How to make it practical???

Questions from one of my students yesterday while waiting for another student in the car.

Some explanation why the conversation was in the car, instead of in the class. On Tuesday class, i used to have it at Taman Melati Utama. As the center closed, so i transferred the class to my house which maximum can fit in 8 people including myself. Most of them are students from TARC, UTAR or someone from neighborhood. When the class was transferred to my house at Jalan Genting Klang, transportation becomes the main concern for them. So, i offered myself to be the driver. So, that's why we have the conversation in the car as i am fetching 2 students from different condominium.

Her name is Yit Leng. Very pleasant girl and smiley face all the time. She has been attending classes for almost a year now. Very committed as she seldom skips class unless she goes back hometown during her semester break. She is currently a student of UTAR, third year.

She was asking that the sharing we have in the classes, such as not to react to the senses that we have, even though is pleasant or  unpleasant sensation and how to make it practical in our daily life? She was not quite sure about it. She even asked whether is possible to apply in daily life.

I told her YES. YOGA is everywhere and it is not only about postures. It definitely can be applied in our daily life. Sometimes, we applied it in our daily life even without realizing it. The transformation and changes happened as it is, naturally, without noticing. As it becomes a new habit.

Sometimes, we do realize that some of the habit we have, is not quite positive. When we want to change the habit so much but we just can't get rid of it as it is the old habit that we used to have, and we become frustrated and agitated. It is very normal. The more we want to change, the worst it becomes. As changing an habit is not ONE DAY task. In order to build a habit, whether is positive or negative habit, IT TAKES TIME. It accumulates the experiences that we have since small, the ups and downs, the observation we have, lessons that we learned, etc etc. So, it makes sense to say that it definitely takes time to change a habit. So, be patient.

Then how yoga can help in changing this old habit? Yoga is to purify the body and mind. Yoga gives us the opportunity to experience all the teaching that we have heard and practiced, as our body is just like a book, like a small universe that allows us to explore, experience and understand the Truth and WE BECOME OUR OWN TEACHER. Merely by listening and reading, we will eventually forgot. But by experiencing it ourselves, we understand, we accept and unconsciously the transformation takes place. Yoga will also train the mind. Mind need to be trained so that we can change the old habit pattern of mind. When we truly understand Yoga, whether any changes, any transformation, whether the mind is trained or not, it doesn't matter. As we truly understand about Yoga.

Our mind used to react to all the senses that came in contact with our body. Whether is pleasant or unpleasant sensation, things we see, we hear, we smell, we taste and we touch, all these senses, WE REACT towards it. When we have pleasant sensation, we wish the pleasant sensation to stay forever and sometimes we will crave for more and more and more. When all these wishes do not come true, we will be very disappointed, frustrated, depressed, etc etc. It is because we are reacting towards our senses and CRAVING happened. When we have unpleasant sensation, we will pray very hard to  get rid of this sensation, hoping that it will disappear. But when thing doesn't turn to be what we wanted to, we agitated, we angry, there is where hatred, anger, aversion come in. It is because WE REACT towards it.

Some of the yoga postures, it makes us feel agitated, discomfort, doubtful, unpleasant. Some of the postures, it makes us feel so confident, so comfortable, so proud of ourselves, so pleasant. Yoga postures allow us to experience our senses with a conscious mind. In such a situation, we are training the mind. First, have the AWARENESS towards those senses. Sometimes, we don't even realize that the existence of our senses. So, when we get angry, we don't even know HOW it started, WHEN it started, but ended up we regret of what we have said or done due to the anger we have. As such, awareness we allow us to be more mindful of our senses and action. Of cause, it is easy to TALK than ACT. But trust ourselves, it only takes us to be aware of our senses, just the AWARENESS. When we have the awareness, slowly we will learn to control our reaction. And we will also realize that FEELING is just FEELING, it will come and it will go. LAW OF NATURE, arising and pass away. Slowly but surely, we will notice some transformation in us when we realize the truth, because we experienced the path ourselves.

We are training the mind in such a way of not OVER REACT towards the senses that we have. No judgement, no comparison, no expectation. Learn to live at the PRESENT moment. Yoga also allows us to spend times with our body. Observing the breath, observing the natural reaction of the body, get to know more about the body, understand it and accept our body as IT IS.

When we let go all other activities, silently we observe the breath, observe the sensation of the body, observe the natural reaction of the body, only inhaling and exhaling, we experience the silent moment where there is no PAST, no FUTURE, only PRESENT MOMENT. As such, when we look deeper inside, all the senses that we had in the past, that's the one make us happy or unhappy, or the uncertainty and doubt about the future that keep us worrying. Even though we are living in the PRESENT MOMENT, but we never be at PRESNT MOMENT. When we experienced the NOW moment, we will realize that the REAL PEACEFUL lies within it. NO HAPPY or UNHAPPY. NO WORRY, NO DOUBT. Just present moment, peace.........................

So, when the mind is trained in such a way by living at the present moment, eventually we will also apply it in our everyday life. We will be more mindful of our senses, we understand the law of nature (arising and pass away) and we experience the true peacefulness by living in the PRESENT MOMENT. We will appreciate more our everyday life and we understand that everything happened for a reason, no matter good or bad. Whether we know the reason, it doesn't matter. This habit and the trained mind, it will eventually release us from our suffering. When we face any obstacles in our life, at least we know how to come out of it. There is way. There is way.  We know it. Human is a very smart creature. When we know the way out, we will definitely use the way. So, no worry.

All the experiences that we have in practicing yoga, will eventually make us realize the Truth.

Purify the body, train the mind. Slowly but surely, we will see the TRUTH and we will be happy, content and  complete.

Hari Om.