YOGA is YOU

Today morning, after a few days of heavy rainfall due to the cyclone on the other coast of India, I ventured out to the beach in front of our house for a walk. After a short walk and some free movement on the beach I sat down to attempt meditation.  With deep conscious breathing my thoughts gradually started sorting out from the usual thoughts about duties, responsibilities, judgements etc. to the more reflecting ones.

My wondering thoughts brought me to my friend, whom I have known since the time before yoga. You know the calendar era notation of BC and AD. My time noting is BY and AY (read: before yoga and after yoga). So she has been my friend from the time BY. Since the lockdown in India, which has been extended for the 4th time since March 23rd, I started a few online courses for myself and later invited my friends to join with me. No challenges like who can make it or who can make it better, just joining together in common effort to make our lives more positive and fulfilled. At present, I invited my friends to join in with a 40 days mindfulness course. Today, most of us are on day 12 or 13.

My friend whom I have known since the time BY has never been interested in spirituality, rather she expressed her despise towards such disciplines. The more I was surprised, when she decided to join in with my groups. Believe it or not, not only she started enjoying the tasks, but she told me, that it is the one thing she looks forward to everyday.

During the meditation today, I realised that nowadays we often get asked, if we practice yoga and if you don’t, you are out of fashion. Therefore, many people, like my friend, thought yoga has something to do with being fashionable, yet it is rather the opposite. Fashion orients itself according to the outside objects. Yoga is about our inner state of being free of external influence – the most natural, original, the pure state of our being. Yoga is the feeling of peace and unity, once our mind becomes quiet and free from thought fluctuation. Yoga is not only for fashionable people, yet also, yoga is not only for Indians, yet also, yoga is not only for white people, yet also. Yoga is for the whole humanity. Yoga is not about DOING but about BEING that which you already are. Yoga is YOU!