Want to learn and practice yoga? (20)

The four basic qualifications of a yoga practitioner or Sadhaka, which are Vairagya, Viveka, Mumukshuttva and Shat-sampat, is nothing to do with the so called internationally recognized qualification or certification of attending and graduating from 'yoga teachers training courses' being issued or sanctioned by the many different yoga schools/organizations under different lineages, branches, names and styles, being affiliated to so called 'international yoga alliance', being associated to so called 'yoga association', or being a registered member of certain yoga school, yoga alliance or yoga organization, where all these names and forms are being introduced into the world of yoga under the influence of ignorance and egoism.

Even though there are many people are doing some kind of yoga practice regularly, and there are many yoga enthusiasts have been attending one or a few 'yoga teachers training courses', as well as regularly attending different types of ongoing certified and accredited yoga workshops and courses to enhance or upgrade one's yoga practice as well as teaching skills to be conducting yoga classes, it doesn't mean that there are many yoga practitioners or Sadhaka in the world, nowadays. As the path of yoga is nothing to do with all those names and forms, activities and qualifications.

When people's minds are being conditioned and empowered to take highly importance towards all those worldly egoistic names and forms, activities and qualifications, to be determining and acknowledging oneself or someone as a qualified yoga practitioner or yoga teacher, it only moves the mind further away from what yoga practice is about.

All the 'yoga teachers', 'yoga schools', 'yoga organizations', 'yoga courses', 'yoga workshops' or 'yoga retreats' that introduced and advertised themselves as 'Certified yoga teacher', or 'Internationally certified and accredited yoga courses', or 'Yoga teacher and yoga school affiliated to such and such yoga alliance or yoga association', that are enforcing the attachment and identification towards such names and forms, and emphasizing on the achievement towards the fruit of action, about what kind of benefits/results people will be getting from doing the yoga practices being taught by them of their particular yoga lineage/brand, in their yoga classes/workshops/retreats, at their yoga school/centre/studio, are nothing but empowering the egoistic attachment, identification, desire of craving and aversion, comparison, judgment and expectation in the people who are initially interested to be learning and practicing yoga. All those 'names and forms' that attract and motivate them to be learning 'yoga' under the attachment and identification towards those qualities of names and forms, don't help to free the minds from ignorance and egoism, but it's empowering ignorance and egoism, unwittingly.

That's why renunciation is an important observation in one's yoga practice, particularly for the passionate egoistic minds to be developing the fundamental practice of dispassion, detachment (Vairagya) and right discrimination (Viveka), in order to free the mind from unwittingly being conditioned by all those worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice, to reason, think, behave, act and react.

Renouncing worldly affairs, connections, interactions and activities, embracing seclusion and solitude, moving the mind away from the company of the passionate egoistic minds, including those in the world of yoga, minimizing distraction and disturbance arising from coming in contact with the ceaseless ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in the world, to be conserving energy and focusing on one's yoga practice for quieting the restless modification of the mind, disciplining the outgoing tendency of the mind that restlessly chasing after the objects of the senses, and purifying the intellect or reasoning power, to be performing self-inquiry or investigation towards the truth of names and forms, free from the influence of worldly passionate egoistic thinking, belief, values and practice.

After the mind has developed the basic foundation of dispassion, detachment and right discrimination, this mind can choose to come back into the world to perform selfless service that help to bring correct understanding into the world, or not, but it is no longer being determined, influenced, affected or disturbed by all kinds of ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in the world as well as selfless impermanent changes, upon coming in contact with all kinds of qualities of names and forms.

Such 'yogi', 'Sadhaka', or 'the teacher of yoga', that doesn't attach towards or identify with any names and forms, doesn't need to attend 'Yoga teachers training courses', to be attaining, possessing and carrying 'Internationally recognized yoga teacher qualification and certification affiliated to International yoga alliance/association', and doesn't need to introduce or advertise oneself or one's action of delivering the teachings of yoga with all kinds of worldly egoistic qualities of names and forms, of 'Certified yoga teacher', or 'Internationally certified and accredited yoga courses', or 'Yoga teacher and yoga school affiliated to such and such yoga alliance or yoga association' that comes with the intention/aspiration/desire to be attracting more people to be interested in learning and practicing yoga from oneself.

If the mind is still being determined, influenced, affected and disturbed by certain names and forms upon coming in contact with the objects of the senses, particularly the ignorance and the consequences of ignorance in the world, it means that it still hasn't developed the important basic foundation yet, regardless of how many internationally recognized qualifications and certifications that it has been attaining, possessing and carrying, or not.

Some minds might even argue that it's non-appreciation, ungratefulness and disrespectful towards all those teachers, teachings, courses, organizations and qualifications. What kind of teachers or teachings is that, if it would be 'disrespected' and 'depreciated' by certain action or inaction from anyone?

Guru/Buddha/Dhamma/Teacher of Dhamma doesn't need to be receiving respect, gratitude or appreciation from anyone through any action or inaction, for being what they are.

If certain 'Guru', or 'Buddha', or 'Dhamma', or 'Teacher of Dhamma' can be 'disrespected' or 'depreciated' and be 'offended' or 'hurt' by certain action and inaction of someone, especially the one who would claim 'authorization' to be 'threatening' and 'punishing' anyone who appeared to be 'non-appreciative' and 'disrespectful', by saying that "This is your karma for being ignorant, bad and wrong," then it's not Guru, or Buddha, or Dhamma, or Teacher of Dhamma.

Coming from the mind itself, to be freeing itself from ignorance and egoism, is the greatest form of 'needless' respect, gratitude and appreciation towards Guru/Buddha/Dhamma/Teacher of Dhamma.

Upon the realization of selflessness, oneness, non-separateness, attributelessness, namelessness and formlessness, what is 'qualification', 'dispassion', 'renunciation', 'Guru', 'Buddha', 'Dhamma', 'Teacher of Dhamma', 'respectful', 'disrespectful', 'grateful', 'ungrateful', 'appreciation', 'depreciation', 'positive', 'negative'?

Whether someone wants to practice yoga, or not, is practicing yoga, or not, and will be free from ignorance and egoism, or not, it's its own freedom and effort. It's nothing to do with right or wrong. Neither it has anything to do with any teachers or teachings. Without any advertisement of one would be receiving specific benefits/results/effects/healing from doing specific practices, or one would be free from ignorance and suffering after how long and how much one has been performing certain practices, or any kind of guarantee towards what people will experience or don't experience, and without any 'positive words of motivational encouragement', trendy fashionable branded yoga attires, props and accessories as well as ongoing yoga event, celebration, festival, or community social gathering that empower the egoism, the students of yoga learn and practice yoga as it is.

Some 'yoga practitioners' think and say, "I have been practicing yoga under my yoga teachers for many years using specific props. Without the specific props while doing the yoga asana, pranayama and meditation practice, I cannot and will not practice yoga. I don't want to hurt myself from practicing yoga without the props. It's so unprofessional that there are no props available in the yoga class." That's their freedom of thinking and action/inaction. However, it only indicates the ignorance and egoism in the minds of the teachers and the students, even after many years of so called 'practicing yoga' or 'teaching yoga'.

It doesn't stop one from practicing yoga of self-inquiry and self-realization, of the elimination of ignorance and egoism, even if the body is being restricted by certain limitation for doing many of the yoga practices. One doesn't need to be doing any specific yoga practices that are being restricted by certain limitation, and still can be free from ignorance and egoism, if one knows what is practicing yoga. By using many different props that help to reduce certain limitation/discomfort and allowing the body to be doing certain yoga practices more comfortably with lower risk of injury, and getting the specific benefits from performing those yoga practices under the help of props, also doesn't guarantee that the mind is or will be free from ignorance and egoism, even after many years of doing all those yoga practices under the help of props, enforcing strong attachment, identification, craving and aversion, judgment, comparison and expectation.

Before attending the yoga class - "Oh, you'll need to get some high quality yoga attires and accessories, yoga mat and props, especially those bio-organic ecological environmental friendly type of material and production, that will make your practice more comfortable and efficient, and you will achieve maximum results that you desire. Oh, you will also need to get some healthy bio-organic yogic dietary supplements and put on some mystical incense and music in your practice space, maybe download some yoga apps as well, that will detoxify and cleanse your body, mind and soul as you practice yoga in your yogic space." No, you don't need all those things. You just need some basic understanding and common sense to start learning and practicing yoga, and be able to let go, to be free from ignorance and egoism.

Swami Sivananda - "Do not hoard disciples. Do not build ashrams."

Inquire towards the truth of everything.