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Practical Wisdom for Sustainable Living and Spiritual Practice

Sustainable living requires limiting consumption to preserve Earth's delicate balance. Human activity disrupts the natural order through concrete expansion, pollution, and resource depletion. Practical steps include reducing paper use by reading emails on screens and reusing paper. Choose food sources carefully, preferring fresh, local produce and being mindful of genetic modification. Preserve vegetables by drying or freezing instead of repeated reheating. The human body is a temporary instrument for spiritual progress. Maintain health through disciplined daily practice, transforming physical exercise into active meditation by uniting body and mind with awareness. This harmony fosters the dispassion necessary for spiritual growth.

"Limit your needs in everyday life."

"Your work is your worship."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Dev Puruṣa Mahādeva Kī Jaya. Sanātana Dharma Kī Jaya. Mādhava Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya. Jaya means victory, glory, and success. Its nature depends on the intention behind its utterance. A negative intention yields a negative result. Some people harbor fear, but I will not elaborate on that now. Good evening. Welcome to the Om Śrī Mahāprabhū Deep Foundation Satsaṅg Ashram in Strelka, Czech Republic. Today was a very nice sunny day, but unfortunately, there was no rain. You must know that 60 to 70% of the world suffers from a lack of water. In parts of India, Australia, and elsewhere, the groundwater is decreasing by 2 to 3 meters yearly. If you walk in the Czech forests and hills and dig the earth under the trees, it is dry like powder just 10 centimeters deep. So, do not assume you have enough water. When rain falls in the wrong place now, it causes immediate floods due to improper canalizations, roads, and such. God, the Creator, designed this planet perfectly to maintain climatic balance. He must know why He created the four elements here: water, earth, air, and fire. He must know why He gave us so much land and so much ocean. We have always loved our planet, but now, due to human greed and ego, we have developed technologies that harm it. Do you know how many millions of square kilometers of Earth are covered with concrete? Consider all the highways, roads, streets, and cities. Consider how many thousands of tons of rubber from car tires are deposited on roads, polluting the water that runs into the fields. Consider how many mountains worldwide are destroyed for stone. Sometimes in Rajasthan, India, it is painful to see little hills and mountains disappearing, completely dug away. That fine balance is now imbalanced. Mother Nature, or the Creator, knew where and how high hills should be, where forests should grow, where valleys should lie—everything. This is a significant concern. Our prayer and request to all our human brothers and sisters is to limit their needs in everyday life. This seminar is about both practice and theory. I hold in my hand a beautiful white piece of paper with only three typed lines. I needed a fresh sheet, and to produce this paper, a tree had to die. Modern technology does not represent sustainable development; it is more destructive than creative. This paper went through a photocopy machine: scanning, a message to a computer, a button press, and a printout onto my table. Another paper arrived with a few lines written large. Many handfuls of paper lie here on this table alone. We must ask: do we need this? One thing we can do is read email messages on a computer screen and not print them. If a question is very important, write it down separately. I receive emails that say, "Dear Swāmījī, the seminar was beautiful, I would like to come again, the weather was very nice and sunny," and then, "Swāmījī, I have one question: can you advise me on an exercise for my neck pain?" For just one sentence, we can organize our computers to compile such short messages and only print when enough text fills two pages, using both sides. Of course, some documents must be printed completely. This is my request to all dear brothers and sisters worldwide. I did not say "do not use," but "limit." Limitation is essential. This example concerns only fax and email, but you destroy so much paper every day. If we all work together, I am sure something will change. If you inspire others, change will come. Eventually, there may be no more paper; you will print on plastic. You know there is plastic money, do you not? The New Zealand and Australian paper currencies are like this plastic. You can wash them in a washing machine and even iron them with a cloth over them. Divya Jyoti, you were with me—is this true or not? Stand up. Yes, plastic notes. In some ways, this may be good because of their long life. This is a practical instruction for all yoga and daily life practitioners: please do not use so much paper. Some fax machines print only on paper containing messages, which is excellent to use. That was the first instruction. The second instruction concerns cooking. I received two questions today from dear friends worldwide. The first question is from Andreas: "Hari Om Swāmījī, is it better to buy milk from the supermarket or drink soy milk? Thank you for your answer. Greetings, Paul St. Pelton, Austria." Yes, there is a definite difference between soy milk and cow's milk. In some cases, soy milk is better; in others, it is not. Nowadays, soy is often genetically manipulated. Over ten years ago, there was a strong strike demonstration across Europe, particularly in Austria, against allowing genetically modified soy into Europe. People in Germany, Austria, England, and other countries demonstrated. Unfortunately, the result was zero, revealing how much we respect human rights. Thousands of tons of soybeans arrived at a Swiss port and spread throughout Europe. Now you cannot tell if soybeans or tofu are natural or manipulated. You see, even the air we inhale is chemical. Therefore, if you know the milk comes directly from farmers, is purified and cleaned in a dairy, and then sold, it is okay. The question comes from St. Peltin, Austria. I must say Austrian authorities are particularly strict regarding food production and nourishment, so you are safer there than elsewhere. Some countries are strict; others may not be. We now have what is called "pesticide milk." In India, they produce milk from fertilizer used in fields and make the best sweets, which require cooking milk until it becomes thick and then mixing in sugar. All those sweets are essentially chemical fertilizer, containing not one drop of cow, buffalo, or donkey milk. Thankfully, the Indian government took strict steps, and during this Diwali time, they seized hundreds of thousands of cubic tons of such artificially produced goods. When you go to India, you should not drink tea at railway stations. There is more shampoo inside; when they add milk, it creates a fume. Everything is chemical. Of course, the Indian government is very aware and doing great things. We have heard there were also problems with children's milk in China. I cannot speak for Czechoslovakia, but I can for Austria because I live there. In Austria, it is very good. So please drink cow milk, from Alpine cows. Thank you. You see, this question could have been written in a small letter, and now this space is empty. Or both questions could have been written on this single paper, which is now thrown away. Use it for other questions. Collect paper, reuse it, recycle it. The second question comes from Sweden. They always ask me such heavy questions. "Pranām, Swāmījī." At least from Sweden comes "Pranām." "I would like to ask you whether it is good to use frozen vegetables and how to store vegetables grown in our own garden for winter. Thank you. Agnimitra from Sweden." She is in Sweden at the moment; I do not know her origin. Yes, you live in cold Europe. You have four months of winter and eight months of cold. You can store vegetables in cool rooms. You can use frozen vegetables, though they cannot compare to fresh ones. But it is better to use them than not. When you use frozen vegetables, do not warm them up again, as this can harm your health. The same question arises in hot countries like Rajasthan, India. They often lack electricity, and temperatures exceed 50 degrees Celsius. How do they consume vegetables? They dry them in the sun or shade and use them. I can tell you that 70% of Rajasthan's population consumes dried vegetables. They taste very nice, like fresh ones. Of course, you cannot dry salad or certain vegetables, but many can be dried, retaining about 70% of their nutrition. That is my advice. In Europe, we often get dried apples. When you put one in your mouth, after two minutes, you get the exact apple taste; everything is there. So, fresh is best. Worse is to eat meat. Thank you. Děkuju. That was a practical instruction. Today you saw Haṭha Yoga techniques on the internet. Our biggest concern is health. Very few people do not care about their health; the rest of us do. The body is mortal, not immortal. The dharma of the body is to be born, grow, and die. It is gone. But without this body, we can do nothing. Though the body is not everything, everything is nothing without this body. There is no life without it. So, how can we nicely utilize our body for the purpose of our life? Why did God give us a human body? There are two kinds of people. One utilizes the body only for the material world. The second utilizes it for spirituality, for God's sake. There is a bhajan by Kabīr Dās Jī. He said the wealth of your health, the wealth of your youth—when you are very young, from 15 to 30 years—once you turn 31, you are listed among the old. Why? Because our nourishment makes us old. We are not eating original, real food. This makes it challenging to live until 60. Half of 60 is 30. Let's say a maximum of 70 or 80 years, with hospital visits. Half of 80 is 40. After 40, it is a decline, from the earth and back to the earth. Many people are proud of their youth—joven means young—with wild, jealous, angry horses. But Kabīr Dās said, "This wealth of your youth is a guest only for days, then it will be gone." You cannot stop it. "Dhan joban pāvana dinacāra" – only for a few days. "Garbhukāra hai mūrakha sansāra" – you are creating ego from it. O human, even your skin will not be useful when you die, but animal skin can make shoes and drums to sing bhajans. This life is like morning dew on the grass; very soon it will disappear. Our life is like this morning dew, that is all. No one can keep it, no one can hold it. Do not be proud of your life, your beauty, your health, your muscles and bodybuilding, or these buildings. One person utilizes the body for material things. Kabīr Dās said, "What a pity, this person did not understand human life." And the other? For spirituality, for divine achievement. Your spirituality cannot grow if your feelings constantly pull you down. Unless you have vairāgya (dispassion), you cannot develop. Therefore, keep your body healthy to do something good in this world and attain realization. Holī Gurujī said, "Manuṣya janama amūla kahiyā" – human life, human birth, is a very precious diamond. "Bāra bāra māyā pāya, phira nāhīṃ pāyā" – you will not get it again and again. Therefore, we must understand our body and the purpose of our being here. It is a chance. If you ignore this, you will consciously suffer for who knows how many millions of years. This chance is very small; utilize it. So what to do now? First, make today's saṅkalpa (resolve). No matter what happens, dedicate two hours daily to practicing your yoga in daily life. Unless you are in an operation theater as a patient, or on an airplane. Those who live at home have a golden chance for two hours. Make a one-year decision: continue every day for two hours. Compare your life today and after one year. You will feel younger, more flexible, more pleasant in the body. All your senses will become more active, your health will be very good, and your life will be prolonged. So why do we not do it? The biggest enemy of humans is laziness. That is our greatest enemy. When laziness is present, there are so many excuses. We are clever at excusing ourselves. We are so lazy we want the cherry to drop directly into our mouth, and when it comes, the juice should flow by itself. Then the destiny of coughing arrives, and the jaw is dislocated. So practice every day. It is not necessary how many postures or āsanas you do. Do them slowly and relaxed. That is what we call active and passive meditation. We must put theory into practice. That practice should become our active meditation, meaning you observe your movements very nicely. I will call two, three, or four yoga teachers here, anyone who knows how to perform āsanas. It does not matter if they are boys or women, young or old. Please come to the front. Do not hesitate. I will instruct you on active meditation now. You see, the boys are very scared, but the girls are brave. That is why women are overtaking in the world. The female population is increasing. Very soon, women will not find many men. But it does not matter. They will be happier not to be tortured by men. Can you imagine living in a world of women? To be a man in such a world would be something exclusive. So we have nothing against it; we give them priority. I need a few more demonstrators—three, four, five. Okay, very good. Now for balance, one girl and one boy go to this side. When they come here, okay? Up. Na horu. Prem Lātā, you can sit up so people can see them practicing. Yes. Can someone move Prem Lātā's chair down? Thank you. No, no, tady. Ano. Tak. Yes, here. Okay, good. Very good. And you come practice here. One. Okay. Face this side. Thank you. No, no, you are okay. Thank you. Do not look at each other. Okay? No smiling. You can come here; it does not matter. Okay, sit here. Very good. Very good. Now we will do what is called active meditation. What do I mean by active meditation? Here it is with exercise, but you can do the same with your work. Your work is your worship. Very good. I will ask Chidānand to come here. Go to that door and give all the juniors prasād. They can go to sleep. Thank you. Active meditation means the demonstrators should think. You should think, boys, as you demonstrate, that you are preparing yourself for exercise. Become aware of the space you are in—the atmosphere, the environment. Silent, noisy, cold, warm. But now tell yourself, "It does not matter how it is. I am happy to practice my yoga and daily life sādhanā." Now remember and think of your yoga uniform, your yoga dress. You are very happy because it is natural material. Your skin feels very pleasant. Feel your whole body and your breath. Think how important your body is. Thank God that your body is healthy. I know it is impossible to be healthy forever, but still I pray to God, as written in the Upaniṣad: "Lord, give me strength in my senses, in the limbs of my body." My organs, muscles, ligaments—that I can perform my yoga exercises. This is meditation for you. Lord, thank you for this life. Lord, I am happy that my body is your temple. For your presence, I should keep my body pure, healthy, and clean so that you feel proud to be a resident in my body. My soul is happy. Lord, you are in the form of my Ātmā. Let me feel that you are in me. Let me serve you within me. Let me feel your love. My every movement is your divine will. Now this exercise becomes a creative meditation for you—creative meaning with movements. Now, four demonstrators, choose any postures you like. Do them very slowly, as if in meditation. With open or closed eyes, do not imitate others. Just feel yourself and the prāṇa śakti in your body. Know that your body is an instrument—the instrument of God's love, the instrument of the divine light. I know it is the Divine who is acting in me. So perform your exercises slowly, gradually. Yoga in Daily Life has many exercises you can do while sitting, as you are now. So if you wish, you can also do this active meditation. Feel that you are alone. Yes, you are alone. There are so many bodies, but they are only bodies. I am ātmā, alone. So do some exercise in sitting postures as meditation. Some may do just prāṇāyāma. Some may do stretching, raising hands, or rotating shoulders. This means movement—active, creative meditation. Active meditation and passive meditation. Beautiful. It is beautiful. Now you may close your eyes. You must feel you are in a crowd of people but still peaceful. You do not mind the sounds or noises. Of course, if someone wants to stand up and do some standing exercises, you have the right to your half-square-meter place. Do not stretch your legs beyond half a square meter; you can do standing exercises there too. Standing on one leg is also beautiful. Standing on two legs is more comfortable, like sitting on a chair. Uttānāsana. I will ask questions afterward. Did you feel it was a meditative movement? Anyone can answer afterward. Very good, thank you. Now you can stop your exercise. That was only a glimpse, a demonstration. You see, no one fell down, no one screamed, no one was angry. It was a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere. If you have any commentary, please feel free to say how you felt. Who was it? Beautiful? Thank you. Someone else? Stand up, please. "It was a union of body and mind." It was a beautiful refreshment, relaxation—a feeling of beauty. When you say beautiful, it encompasses everything. The second person said it was a beautiful harmony, coordination of body and mind. It is very rare that we can feel mind and body together. Body and mind are like a cat and mouse. When the mouse comes out, the cat comes. When the cat comes, the mouse runs away. They cannot sit together and drink milk from the same cup. Someone more? Again. "Some people would like to experience a miracle, and I would like to suggest they practice something from Yoga in Daily Life every morning for a one-year period; then they can experience a miracle." Thank you. "It was a feeling of peace, joy, and happiness." Happiness... So it was a feeling of peace, joy, and happiness. Thank you. What is it? "Peace and relaxed." Peace and relaxed. Now it should remain forever. When you go to sleep, it should not disappear, you see. That is it. Next one: "Beautiful prayer." Okay, thank you very much. "Every morning I practice in this way, and I gain a lot of energy so that I can work very well." That is it. Well, Yoga in Daily Life is a psychosomatic movement; that is why it is called harmony for body, mind, and soul. That is why you all feel beautiful harmony within—calmness, relaxation—and that develops spirituality. So theory into practice: we change the theory. We do not only talk about dreams; we realize and show you dreams in reality. That is something wonderful. I wish you all the best for today. God bless you. Tomorrow the program begins according to the schedule. Tomorrow is Sunday, or what? Leave-taking? Finished at 9 o'clock? Okay, tomorrow at 9 o'clock will be the closing ceremony. There will be a lecture and some prasād to take with you. A few people would like to receive a mantra. How many are there? Stand up, please. One, two, three. Okay. Four and five, they should come around 8 o'clock to my hut. Thank you. All who want a mantra, thank you. To all dear brothers and sisters, I wish you a very nice, good night. To our friends around the world who are with us only through the webcast, I wish you all the best. Tomorrow will be a very beautiful exercise: how to practice Śaṅkha Prakṣālana. This is an exercise instead of Basti in Haṭha Yoga. Basti is the cleaning of the abdomen. It cleanses our intestines and is a beautiful exercise. It should be done four times a year, every three months. It is one of the best things for our health. But first you must practice with an experienced yoga teacher. Our Yoga in Daily Life teachers are well trained, and our dear Umāpurī will show you the Śaṅkha Prakṣālana technique and Jaladhauti tomorrow. Today was Neti, Kapālabhāti, Nauli, and Trāṭak. Tomorrow will be Śaṅkha Prakṣālana, Basti, and Dhauti. So we have all six, no? Haṭha Yoga has six kriyās called Ṣaṭ Karma. Āyurveda has adopted these Haṭha Yoga kriyās; they are called Pañca Karma because they left out Trāṭak. Of course, they are slightly modified. It is better to have six techniques than one less, only five. Everyone can do them. I tell you, Āyurveda was designed for everyone, especially for people without money. Yet nowadays, Āyurveda has become the most expensive treatment. Again, a few people with cleverness commercialize it, and that is not real Āyurveda. But what to do? Like yoga: many people attend a five- or ten-day seminar and return with a yoga teacher certificate. The blind lead the blind. So Haṭha Yoga and kriyās are very important for people's health. If you want to see, you can replay it on the internet. I do not know if we can see it here on the screen in the morning. Yes? What time is the Kriyā? 8 o'clock. 8 to 8:30, half an hour, no? Yeah. So we will play the screen here. You can see Umāpurī here. That is it. Tomorrow evening, there will be a lecture in one of the beautiful halls in Prague at 7 o'clock, called "Path to Liberation" or "Path of Freedom." You can watch the webcast at home, or if you have time, come there. Those leaving tonight, I wish you a good journey. Those leaving early tomorrow morning, I wish you all the best, and God bless you. That is it, okay? Thank you. Deep Nayan Bhagwan Kī.

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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