We are confusing yoga with acrobatics. A lot of deception is practiced in the name of yoga. No one cares to know what it really means, or what it can accomplish. Confidence tricksters have preyed upon the gullible and thoroughly distorted the image of the science.”
At 70, he should have been tired and spent, resigned to living out his time, and having long ago stopped his crusade to prove the genuine strength of yoga. But Shri Yogendraji, one of the oldest exponents, is still at war. At present he conducts his battle from a Yoga Ashram at Bombay and he is determined to expose the false and remould the tarnished image.
“Yogis today,” he said unhappily, “are no longer a unanimously scrupulous band. Some of them are exploiters. I want them out. They know a few gimmicks and they fool people. They can contort their bodies and twist their legs across their necks. That isn’t yoga. They can wear a loin cloth and beads and ashes on their heads and preach. That is not yoga. They can promise to perform fantastic feats of endurance at a fee. That is not yoga. That is exhibitionism. They can display their spartan way of living, travel abroad and return with foreign followers and hold public conferences. None of this is yoga!”
Yoga, or the success of it, depends on the individual. It is an activity by which a man purifies himself from within. It is a spiritual communication possible only through one’s own zeal and sincerity. Perhaps, it does catalyse the actions of the ‘acrobat’ Yogi or the ‘one who walks on fire’, since yoga essentially means control. That is the key word - control.
This story is from the November 2019 edition of Yoga and Total Health.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2019 edition of Yoga and Total Health.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ram, The King Without Ambition
How hunger and thirst run our lives
कर्तव्य की भावना से कार्य में उत्कृष्ठता (excellence)
क ई तरह की व्यवस्थाएँ हैं, जो हमें सचेत करती हैं कि हमें क्या करना है। माता-पिता, समाज, कानून आदि के प्रति हमारे कुछ उत्तरदायित्व होते हैं, कर्तव्य व व्यवहार के कुछ नियम होते हैं जिनका हमें पूर्ण रूप से पालन करना होता है, परन्तु बहुत से लोग अपने कर्तव्यों के प्रति लापरवाह होते हैं, उन्हें अपने कर्तव्य पालन करना पसंद नहीं है ।
सत्य
सूत्र - अहिंसासत्यास्तेय ब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः । 12.30।।
Thoughts on the Gita
The Blessed Lord said
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
As a result of this, there is a complete mastery over the senses.
The Vagus Nerve
Tap into your in-built calming channel
Trust the Universe
And become one with it
Guard Against Egotism and Envy
How to keep undesirable qualities at bay
Read the Manual Then Operate the Machine
Achieving balance in today's complex life
Advancing Holistic Wellbeing through Yoga Education
Getting to know shvarapranidhana