What is integral yoga? A few postures for the body, a few breathing techniques to increase the vitality and stamina of the body, a little bit of relaxation to remove the accumulated tensions of the day and a little bit of meditation to connect with inner positivity and strength. Each item has to be in proportion. If we add a kilo of salt to a kilo of vegetables, it will destroy the vegetables completely, but if we cook normally and naturally with a little bit of salt, with more water, with a little bit of oil, with more vegetables, it will be tasty. For food to be tasty, the items have to be in the correct proportions. The same principle applies to yoga. People are attracted by the performance of postures, but from the yogic perspective only five postures need to be practised daily for complete wellness of the body. If you want to practise anything beyond that, you are free to do so, but from the yogic perspective only five postures are required. Swami Satyananda has always advocated that yoga be practised on a regular basis in the daily routine. This is his perspective of how yoga can be lived and experienced in normal life. Yoga works at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. To manage distressful conditions of the body, the practice of postures is a must. To increase the stamina and vitality of the body, we practise breathing techniques. Only two breathing techniques are important. The effect is to balance the motor and sensory nervous systems, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The activity of the left and right hemispheres of the brain is also regulated. Concentration and one-pointedness of mind is achieved. Nervous tension can be alleviated by practising the breathing techniques.
The third component is learning how to relax. Unfortunately, people have forgotten how to relax and how to sleep, and have to use tranquillizers and sleeping tablets. It seems that we are losing our mental balance and harmony and becoming more and more dependent on external agents to help us relax and sleep.
The fourth component is the practice of concentration and meditation to explore our personality and nature and to come into contact with our strengths and positivity. These four forms of yoga constitute the practices applicable and useful for every individual in human society.
Yoga gives us the opportunity to light our own candle to illuminate the darkness of our lives. The darkness which has remained in a subterranean cave for thousands of years can be instantly removed by lighting a lamp. Yoga gives us the opportunity to light this lamp in our life to remove the darkness, so that the dormant areas of the brain and mind begin to function more efficiently and effectively, and we connect with the humanness within us. We are humans, but in body only, not in character, not in nature, not in personality. Many people have realized this and said that we are social animals. With yoga we have an opportunity to experience the humanness within. Therefore, give yoga, evolution, peace and creativity a chance in your life.
30 May 2008, Sofa, Bulgaria