Vivéka

 Vivéka 

Vivéka is a yoga term for differentiation. And it is precisely this distinction that helps us to understand where the practice of yoga techniques ends and where the real sadhana (yoga practice) begins. Yoga techniques are like big closets into which we can hide our scarecrows and skeletons. Indeed, the cabinet has a beautiful appearance, decorated with oriental designs and housing great content. But what is hidden in it? And for what purpose do we use it? And do we even need this piece of furniture at all?

Laziness and Discipline

Yoga is not a concrete technique – it is an organism which is continually learning. The practice of yoga should lead to the acceptance of our own nature. We cannot change ourselves on our own; it is impossible. But what we can change is our relationship with ourselves. Such a change is often mistaken as a change in personality, or some form of enlightenment. If you perceive a difference, then you have touched viveka. This is about the ability to distinguish between reality and illusion. But be careful! Viveka is not rationalization or justification. Viveka is experiential in nature. You do not have to think, you just know. The mind will confirm anything you decide to believe. But the experience, that's another story... It is like when you are in love. Needless to explain, needless to analyze. You just know. It is. You can feel it!

And this is exactly what a daily practice serves. Experience teaches us in context. Take for example these asanas (yoga postures).  At the beginning, the exercise hurts, stretches. It requires effort, like when you want to push start a car. Regularity may initially be in combat with laziness, but over time it becomes a habit, which simplifies the ritual. A car gains kinetic energy - momentum. And what's more! Most novices turn the a habit into an addiction. That is like already going down a small hill and trying to start. And suddenly the engine starts. It is then easy to practice, even if you do not want to! Visions of pleasantly spent moments are worth the initial state of discomfort after all! But what about our bodies? Are we experiencing real moments of laziness, or does our body just want to relax? Do you give priority then to practice or rest? And what does yoga practice mean in this context? The path of yoga is the path of sensitivity (non-violence) and so it is important to remember not to commit violence on our bodies. Fighting with our body is fighting our nature. Fighting is still fighting, even if we fight in the name of God, even if we fight for peace!

Laziness is a natural property like any other. It can be an accelerator, as well as our brake. It can complicate our life journey as well as improve it, or even save your life. The way we treat ourselves can be expressed in the following three sentences:

Am I lazy?
I'm lazy!I'm lazy. 

It is important to just be quiet and listen to our own deep wisdom that pervades our worldly bodies.
Sutra, teacher/guide, and practice then offers us a map and our own approach gives us the ability to read this map.

Hari Óm

Diagnosis of a‘yogoholic’

Diagnosis of a‘yogoholic’

What is yogoholism? It is an addiction to anything related to yoga or its techniques. It is a lifetime diagnosis. In this article, I would like to share with you my experience on this path. This daily yoga practise has changed - and continues to change - my approach. In the same way, my approach changes my personal yoga practice.

Hello, my name is Petr and I am yogoholic. At the beginning of this state, I had a downright negative relationship with yoga. I considered it to be a road to hell. I considered it to be a self-centered technique that causes problems. Possibly the most common question asked by yoga novices is ‘How can I start a regular yoga practice?’. To tell the truth, I did not have a problem with this. Everytime I got something into my head, I bit into it like a bulldog and went for my goal. Maybe you think that I was lucky, but you should be aware that even this approach has its drawbacks. Its dark side is that when you push on the saw too hard, its teeth become blunt, along with your enthusiasm towards doing the activities. And slowly, but gradually, you cease to take pleasure in what you are doing. I experienced this many times in previous activities. Whenever I achieved the desired skills after years of hard work, my passions quietly vanished in an inverse relationship with which I acquired the skills. When I did not achieve my visions, I was dissatisfied. When I reached my expectations, satisfaction did not last long. With each conqured rung of the ladder, before me appeared three more.

In comparison to other activities, yoga practise has the advantage that it offers an escape from this eternal cycle of dissatisfaction and suffering. It actually describes the cycle. Yoga has such a wide variety of techniques that the term ‘yoga’ can describe nearly any activity. For most people, the term ‘yogi’ means a circus artist who ties his body into bizarre knots and shapes. However, this is just one technique of yoga practise, which primarily teaches concentration and support of  the body during meditation techniques. For me, the word ‘yogi’ describes anyone who intensively and regularly engages in any activity. Yoga is an entryway! And so it doesn’t matter what we do, but how we approach the practice. Repeating the practice leads to its refinement and a change in the approach. Similarly, my conception of yoga sadhana (practice) changes over the years. There does not exist an exact description of how a given practice should look like. Yoga is a living organism which reflects our own preferences.

Hari Óm