The Buddha said that our biggest source of pain in the earth life is desire.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are:

1. Life is painful, learn to deal with it.

2. Our greatest pain is caused by desire. Wanting what we do not have, or being unsatisfied with what we do have.

3. Learning to curb our desires and emotional attachments will save us experiencing pain.

4. Buddhism (and Yoga) can help us attain this understanding and state.

 

Having said that the Buddha also learned by trial and error, that The Middle Way was the best way to live, noting that;

a) to live only in a state of acscetisism (pleasure less) makes one miserable

b) to live in a state of intoxication (drunkenness substance/adrenalin addiction) makes us sick

Therefore find the balance, always keeping clean living as the central tenant.

 

                                       Watch The Middle Way by Alan Watts

The Three gunas

The Bagavad Gita ( Ancient sanskrit poem which forms a part of the Vedas and the Mahabarahta)

The Gita teaches us, through Krishna enlightening his cocky nephew, Arjuna` on the brink of battle, that there are three states. Sattvas (Clean living) Rajas (Aggression) and Tamas (Lethargy)

Yoga leads us to enjoy clean living and finding the Middle Way.

Where Rajas could lead us to prison and Tamas to obesity, bad health and early death.

 

Posture (Asana)

Before we begin exercising it is important to understand the purpose To begin with the end in mind.

Speaking of the mind, it can be an active and destructive force in our lives or our greatest healing tool.

There is no point to yogic exercises without the philisophy. In the same way that there is a right way to bend and stretch, there is a right and a wrong way to use yogic asana.

 

Many health clubs advertise that they do not teach the religion (philosophy) only the exercises, calling it Yoga. This is to avoid backlash from a conservative monotheistic society. They may as well call it aerobics or exercise then.

Before beginning the practice of Asana, we need to bring stillness into our mental space. We need to slow down, stop rushing, stop worrying about what we will be doing after this yoga session, or about what we should have done, but didn’t.

 

Breathing like posture, can be done correctly or incorrectly. Most do it incorrectly, hence anxiety, depression, dificulty sleeping, mental health issues, eating disorders and stress etc.

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