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How to teach Yoga in Daily Life?

Yoga must progress step by step from physical practice to spiritual understanding. Practicing only physical movement is insufficient, yet without movement, health suffers. Beginners should not be mixed with advanced students, just as kindergarten is separate from primary school. A structured, step-by-step system is essential. Yoga leads to good health, relaxation, and meditation, but then it must address spirituality. Spirituality itself has different paths and can become mixed with cultural religion, leading to conflict. True spirituality is humble and peaceful, not fighting. Dietary discipline like avoiding meat and alcohol is integral to the practice, not to be omitted to attract students. A holistic path leads from body to spirit.

"Practicing only physical movement is not enough. But also, without movements of the body is also not good."

"When I came to Europe, I was in Austria. And I was... Everybody, I said, 'You have to, don't eat meat and this.'"

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Hari Om. Śrī Deep Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Dev Puruṣa Mahādev Kī Jai. Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Jai. Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Halak Purījī Mahādev Kī Jai. A beautiful morning in the forest, very beautiful, with very high oxygen. All the birds in our ashram—this ashram is more than anywhere else. So, how was your morning program? Very good. Did you see me there, where you were practicing? Yes. So it means those who saw me were always opening their eyes and looking. You know, it's like this, and then this, and then this. And many others were in what is called samādhi. So, all were in meditation; our whole program was very great, and we were like in samādhi. Someone, because they were only here for two days, had a little more problem with sitting for a long time. But doing the sādhanā is very important. Then I went to the other hall to see them. And there was only one lying down and looking at a mobile. I was knocking. No answer. Only looking at the mobile. Again I said, "Tuck, tuck, tuck." No answer. So then I sent some person: "How many are in the room?" In that hall, there was nobody there. And one who was learning needed something because their program was enough, so they went a little earlier. So, practicing only physical movement is not enough. But also, without movements of the body is also not good. How long do you sleep in your bed? So, at least two hours, make movements, then there is good health. And that is, if we want to practice yoga—and many of you know, everybody—what we are saying sometimes is body warming. When we have our yoga centers and people are coming for practice, some practice only for one hour or maximum one and a half. So, what do they do? They come and sit down, and we call it body warming. And there are two differences. First is that they lie down and relax. Of course, that is very good because we came from different distances to this village, and so they lie down; some just sit as they like. It means about 10 to 14 minutes of relaxing until everybody is coming. Release the body, relax. Then relax all limbs of the body. And then breathe and feel very peaceful and relaxed. That is very good. But then we tell them we will practice now, so we make the body move again, or relax, or warm up. So when you all will be here, you will have new yoga students. So, how will we bring them in very beautifully and healthily through yoga? Now, those who are coming for the first time to a yoga class, it is a different teaching. After three months, then come different movements. So, those who are coming for the first time, we should tell them, "How many years did you practice yoga, and in which school?" Because every yoga center has different techniques. And why not? Because they know how to teach. And our Yoga in Daily Life is also different. They do good, and we also do good. But sometimes there is a difference. And the difference is that when there is a yoga school and yoga people are coming, and one day someone comes, the first practitioner, they put him with them also. Those who were practicing already, let's say, ten months or one year, and people bring others who are the first ones. So, this is confusing. Let's say we can say kindergarten. Kindergarten was not from a long time ago; it's about 50 or maximum 80 years. Kindergarten was there when the parents both were going to work, working somewhere, and what to do with the child? And so they put the children, so that's called kindergarten. So now we know that many, they said, the children, and they are even about how many years, or one year, or how the different people give the children there for kindergarten. Then comes primary school, and in primary school we cannot put kindergarten. In many different countries, in India, the four-year-old children are put in school. And they are sitting, and they are learning and going further. In other countries, some, but I know about Vienna, Austria, that if one child is only one month old or less, they will not let it be given inside. Exactly six years, then the children can come to school, yeah? Now they are first class, or fifth class already, and we put the kindergarten inside. Or we, from the primary school, want to go to the high school. When I came to Europe, and that was there, that anybody can come to yoga class, okay, come on, I will teach you also, no problem. So many times, people were very confused. So when I came there, about two years later, I was also doing like that. Who practiced for two years, and one who just came free and new, let's practice together. There, we made yoga very nicely, how to say, step by step. And so we made yoga classes, so we had already five classes, six, seven, and so then people came in Vienna, mostly in here. So the Austrians were so happy, and they said, "Yes, now is good techniques of yoga, and so that it is Yoga in Daily Life, and how it is to go." And now that you know that we had this book, which we made first from Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia. And then, of course, in Austria, our students were doing very much, and they were making very nice steps, step by step. So it was like a school system, till the universities and then further. Now, there are two things coming. One is coming only physical things, and some step by step or something. But after five classes, primary school, and then the fifth step, which is going, then they are trying to teach different things to the humans. Of course, lessons, many lessons, but then it is something slowly, slowly separating. So, yoga comes to different paths. Of course, good health, relaxation, meditation, etc. But then it comes: what is spirituality? And in the spiritualities, when there, again, there are different departments. And there is something, let's say, coming like a religion. And religion, but that religion is a different culture, and they took the culture as a religion, and religion was put into the culture. So then comes more difference; they separated again back. And who understood what means yoga and spirituality, and more, till Mokṣa. So in that way, you can see that many yoga teachers around the world, where there are only very few yoga schools, and from them also, they cannot remain long. But our system of Yoga in Daily Life, we have many here in Europe and other countries there also. From Europe, our best yoga teachers spread to China, America, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, etc., many, many places. And there are sitting all Yoga in Daily Life yoga students, or not students, masters. So one understands, it means the humans, the human knowledge. Means, what is our life as humans? That we want to come to God. Or God, you can be a God. God means here who is very spiritual, very humble, and so on, not that fighting religion to religion, because every creature, yes, even humans, when they die, there is only one door. What does that door mean? Death. Any creature, a little animal, is also dying. Mosquito also dying. A very fine one, even we can't see, but they are also dying. When I was in Australia, there is one little, very fine one, how do you call them? Yeah, flight. And when that bites us and then it's gone, then we say, "Oh gosh, what is this?" Very small, we cannot see them, and they are called sand flies. When I was in Australia, many Australian people came to our yoga practice in Kathu and in Jardin. And so the Australians, they bring in their luggage, and they are in their room with all these flies, sand flies. And we can't see, but when we close like this, there is something there. It's already about, let's say, twenty-four years. This sad, sad, sad fly is in Jordan. It came to Kathu, to Nepal, and to Nepal. So beautiful, very good, these flies of Australia. So it is difficult, but it is how, where it is coming. So that is one religion; to other religions, they are different things. And there are two parts there. One is like the flies; they all want to bring all these flies. And second is that, how he likes good, they should go, but not fighting. Our culture, our religions, all God, is okay, very good. Other is also okay, but now we said, "You come to me." They said, "No, you all come to me." And so now, in whole countries, the whole world, this religion, this religion... fighting, war. At that time, it is neither a religion, a good religion, nor spiritual. Both are spiritualities, or religion is good, and yoga is good, and spirituality is what we call the good. But why are we taking? Others said, "I take that." That is a fighting. Now, already, in the whole world, we don't know what will be after a few, sometimes, years, what will happen. But now the waves came. The waves came from many spiritual religions, also Indians. The people came, and more, you can say, vegan people. The vegans are very great now in the whole world to think really peacefully. And so yoga is also in the whole world, and then, of course, from India, our Prime Minister, and through him the whole world, are happy that yoga is there. But in between, somebody comes in between inside, and that is now they are talking, these other yogīs or yoga centers, or I don't want to tell you the name, I don't know, but they are saying, for example, on Yoga Day, so they said, "Don't talk about alcohol and meat." So, with alcohol and meat, you don't know what yoga is; better not to practice yoga. Then, football, many things, very good, go swimming. If you are liking making people that like spiritual and good, then don't talk about this meat and alcohol. Please, don't tell them. Why? When I came to Europe, I was in Austria. And I was... Everybody, I said, "You have to, don't eat meat and this." And many people said, "What means that? Why not? Meat is good." But I told everybody, and I said no and no. And I can tell you that there are many people in Europe who understand, they are more than me, they are great people. They are not even from my yoga center, but they are coming. Yes, this is that. And some little, little countries said, "No, in school these children have to be given meat." Wait, wait for some time. All will say, "Please eat only vegetables." How many diseases, cancers? There was a cancer all the time, but not like that. And you know, many people eat so much meat and alcohol, and when they are old, old,... they are gone. They are only lying in the hospital, nothing else. Well, many said, "Not good." I also said, "Not good." But see how it is. Satya Yuga will come again, and in Satya Yuga you are all the holy people. You will be in the Brahma Lokas. And you will give the other people again the trainings. So in this way, the yoga we were learning, and how you were learning today and meditating there, it was very nice, and luckily this āśram is so good. And this country, Czech, is very great. And all is well, but we had this land here and this... So this is our center. In many other countries, we have so many yoga teachers. We have yoga teachers, our trainings, yoga teachers, we have certificates. Now somebody goes to the university, and they say, "We want to be a yoga teacher." But when they said, "Meat and alcohol, don't go to the school there, in the university," no, finished. You teach yoga, yes? So, take from us our Yoga in Life, our certificate. From the University of India, many like this, but this university, somebody told me in Croatia, I think, or in Slovenia, and I will tell them, that means not a yoghurt. You don't know what is yoghurt? First, I will say. The professor, who is a professor, yes, I will give a lecture. That's it. So, thank you very much. You are good practice, and I am very happy. That's it. So, Hari Om. Deep Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai. Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai. Satguru Svāmī Madhavānandjī Bhagavān Kī Jai. Alak Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jai. Satya Sanātana Dharma Kī Jai. Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Hari Om.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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