Sri Sathya Sai on Asana

Aasana: One should have a steady pose in sitting, that is to say, one should not either shake or sway. But, even if one sits like a rock, motionless and with all joints locked, it can never be called Aasana. That is not the sign of real Aasana. Aasana means both steadiness of the physical frame and inner joy that blooms in the heart. So whatever the pose adopted by the sadhaka of Yoga, it must be both steady and comfortable. That is why Pathanjali has advised, Sthirasukham-aasanam. I am telling you the same thing, in another way: which is the best and most success-yielding Aasana? It is that pose in which one is most un-affected by the external world. It is that pose which comes of the practice of the moral life, meritorious in the world and in accordance with the Vedic path. It is absolute lack of interest in matters unconnected with Paramatma. When some one whose ways you do not appreciate comes near you, there is no need to find fault with him; there is no need either to laugh at him or show him your contempt. It is enough if you continue to do your work, unaffected by his arrival. Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Spiritual discipline

Spiritual discipline is more arduous than physical discipline. Imagine the tremendous amount of effort undergone by the lady who runs along a wire stretched across the ring underneath a circus tent. The gain is just a few rupees after all. The same steadfastness and systematic effort aimed at a higher reward can endow you with mental balance and you can maintain your equilibrium under the most adverse or the most testing circumstances. But for such spiritual achievements the intellect and other instruments of perception are more important than the limbs. The intellect is the key. Make the intellect the master of your mind and you will not fail. You will fail only when the senses establish mastery over the mind. - Sathya Sai Speaks, Feb 20, 1964.