Cheating yoga

While Yoga is a very good for the society, it is sad that most people misunderstand the purpose of Yoga.  I outline below the problems with the Yoga being practiced in the Yoga studios.  Unfortunately, Yoga studios today would convince you that Yoga is equivalent to Indian gymnastics.


The real yoga-mārga process is to control the senses, sit in a solitary and sanctified place and meditate. The yoga system, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā or as recommended in the Patañjali yoga process, is different from the nowadays-practiced haṭha-yoga as it is generally understood in the Western countries. Real yoga practice is to control the senses and, after such control is established, to concentrate the mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

To practice concentration of the mind, one has to sit with the head and the back in a straight line, and one must practice in a secluded place, sanctified by a sacred atmosphere. The yogī should observe the rules and regulations of brahmacarya — to strictly live a life of self-restraint and celibacy. One cannot practice yoga in a congested city, living a life of extravagancy, including unrestricted sex indulgence and adultery of the tongue.Yoga practice necessitates controlling the senses, and the beginning of sense control is to control the tongue. One who can control the tongue can also have control over the other senses. One cannot allow the tongue to take all kinds of forbidden food and drink and at the same time advance in the practice of yoga. It is a very regrettable fact that many unauthorized so-called yogīs come to the Western countries and exploit people’s inclination towardsyoga practice. Such unauthorized yogīs even dare to say publicly that one can indulge in the habit of drinking and at the same time practice meditation.


Five thousand years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa recommended yoga practice to Arjuna, but Arjuna frankly expressed his inability to follow the stringent rules and regulations of the yoga system. One should be very practical in every field of activities and should not waste his valuable time in practicing useless gymnastic feats in the name of yoga.

This article is inspired by Srimad Bhagavatam 3.15.45.
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I will share little bit on the importance on diet.  "You are what you eat", said Benjamin Franlkin. Foods eaten must increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.  The conclusion of the teachings of the Yoga sages has been to eat vegetarian, (no egg, milk okay), no onion and no garlic. 

Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are to be avoided. Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things are to be avoided too.

I have been practicing meditation for two hours since Febraury 2012. I have found that onion and garlic seriously add to the restlessness of the mind and body. Sometimes pizza also.  I think this is due to the fermentation/yeast.  I used to eat a lot of garlic. I gave up garlic and onion in 2011.  Now, if I eat garlic, I get a very aggressive migraine.  I try to avoid pizza also even though my wife makes pizza at home. The happiness I get from meditation is higher than the happiness from eating pizza.