What people want to do or don't do with their body, their living space or their spiritual practice space, is everyone's freedom.
Just as some yoga practitioners and yoga teachers want to wear certain type of 'yoga' attires and accessories, as well as tattooing or painting their body with certain words, sentences, images or symbols, where all these names and forms are related to yoga or some other forms of spirituality, either out of their own personal interest and styling, and/or maybe to be reflecting certain yogi image, or as a form of 'mystical protection' protecting oneself from some kind of 'negativity', or for any reasons, that's their freedom.
There's neither right nor wrong with all kinds of symbolical names and forms that reflect certain values, meanings or self-image for certain minds, just that, it has nothing to do with the teachings of yoga and/or the yoga practice.
Regardless of with or without certain names and forms, of particular shape, colour, pattern, or symbolization, reflecting particular values, meanings and images, being displayed on the body, or in the personal space for practicing yoga and meditation, or in the yoga hall or classroom as well as the inside and outside area of the yoga studio, the yoga centre, or the yoga school, it doesn't determine whether one is practicing yoga, or not.
It's about whether the minds are free from attachment and identification towards all these names and forms, or not.
It's about whether the minds are free from the desire of craving and aversion towards the presence and absence of all these names and forms to be identified as "This is who/what I am and what I do", or not.
One is free to be wearing certain yoga attires and accessories, as well as having certain yogic or Hinduism related words, sentences, images or symbols, being tattooed or painted on specific parts of the body, or being decorated/displayed in the personal space for practicing yoga and meditation, or in the common yoga hall or classroom of the yoga studio, the yoga centre, or the yoga school, or not at all, but one isn't practicing yoga, if the mind is attaching and identifying towards the presence or absence of all these names and forms to be 'I', or 'I am a yogi', or 'This is a yogic space', or not.
More importantly is that, the mind is void of attachment, identification and desire of craving and aversion towards the presence and absence of all these names and forms being displayed on the physical body or in the surrounding environment, where the mind knows that either the presence or absence of all these names and forms, doesn't determine what yoga is about, or not.
One might not be decorating the body, or the living space and the yoga practice space with any kinds of yoga related products and symbolization, or some other forms of spiritual/non-spiritual symbolization, which also doesn't determine whether one is practicing yoga, or not, depending on whether the mind is free from attachment, identification and desire of craving and aversion towards the presence and absence of all kinds of names and forms carrying various types of values and meanings for different minds. Such as some minds of certain spirituality are rejecting certain symbolical objects of some other spirituality in their surrounding environment.
Freeing the mind from any kinds of superstitious belief and practice, while respecting others for their freedom of having or not having any kinds of superstitious belief and practice, is part of the yoga practice.
One can be chanting 'OM', or any kind of sound waves or vibrations continuously for years and years, or not at all, but still, it doesn't determine whether one is practicing yoga, or not, depending on whether there's presence of attachment, identification and desire of craving and aversion towards the action/inaction of reciting 'OM' and/or other sound waves/vibrations mentally and/or verbally, as well as towards the presence and absence of the physical and mental effects of it.
It's the same as all kinds of action and inaction in this impermanent life existence of the selfless body and mind, regardless of what one does and doesn't do, what one can do and cannot do, what one eats and doesn't eat, what one thinks and doesn't think, or what one knows and doesn't know, also cannot determine whether one is practicing yoga, or not, but it's about the presence and absence of attachment, identification and desire of craving and aversion towards any names and forms, including the different types of yoga practices and their respective effects onto the body and mind.
Inquire towards the truth of everything.
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