The topic for the English Satsang on Sunday, 10th March, 2013 was ‘Niyamas.’
Following is the transcript of the Q & A between the audience and Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.
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Q. Is fasting necessary?
Dr. J: This is one kind of discipline. It is sometimes used when we want to bring some control over ourselves.
Smt. H: But if we maintain discipline in food habits, eating the right amount at the right time – four times a day, a person does not need to fast. But if we eat a lot one time and then do fasting the next time, thinking it will bring balance, it is like living in a dirty room and cleaning it just once. But ultimately we are actually living amongst dirt. So this is not the right way. The right way would be Niyama, discipline in eating meals, because when following Niyamas, we are aware the whole time. Whereas otherwise, we are indulging or abstaining completely, both of which are wrong.
Q. I have decided to do a certain Tapa. Now how to be successful in continuing the Tapa and in attaining the ultimate goal?
Dr. J: We should not think and speak this way. We just keep talking. A strong decision has to be made in the mind. If certain attitudes can be generated in the mind, it would be better than just keeping on speaking about it in front of others.
Smt. H: Yoga says, do Tapa with a purpose in mind. We are not doing Tapa to show the world. We are doing Tapa keeping in mind our internal weaknesses that make us do the same mistakes again and again. If a person tends to overeat, his Tapa would be to limit himself to eating what is on the plate one time and get up after finishing that; avoiding a second helping. If someone speaks too much, Mauna should be practiced where not just speech but the mind also is quiet, observing the world quietly. So decide your Tapa keeping your weakness in mind and once it is overpowered, Tapa is no longer needed. Then you can move on to another weakness.
Q. We tend to follow certain rules and see our near and dear ones going in the wrong direction. We try to tell them and it results in conflicts. How to avoid this?
Dr. J: See, the biggest Tapa that we have to learn is, not to speak. We’ll avoid lot of problems.
Smt. H: Understand, you don’t have to speak anything. Practice Mauna. If you speak, it will create problems. Whom can you tell what to do? Children up to the age of 12, not after that.
Q. When I get angry, I just try to control my anger. How do I vent this anger and at the same time practice Tapa? Please help.
Dr. J: Go to a bathroom and speak out all that you want to speak and when you get exhausted, come out.
Smt. H: Lock yourself in a room or bathroom or look at yourself in the mirror and shout. Or you could write what you feel on a piece of paper and tear it off. These are some ways in which you can express the things. When you write, you will realize that you are thinking of the same thing again and again. Venting is necessary but getting the understanding is also important. My music teacher used to get very angry. She used to pour a bucket of cold water over her head to calm down. So every person can find their own way that helps him to settle down. But that doesn’t solve the problem. The problem is solved when you sit and think of the cause of anger. History repeats itself. So next time when it happens again, think of how you will handle it. Here Swadhyaya is needed.
Satsang is an open meeting held every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Yoga Institute, Santacruz East, Mumbai. It involves an interesting presentation to the public, made by the students of the Teacher Training Course. Each week, a new presentation of a Yogic concept is made in a simple way through skits and decoration for the general public, followed by a short speech from our Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.