the truth of things as they are. Knowing that everything is just what they are. They are not something good or bad, positive or negative, happy or suffering, meaningful or meaningless.
Compassion is not just about performing some good and kind actions in the world. It is about accepting the reality as it is, and accepting everything and everyone as they are. There is no fear, no worry, no anger, no hatred, no greed, no dissatisfaction, no selfish desires, no selfish expectation, no discrimination towards all the different qualities of names and forms, no preferences of likes and dislikes, no attachment towards the qualities of names and forms, no jealousy, no possessiveness, no pride, no arrogance, no disappointment, no criticism, no condemn, no attachment towards the actions and the result of the actions, and so on. It is realizing what is non-duality, namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, oneness, non-separateness, and being free from dissatisfaction, restlessness, unpeacefulness or suffering deriving from ignorance.
In the process of learning and trying to perform the yoga practice and yoga asana poses or exercises in the yoga classes, we are actually developing inner strength and inner flexibility. These are the qualities that will allow us to realize unconditional peace and compassion, that will free us from ignorance, doubts, impurities, restlessness, dissatisfaction, anger, hatred, disappointment, fear, worry, unhappiness or suffering.
The physical stamina, strength and flexibility are just a side product coming from performing the yoga exercises regularly. It is not the main purpose of performing the yoga practice.
We should be developing patience, perseverance, determination, will-power, forbearance, withstand, acceptance, tolerance, adjustment, adaptation, accommodation, cheerfulness, courage, observation, mindfulness, awareness, thoughtfulness, humility, concentration, being in the present moment, one-pointedness, self-discipline, self-control, non-judgment, non-comparison, non-expectation, non-identification, non-attachment and letting go of the ego, during the process of learning and practicing the yoga asana poses, breathing exercises, chanting, studying or contemplating on the yoga teachings, selfless service, restraining the senses from going out chasing after the objects of the senses, concentration exercises, and meditation practice.
These qualities act as a medium, or a tool, or an instrument for us to render the mind calm and pure, preparing the mind for meditation, or self-inquiry, or contemplation upon the Truth, to realize the nature of names and forms of selflessness and impermanence, and realizing unconditional peace and compassion.
Without these qualities, it is not easy for us to realize peace and compassion, as we will be easily be annoyed, frustrated, irritated, angry, disappointed or hurt by the perceived names and forms or the objects of the senses that we don't like and disagree with. There is no peace, as we are constantly being affected, disturbed, influenced, determined or over-powered by all the impurities that arise in the mind coming from the egoistic reactions of the ignorant mind towards what it perceives through the senses, from moment to moment.
When we hear the yoga teachings about "Go beyond the physical body", it doesn't mean that we challenge our physical body to go beyond its limitations to make it stronger and more flexible than what it is now, but it is about going beyond the attachment or identification with the physical body. Let go of the identification with the impermanent conditions and abilities of the physical body as "I". By making the body stronger and more flexible, or being able to perform many asana poses, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion. Peace and compassion doesn't come from being physically strong and flexible.
Being a "vegetarian" or "non-vegetarian", is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being a good person or bad person, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Performing good actions or bad actions, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being highly educated or have limited education, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Being artistic or not, creative or not, intelligent or not, is also not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Having good conditions or bad conditions in life, is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Having a good physical health condition or poor physical health condition is not a guarantee of peace and compassion.
Peace and compassion is there as it is, upon the annihilation of ignorance and egoism. It is realizing the Truth of names and forms where everything is selfless and impermanent, and realizing namelessness, formlessness, attributelessness, non-duality, oneness, or non-separateness beyond all the different names and forms.
Yoga is not about being positive or optimistic. It is about not attached towards the qualities of names and forms, or to go beyond what our minds think and believe is positive and negative, happiness and suffering, good and bad, meaningfulness and meaninglessness. All these qualities are not the truth of what things really are. Everything is just what it is. They have no qualities or intentions to be good or bad, positive or negative, happiness or suffering, meaningful or meaningless. All these "qualities" are coming from our own minds projecting onto the names and forms to be what our minds want to believe what things are.
And so, allowing the teacher to teach whatever the teacher wants to teach in the yoga (asana) class, without expecting the yoga class to be something that we prefer or what we would like it to be. But we make adjustment, and adapt ourselves into the practice that are new to us, or being different from what we familiar with. In the same session, some students will prefer more gentle form of exercises, and some will prefer more intense form of exercises, even if the class is stated as "gentle yoga class" or "intense yoga class". As we all have different expectation or projection towards what type of gentleness is "gentle" and what is not, or what type of intensity is "intense" and what is not. A gentle class can be too gentle for certain people or might not be gentle enough for some other people. An intense class can be too intense for certain people or might not be intense enough for some other people. Everyone has different types of physical stamina, strength and flexibility, different types of physical limitations, and different types of likes and dislikes towards certain asana poses or exercises. And all these names and forms are impermanent. Every day it's different. Every moment it's different.
The physical exercises and the effects that come from attending yoga (asana) classes are for the mind to be aware of the ego, and not to be influenced by the desire of craving and aversion that comes from the ego, until the mind is free from the egoistic desire of craving and aversion.
Om shanti.
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