If we have been putting in the same amount of time, discipline and effort into our daily yoga (asana) practice, just like those who have been spending lots of time, discipline and effort to keep the body and mind busy engaging in regular yoga (asana) practice, whether for spiritual growth, or for health and fitness reason, or for both, we won't have the free space in the mind, nor have the free time to be busy looking at other people's 'performance', or their result of a persistent and regular practice, and feel either envy or intimidated by other people's physical conditions and abilities, and spiritual improvement.
Although yoga, or unconditional love and peace, is nothing to do with the levels of physical conditions and abilities, but naturally, there will be certain amount of improvement in physical conditions and abilities, as an 'unavoidable' side effect coming from the regular yoga (asana) practice, whether we are aiming at it, or not, or whether we like it, or not.
We do not intent nor expect to gain any physical fitness, strength and flexibility while performing the yoga (asana) practice, as that is not the objective or goal of performing the yoga (asana) practice, and our basic yoga practice is non-attachment and non-identification towards the impermanent limited conditional physical body and the thinking mind. But the physical and mental effect coming from the regular yoga (asana) practice will still be there, as it is.
The body will gain certain degrees of fitness, strength and flexibility, and the mind will gain certain degrees of calmness and peace. But that is not the end of our yoga practice. We need to use that physical condition and state of mind that is conducive for meditation, to contemplate upon the truth, to go beyond the body and mind, to remove ignorance, to be free from being conditioned by egoism, duality, or the qualities of names and forms.
We will never feel intimidated by anyone or anything, if we truly practice yoga and meditation under correct understanding, right effort and right attitude.
Om shanti.
Although yoga, or unconditional love and peace, is nothing to do with the levels of physical conditions and abilities, but naturally, there will be certain amount of improvement in physical conditions and abilities, as an 'unavoidable' side effect coming from the regular yoga (asana) practice, whether we are aiming at it, or not, or whether we like it, or not.
We do not intent nor expect to gain any physical fitness, strength and flexibility while performing the yoga (asana) practice, as that is not the objective or goal of performing the yoga (asana) practice, and our basic yoga practice is non-attachment and non-identification towards the impermanent limited conditional physical body and the thinking mind. But the physical and mental effect coming from the regular yoga (asana) practice will still be there, as it is.
The body will gain certain degrees of fitness, strength and flexibility, and the mind will gain certain degrees of calmness and peace. But that is not the end of our yoga practice. We need to use that physical condition and state of mind that is conducive for meditation, to contemplate upon the truth, to go beyond the body and mind, to remove ignorance, to be free from being conditioned by egoism, duality, or the qualities of names and forms.
We will never feel intimidated by anyone or anything, if we truly practice yoga and meditation under correct understanding, right effort and right attitude.
Om shanti.
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