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We should strive for a long life. Our body, too, has its dharma; it has three dharmas: to be born, to grow, and to die—that is all. In the time between, if we are clever enough, we shall utilize it well. In yoga, there is advice on what is important for a yogī. The first principles are āchar, vichār, āhar, and vihār. Āchar means conduct: your attitude, how you are living, and what you are doing. It is whether you follow ethical principles and the laws of nature, and how you behave with others. It encompasses your daily actions and habits. In our deeds, we should be good and positive. Then comes vichār, which means thoughts. Your life will be of the kind that your thinking is. You become what you think. You speak what you think, and events will unfold as you speak. Vichār is very, very important—our vṛttis. Thinking can make you happy, and thinking can make you unhappy. Like other creatures, the human psyche is very easy to influence. Just as with animals, the human psyche can also be very easily influenced. However, the more you learn and the more your intellect develops, the more flexible your mind becomes and the more easily it is influenced. In fact, the more you learn, the weaker your mind may become, because when someone speaks to you, you do not merely listen. Simultaneously, you begin making arguments in your mind, searching for causes and reasons, asking why they are saying this to you. Loss and gain, happiness and unhappiness—all of that is experienced through the mind. Therefore, it is a manomāyā jagat; the whole world is created out of the mind. How you think—whether you think of someone negatively or positively—will influence your mind. You are what you think, and your present condition reflects that. Āhar means eating: light eating, less eating, eating healthy food, eating sāttvic food. This means vegetarian food, which you will have here. A yogī should maintain this for their whole life. Vihār means your environment: where you are living, where you are moving, and the atmosphere you are in. This, too, influences our life. These are the first steps to begin with yoga: āchar, vichār, āhar, and vihār. Then comes concentration, meditation, prayers, and so on. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar