Especially when the mind cannot sit still quietly to turn inward yet, it keeps running outward and has to be doing something, or else it gets agitated or bored, then we need to engage the mind with some wholesome activities that will bring positive development and improvement in mind control, so that it doesn't has the 'room' to be engaged in some unwholesome activities that will bring distraction or obstruction in mind control.
It is the same as self-control or self-restraint - performing wholesome activities that will promote peace and harmony in oneself and in others. While refraining from performing unwholesome activities that will promote unrest and disharmony in oneself and in others.
Yoga asana practice, Pranayama, meditation, Japa, chanting, praying, house cleaning, gardening, laundry washing, studying the Vedanta or Bhagavad Gita, performing karma yoga or selfless service, performing all our duties and responsibilities, are some activities that we can keep the mind busy, so that it doesn't has the spare time and space to be engaging in any unwholesome activities like gossips, slander, criticism, ill thinking, speculations, fearful imaginations, worries, building castle in the air, and etc.
If we engage the body and mind with a short yoga asana practice, even if it's only for 5 minutes, there will be less a being in the world to be committing or generating negative or evil thinking, speech or actions into the world within that 5 minutes.
Imagine if 10% of the world population are engaging in yoga asana practice (with correct attitude) at the same time for 5 minutes, the whole world will have 10% less negative vibrations within that 5 minutes, not to say that usually in the traditional yoga asana practice, it will take about 2 to 3 hours for each practice, although duration is not the point at all... It doesn't mean that the longer we practice yoga asana, we will be guaranteed to be free form ignorance, egoism and suffering.
Same as all the other wholesome activities that we can do to keep the mind busy with wholesome activities that will bring peace and harmony in oneself and in others. People who cannot perform yoga asana practice, or are not interested in yoga asana practice can keep the mind busy with some other forms of wholesome activities in life. It is not necessarily has to be yoga asana practice, to bring positive development or improvement in mind control.
It's about what is most practical and convenient for us in that present moment. It can also change from time to time. Some days we are more enthusiastic to perform yoga asana practice, but some other days we might not have the same enthusiasm to perform yoga asana practice, but we can sit quietly observing the breath, mental thought waves or physical sensations. Or we can do some Pranayama, Japa, chanting and praying. Or engage in any activities that allow the body and mind to be purified as much as we can.
For those who are serious or sincere in the path of self-inquiry, we perform all the above activities as much as we can everyday to engage the mind only with activities that will encourage and support mind control, or elimination of the ego, or self-realization, or transcending ignorance or suffering, or realization of unconditional love and peace.
By having self-control or self-restraint, and not generating negative vibrations into the world through thinking, action and speech, is already benefiting the world. It is not necessarily that we have to be completely free from ignorance or suffering to be able to benefit the world. Beside not generating negative vibrations in ourselves and into the world, we can make good use of our talents, abilities, body, hands, feet, mouth, ears, eyes, nose, tongue, speech organ, mind, creativity, or merely loving kindness, to share what we have and what we can do, to bring some positive and cheerful vibrations into the world.
Om shanti.
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