Hatha yoga is only a step

Fantastic inner changes dont happen with asana practice. The moment we change our attitudes life appears different. The only sadhana to be done is in said in a very simple manner " Be good, see good, do good"- Sathya Sai Baba.

Connect with God- nothing else is necessary. He will give all that is needed for us. The gopikas who loved Lord Krishna were approached by Uddhava who wanted to teach them Janana yoga. The gopikas rejected his idea - "we dont want yoga, mantra etc. Give us one simple way to reach Krishna as He is everything to us. We dont want to waste time on yoga" My dear Students Vol 2 by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba - page 31.

We should have this approach. When the creator is waiting to shower His divine glory on us why should we waste time on asans and pranayama? When the creator is there why should we waste time with other things? We should strive to keep our heart and mind pure- that is enough said. This is more difficult than doing asanas and pranayama. If we focus on Him , He will make sure that we have the health that is necessary.

Sthira sukham asanam

This does not mean ease in the asana alone. We need to have poise inside ourselves. Many a time this yoga sutra is incorrectly understood. Let us put our efforts for inner balance and not outer. The body may be the envelope of the soul but we need to nurture the inner being. Today hatha yoga is a fashion and a diversion for many of us. It is only one step in the path. We need to keep moving to the next step.

Chant the Lord's name!

To asana practitioners, our grammar is yoga- and nothing else. Shankaracharya says in the Bhaja Govindam -O fools , chant the name of the Lord as grammar wont save us in the end!

Keeping consciousness steady in asanas

I can keep my consciousness unwavering in many asanas from start to finish. But this does not get me anywhere as this has nothing to do with transformation or being a better person. Even a gymnast can do this if they want to excel in that art.

It is important that we remove all our inner blemishes. Body can never be made perfect or free of disease. Only God can choose to be that way. Hence we need to focus on surrender. But this is easier said than done- this is more difficult than all paths. Then and only then are we a true devotee of the Lord. Perfecting the body or attempting the same does not lead us to God. The heart has to be pure- that is enough. God only looks at the heart. Not at anything else. If we observe carefully, saints in Indian lore have not got salvation through asana practice.

Do inverted poses balance body mind and spirit?

Body mind and spirit will be balanced if the heart is balanced. This means we do not need to work on inversions- surrender to the Highest power and balance will come. We dont want organic balance with the asanas. We need something deeper than that which only dharana, dhyana and on top of it God's grace can give. So the message to us is to keep the body healthy but focus on God. Time is fleeting and if we spend all energies on the body, its not appropriate. God makes us do yoga and we need to focus on Him.

Hatha yoga is the end- its a stepping stone. How ever much we try to make it divine - it has its limitations. We need to change our quality of the inner being which any organic movement cannot do. We need trikarana shuddhi- integration of thought word and deed. This can be achieved by one and all with God's grace and this does not need asana practice. However we can continue practising asanas to keep our body healthy. We need to see deep within- not inside the body- inside our mind and change our thoughts and outlook in life.