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Good evening, everyone, and welcome. It is nice to be here again in the middle of Slovakia, a beautiful and blessed country. Welcome to all of you. Over these two days, we will have different programs, and our subject is always yoga in our life: to develop our physical health, to develop concentration, and to develop spirituality. We have been walking on this path together for many, many years. You definitely feel it. Compared to other people, you have a much better health condition. To remain healthy is mostly in our hands. If we concentrate on three things, we will have fewer health problems. First, we must take care of our diet. This is a problem for many people nowadays. Due to modern technology and transportation, we have lost our eating discipline. I mean that we do not eat a seasonal diet. Sometimes we eat in the winter what we should eat in the summer, and what we eat in summer, we should eat in winter, because things are available from different parts of the world and we are curious to eat. In yoga philosophy and in the philosophy of Āyurveda, it is advised to eat a seasonal diet and according to the climate. Where there is a very hot climate, they have different kinds of fruits and vegetables. In a cold climate, like here in Slovakia, the diet is different, so we have to take our own climate into consideration too. In this modern world, food is prepared in an unnatural way, with unhealthy spices or some kind of chemical taste. We call it fast food nowadays because we have no time. We work too hard, too much, and we have access to everything, but still we are not happy and healthy. One century ago, people had little, but they were more happy and healthy. Now we have more than we need, but we are not healthy and happy. No one forces us to eat this or that, but we should know ourselves what we should eat and what we should not eat. It is your life and your body, so at least we should have the freedom to choose what we would like to eat. According to the law of nourishment, the less we eat, the longer we will live and the healthier we will be. The more we eat, the shorter our life will be and the more ill we will become. Due to the taste of our tongue and mouth, we cross the border of limitation. So it is in your hands. Therefore, choose your diet to be healthy, fresh, and seasonal. Timely eating is the first priority. Health is very important for us, and the decision is yours. Second is practicing. Everyone has to practice for themselves. You will not get it from others. There is no competition and no challenges. What we call yoga in daily life is practice in everyday life. The body needs movements. In the body, there are a lot of kriyās, movements, and functions. We can redirect extra energy to the different systems of the body. We awaken hidden energies and talents in our body. I am not a physician or a doctor, but as far as I understand, the different glands need a different kind of diet, different organs need a different kind of diet, and they need movement too. So it is very important to practice, but to practice systematically. That is called the system. If you think you like to have only very advanced postures, very advanced exercises—what you call head standing—maybe your body does not want this, but you are forcing it. For some muscles it is okay, but generally, different organs and glands suffer. That kind of exercise cannot create harmony in the body or in the mind. With each movement, with each posture, with each exercise, you should feel one with your body. It is very important. The third thing is discipline. In discipline, there is no compromise. We know these three things are hard for us now, in this Kali Yuga: control over eating, disciplined practice, and also doing our everyday program with discipline. We all would like to be happy, we all would like to be in peace, and we all would like to feel free. This is the second part: these three points—happy, free, and peace. These three come through meditation or deep relaxation. Our dear Gurujī said that when you meditate, you try to become one with yourself. Then you will feel all these three. Happiness and peace are all within us. It is said the bottom of the ocean is very calm; the waves are only on the surface. If you do not dive deep, you will miss these three things in your life. Peace is not outside. In the external world, there has always been restlessness. From the beginning of creation until today, we cannot imagine that the whole world will have complete peace and happiness. We cannot force anyone, but we can realize the peace which is within us, and we can realize that happiness within us. To be happy, to be relaxed, to be peaceful, to be content—all God has given us for free. We do not have to pay any tax. Nobody will punish you and ask why you are happy or why you are peaceful. No one has a right over that. So when you meditate, you have inner peace. Our consciousness is like a deep ocean, and to find the peace, we have to dive in. But when you dive into the deep ocean, do not forget to take with you the oxygen bottle. This oxygen bottle is our mantra. If you go without a mantra into meditation, it has no sense, and you are lost in it. These are the principles of spirituality: prayer, mantra, and thinking of God. Be aware that God is with us. God is not sitting anywhere alone. If He is sitting somewhere alone, we do not know because He is afraid of us; we will not let Him be in peace, so He has gone somewhere where we have no approach. And when we go to search, He is not there because He knows we are coming, so He changes His place. So He is with us, and we are with Him. In every country, every culture, in every tradition, in every belief, there is God. The main thing is that we should have trust, we should have faith, and we should be aware that God is with us. Out of billions of humans, you are special and different because you are on the path of the divine Self, to know ourself. The many others are also different; they are on their way. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa said, it does not matter through which path you will go, finally I will be there. You will come to me. All different roads lead to Spišská Nová Ves. Otherwise, we would not be here today; the road led us here. This is what we need in our life. Then there are other principles of life to protect and to gain additional energy and knowledge, and to ease the disease of society, which we call satsaṅg. Where can we go and find good friends, happiness, and peace? Knowledge is within us, but this knowledge needs extra or external inspiration. That is in satsaṅg. And using certain symbols or certain things which give us additional energy will make our path of yoga perfect, so that we will achieve our goal. Otherwise, doing a little here and there has no effect. It is said: either you should take all the oil out of the seeds, or leave the seed as it is. Do not crush them just so. We should remain either as we are, or take the oil out—meaning from human life, whatever good things we can gain, we should take all. Do not remain half-Christ. It means sometimes this, sometimes that; sometimes here, sometimes there; changing practice, changing opinion, changing techniques. That seed cannot grow again, and it gives no oil. Another saying: when wood burns, it becomes coal, and coal burns and becomes just ash. But people who are running here and there neither remain as wood nor become ash; they just remain black coal. So with discipline and with confidence, we should practice and continue our path. For that we are here today, and we will have a few sessions during this weekend where we will renew our techniques and practice systematically. It is a beautiful hall, and this is meant for our good health. I mentioned the external things. With external things, if it is possible, we should always use natural material on our body, as our cloth. In 24 hours, how long are you in this cloth? If it is artificial material, it is plastic. Then you are all the time in a plastic bag. Did you ever think about that? I mean, no. There is a lot of synthetic material which we are using, but we are not thinking about it, or we are not aware of it, or we have no access to natural material. We humans live too much outside, meaning that we would like to have nice clothes, a nice home, nice surroundings, and all that. That is why everyone is having synthetic pants, shirt, jacket, tie, etc. Now you are sitting here, all in your yoga dress. This is made purely from cotton, and you feel very nice in this body. We were a long time in the body of our mother, and after, from the mother’s body, now we are in these clothes. Consider how much energy these clothes give us, or how much energy they take away. Our life has become artificial. So try to use natural material. Do not imitate others in what they call fashion. This fashion is like the walk of the sheep. When one sheep goes, all go behind, and they do not look up. They look at the heels of the other sheep walking in front. If there is a big hole in the ground, one falls in, the second falls in, the third falls in—all are falling. Then they realize. You know, sheep are very strong and tough; they do not scream. They have a great willpower to endure the pain. Similarly, this is fashion. We are like sheep, running behind this fashion. So think: it is your life. We should use natural things. We are very unfortunate and unhappy that we have no access to organic food. Lucky are those who can grow their own field or have organic eating. So, try to have organic nourishment. All people in the world would like to be healthy and have organic food, but no one dares to say to stop the bio-pesticides. We go window shopping, looking in the window: "Oh, this is nice, I want to have it." There are some apples; they are organic, they are small and nice. And there is a pesticide apple that looks big and shiny. So we say, "Okay, I take this one." We are hungry and greedy from our look. If there were a big movement and we all became members of that movement to support and develop organic farms again, we would be healthier. So, think it over. It makes sense. No one in Slovakia would say, "No, I want to eat only chemical things." Your ministers, they all are looking for organic food. Many people in high positions drink what is so-called Āyurvedic coffee or green tea. Why? Because they want to be healthy. There were two friends. One friend was very against medicine and doctors. He did not want to have any medicine and did not want to go to the doctors. The other friend was going to doctors and taking medicine. When they came together, they did not touch the subject of doctors and medicine. One day, the friend who was very against doctors and medicine asked his friend, "Let’s go to the doctor." The friend said, "What?" It is like you saying to me, Swāmījī, "Let’s go to the wine restaurant to have a drink." I would not go. But if I told you, "Let’s go to drink wine," you would say, "Swāmījī, I did not understand." So that friend was surprised that he wanted to go to the doctor. They went to the doctor, and the doctor gave him something written on a paper, prescribed some medicine, and he had to pay the fees, so he paid the money. The friend was surprised. Then he said, "Let’s go to the chemist." And he was surprised; now he will take the medicine. So he went to the chemist’s shop and bought the medicine. Then he said, "Let’s go for a walk." They were walking over a river on a bridge. In the middle of the river, on the bridge, he stopped. The other one also stopped. He took his medicine out and threw it in the water. The friend said, "Are you normal?" He said, "Yes, very normal. Why?" "You were against doctors, and why did you go to the doctor?" He said, "Because the doctor had to earn something; I gave the money." "Then why did you buy the poison, the medicine?" "Because people who have the apothecary, the chemist shop, they also have to earn." "Then you bought such expensive medicine. Why did you throw it away in the water?" He said, "Because I also have to live." This is the condition of your ministers, or the ministers of the whole world. Somehow they cannot change; there are certain pressures. Many people in high positions, let’s say in your country, try to live healthy. So if you make a country-wide, positive organization supporting organic farms and having good, healthy food, I think that would be a plus point. You could be the first country in the world to start such things. So, what to put on our body? And then, healthy food? And then the knowledge about food, and especially, I mean, the spices. You should know which spices make particular food tasteful. For example, you have in Slovakia bryndza and halušky. The taste of the halušky develops especially when you add the bryndza in it. If you put bryndza on your birthday cake, it does not make it taste good, or mix it in ice cream. Similarly, there are certain spices for particular kinds of food that you prepare. Which kind of vegetable, which kind of food you prepare out of some grains? These spices support that food to be more effective on the body. Spices are especially not for our taste, but for our gland systems. Glands are responsible for the hormones and for the nervous system. Knowledge of spices you can only have if you learn how to cook. In the world, we are losing day by day the knowledge of cooking. Thanks to God that Slovakian people are still cooking at home and they have knowledge. But there are many people who only buy fast food and eat; unfortunately, that is not good. All that I am talking about is for your and my physical, mental, and spiritual development. If you drink nice grape juice, or apple juice, or milk, you can drive peacefully, nicely. Even if you drink one glass more juice, it is mental balance. But if you drink alcohol and you drive, then you can see how much mental balance you have. Then you put some music on, and then you are going like that. That is the mental balance. Now we can see practically how alcohol disbalances our mental state, our nerves, our muscles, our concentration, everything. As a practitioner of yoga, you should take care about that. If you do not find whole wheat bread or something, do not eat for one day. You will not die. Otherwise, what we call the white bread has nothing inside, so do not think to fill your stomach only, but think of your entire physical system. Similarly, there are different things which we can use for our body, some kind of oils. Another thing is about the Rudrākṣa Mālā. You know how much effect Rudrākṣa has. I will tell you tomorrow the stories and the benefits of Rudrākṣa, and we have to practice also. With this, my dear, I wish you all the best and a very good evening. After this, we will have greetings again, and then we will see. If we have time, we will meditate; otherwise, we will say, "Dobrú noc." So, thank you and welcome. Welcome here.