07/03/2025
What is yoga? I realized that it is very important to draft a lasting path toward self realization to ask ourself why we do something and does it make sens for us.
I finally found a sutras that clarified a lot of my path the past years.
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः "Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhah" Patanjali yoga sutra 1.2
Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind (Chitta)
Our mind, in the sens of memories all over the body ( Chitta) is a permanent flux, expression of energy that create thoughts ( conscious and subconscious) and emotions.
This is what Kriya yoga focus on: it is to clean these memories.
So what is beyond Chitta? It is Shakti, the feminine energy of creativity / creation as a process when we reach it we merge ( become one yoga - union) with the divine ( the creator - Shiva a more static energy close to vacuity).
Why shall I, me as a European, living a confortable life ( Atheist, Agnostic) start all this hardship that is yoga, get rid of stuff, wake up early, practice a lot, ask myself philosophical questions and so on...
And here I thought to how my teacher in Rishikesh summarized yoga: it is for him ultimate bliss when you enter the bliss of the unity and merge with the ocean of creation.
I realized spending more time in India how much Yoga in a wide meaning ( Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, Raja Yoga ) is a very precious heritage that shall be highly respected and how much gratitude we shall give to India for opening all this heritage to the west.
It is also ok to say I don't do yoga and I am not interested in it, it is also a way to respect it and yourself.
Yoga as a trend is to be looked upon very carefully, it can be very misleading.
Surely this trend will also open this possibility to some people who wouldn't have contact with it if it didn't become popular in the west, but if it is the case you will feel this connection and emotion toward this precious heritage.
If the divine doesn't speak to you at all ask yourself why not to do other sports / practices. It is also fine and as much fine, not to be disregarder at all. They are billions of way of living.
20 years ago it was strange to do yoga in the west now it is almost strange not to do it, so ask yourself if you would do it even it is not trendy.
If we can look at it with gratitude as a precious heritage offered by India to the world ( they didn't put trademark on it as we did with our inventions / medicine...) we can strengthen our motivation and practice.