Though this is the very basic teaching and practice of yoga, many people are not free from certain forms of physical, mental and emotional craving and clinging, both gross (aware) and subtle (unaware). It's a practice that seems to be challenging or struggling for many yoga practitioners, including 'yoga teachers', mostly those who are passionate towards worldly life existence of an individual being with a personal identity and most probably at least one or a few group/community identity under the influence of worldly cultural and social ideas, activities, thinking and beliefs.
The minds that are not free from attachment and identification with some kind of impermanent qualities of names and forms as 'I', are not free from being determined by the presence/possession and absence/non-possession of certain qualities of names and forms to feel good, happy, confident and meaningful, or not.
There's craving towards certain qualities of names and forms that the impure mind perceives or recognizes as 'good', 'positive', 'well-deserving', 'acknowledgement', 'payback to one's effort', 'higher standard', 'prideful', 'successful', 'lovable', 'joyful' and 'meaningful', and there's aversion towards certain qualities of names and forms that the impure mind perceives or recognizes as 'bad', 'negative', 'undeserving', 'non-acknowledgement', 'non-payback to one's effort', 'lower standard', 'shameful', 'failure', 'unlovable', 'sorrowful' and 'meaningless'.
This is how most worldly minds think, believe, behave, live life, interact with one another, act and react, as most people/human beings grew up being taught/influenced by their parents, teachers, society and medias to develop a strong sense of 'self-identity' and 'group identity' attaching onto certain qualities of names and forms to be who they are, or who 'I' am. The entire life existence is very much based on upholding, or attaining, or possessing, or protecting, or passing down certain 'values' to feel happy, confident and meaningful, to live a proud, purposeful and meaningful life. Such as there's nothing wrong when most minds would feel, think and believe that "It's so good to practice yoga and it's so meaningful to teach yoga to other people." but the minds are not free.
It's not easy for the minds to just 'let go' or 'abandon' all these identities of certain qualities that 'generate' the sense of 'existence' or more so the sense of 'meaningful existence', which is truly unnecessary to the liberated minds, but is upmost essential to the worldly impure minds.
There is the need of 'aspiration', 'intention', 'motivation', 'inspiration', 'reward', 'encouragement', 'praise and compliment', 'recognition', 'acknowledgement', 'positive feedback', 'positive interaction', 'positive guidance', and etc, for performing actions (of doing something that the mind perceives as 'good') or inactions (of not doing something that the mind perceives as 'not good').
As long as the mind is not free from this 'worldly habitual thinking pattern' under the influence of worldly thinking and belief where most people think and believe that there is a need of the existence of 'positive beings' to uplift/inspire 'the other not so positive beings' to 'create' a 'positive world', or there is a need of 'spiritual beings with spiritual healing power' or 'magic pills' to 'heal' all the 'hurts' or 'take away' all the painful sorrow and suffering of mankind, this mind will always be determined by the qualities of names and forms that are impermanent and selfless, and be disturbed by the absence and presence of what the worldly minds perceive as 'good and bad', 'right and wrong', 'positive and negative', 'appropriateness and inappropriateness', 'should and shouldn't', 'auspiciousness and inauspiciousness' and 'meaningfulness and meaninglessness'.
The mind expects itself and everything that it identifies as 'I', such as 'my body', 'my appearance', 'my ability', 'my mind', 'my belief', 'my feelings', 'my knowledge', 'my happiness', 'my confidence', 'my life', or 'my existence' to be in certain ways that the mind desires, likes and agrees with, of the qualities that it craves to achieve, or possess, or identify with. The mind also expects others and everything that it relates to 'I', such as 'my family', 'my relationship', 'my friends', 'my country', 'my community', 'my group', 'my world', 'my fellow human beings', and so on, to be in certain ways that the mind desires, likes and agrees with. When things are not the way that the mind expects it to be, the mind feels disturbed, dissatisfied, disappointed, and either agitated or depressed.
Those who truly 'help' other beings to be free from ignorance the cause of suffering, they 'guide' the minds to become their own teacher, to be aware of what is going on in the mind, to inquire the truth of everything, and to attain self-realization, to be free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance - egoism and impurities empowered by worldly ideas, activities, thinking and beliefs.
Contemplate on "Positive thinking is a just a practice to counter negative thinking, but it's not the goal of the yoga practice." and "There's nothing wrong with attaining good health and happy mind, but it's not the goal of the yoga practice." and go beyond positive thinking, good health and happy mind.
Realize this, "It's okay when the mind is 'negative or unhappy' in the present moment, as even this state of 'negativity or unhappiness' is impermanent and will change. Without any intention or expectation to chase away the state of 'negativity or unhappiness' or to develop the state of 'positivity and happiness', without craving towards 'positivity/happiness' or aversion towards 'negativity/unhappiness', allowing the mind to be what it is, allow it to change as it is. The mind is just what it is. It is impermanent. It's neither a positive nor negative mind, neither a happy nor unhappy mind. And it's not 'I'."
Love and be kind to the mind as it is, even when it is negative or unhappy. This doesn't mean that pampering the mind by gratifying all its desires, but be determined to free the mind from ignorance, impurities, egoism and suffering.
As long as there is an identity in the mind generates clinging/craving towards 'positivity' and aversion towards 'negativity', to change the mind to be the way that 'I' want it to be, the way that 'I' think it should be, the mind is not free, even though there's nothing wrong with that. Instead of working on transforming a 'negative mind' into a 'positive mind', work on 'being aware of what is going on in the mind, without attachment of craving and aversion towards all the 'positive and negative', 'good and bad', or 'happy and unhappy' thought activities as 'I'. The mind doesn't need to be 'positive', or 'good', or 'happy' when it is free from ignorance.
Practice yoga, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion and expectation, allowing the effects or the fruit of the practice to be there as it is. There's no "I am doing the yoga practice and I will be receiving the effects or the fruit of the yoga practice." The one who is free, or not free from ignorance, disturbs and suffering, it's the mind. There's no 'I' expects the mind will be free. The mind will be free as it is, when the idea of 'I' disappears.
Be free.
The minds that are not free from attachment and identification with some kind of impermanent qualities of names and forms as 'I', are not free from being determined by the presence/possession and absence/non-possession of certain qualities of names and forms to feel good, happy, confident and meaningful, or not.
There's craving towards certain qualities of names and forms that the impure mind perceives or recognizes as 'good', 'positive', 'well-deserving', 'acknowledgement', 'payback to one's effort', 'higher standard', 'prideful', 'successful', 'lovable', 'joyful' and 'meaningful', and there's aversion towards certain qualities of names and forms that the impure mind perceives or recognizes as 'bad', 'negative', 'undeserving', 'non-acknowledgement', 'non-payback to one's effort', 'lower standard', 'shameful', 'failure', 'unlovable', 'sorrowful' and 'meaningless'.
This is how most worldly minds think, believe, behave, live life, interact with one another, act and react, as most people/human beings grew up being taught/influenced by their parents, teachers, society and medias to develop a strong sense of 'self-identity' and 'group identity' attaching onto certain qualities of names and forms to be who they are, or who 'I' am. The entire life existence is very much based on upholding, or attaining, or possessing, or protecting, or passing down certain 'values' to feel happy, confident and meaningful, to live a proud, purposeful and meaningful life. Such as there's nothing wrong when most minds would feel, think and believe that "It's so good to practice yoga and it's so meaningful to teach yoga to other people." but the minds are not free.
It's not easy for the minds to just 'let go' or 'abandon' all these identities of certain qualities that 'generate' the sense of 'existence' or more so the sense of 'meaningful existence', which is truly unnecessary to the liberated minds, but is upmost essential to the worldly impure minds.
There is the need of 'aspiration', 'intention', 'motivation', 'inspiration', 'reward', 'encouragement', 'praise and compliment', 'recognition', 'acknowledgement', 'positive feedback', 'positive interaction', 'positive guidance', and etc, for performing actions (of doing something that the mind perceives as 'good') or inactions (of not doing something that the mind perceives as 'not good').
As long as the mind is not free from this 'worldly habitual thinking pattern' under the influence of worldly thinking and belief where most people think and believe that there is a need of the existence of 'positive beings' to uplift/inspire 'the other not so positive beings' to 'create' a 'positive world', or there is a need of 'spiritual beings with spiritual healing power' or 'magic pills' to 'heal' all the 'hurts' or 'take away' all the painful sorrow and suffering of mankind, this mind will always be determined by the qualities of names and forms that are impermanent and selfless, and be disturbed by the absence and presence of what the worldly minds perceive as 'good and bad', 'right and wrong', 'positive and negative', 'appropriateness and inappropriateness', 'should and shouldn't', 'auspiciousness and inauspiciousness' and 'meaningfulness and meaninglessness'.
The mind expects itself and everything that it identifies as 'I', such as 'my body', 'my appearance', 'my ability', 'my mind', 'my belief', 'my feelings', 'my knowledge', 'my happiness', 'my confidence', 'my life', or 'my existence' to be in certain ways that the mind desires, likes and agrees with, of the qualities that it craves to achieve, or possess, or identify with. The mind also expects others and everything that it relates to 'I', such as 'my family', 'my relationship', 'my friends', 'my country', 'my community', 'my group', 'my world', 'my fellow human beings', and so on, to be in certain ways that the mind desires, likes and agrees with. When things are not the way that the mind expects it to be, the mind feels disturbed, dissatisfied, disappointed, and either agitated or depressed.
Those who truly 'help' other beings to be free from ignorance the cause of suffering, they 'guide' the minds to become their own teacher, to be aware of what is going on in the mind, to inquire the truth of everything, and to attain self-realization, to be free from ignorance and the by-products of ignorance - egoism and impurities empowered by worldly ideas, activities, thinking and beliefs.
Contemplate on "Positive thinking is a just a practice to counter negative thinking, but it's not the goal of the yoga practice." and "There's nothing wrong with attaining good health and happy mind, but it's not the goal of the yoga practice." and go beyond positive thinking, good health and happy mind.
Realize this, "It's okay when the mind is 'negative or unhappy' in the present moment, as even this state of 'negativity or unhappiness' is impermanent and will change. Without any intention or expectation to chase away the state of 'negativity or unhappiness' or to develop the state of 'positivity and happiness', without craving towards 'positivity/happiness' or aversion towards 'negativity/unhappiness', allowing the mind to be what it is, allow it to change as it is. The mind is just what it is. It is impermanent. It's neither a positive nor negative mind, neither a happy nor unhappy mind. And it's not 'I'."
Love and be kind to the mind as it is, even when it is negative or unhappy. This doesn't mean that pampering the mind by gratifying all its desires, but be determined to free the mind from ignorance, impurities, egoism and suffering.
As long as there is an identity in the mind generates clinging/craving towards 'positivity' and aversion towards 'negativity', to change the mind to be the way that 'I' want it to be, the way that 'I' think it should be, the mind is not free, even though there's nothing wrong with that. Instead of working on transforming a 'negative mind' into a 'positive mind', work on 'being aware of what is going on in the mind, without attachment of craving and aversion towards all the 'positive and negative', 'good and bad', or 'happy and unhappy' thought activities as 'I'. The mind doesn't need to be 'positive', or 'good', or 'happy' when it is free from ignorance.
Practice yoga, without attachment, identification, craving, aversion and expectation, allowing the effects or the fruit of the practice to be there as it is. There's no "I am doing the yoga practice and I will be receiving the effects or the fruit of the yoga practice." The one who is free, or not free from ignorance, disturbs and suffering, it's the mind. There's no 'I' expects the mind will be free. The mind will be free as it is, when the idea of 'I' disappears.
Be free.
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