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  • Recorded on: 23 Jun 2007
  • Language: English, Czech/Slovak
  • Length: 0h 04m

Use It or Lose It

The day is gone and will not return, so you must use it well or lose it.

One day passes and is lost forever. I met a 102-year-old woman in an old age home who remains conscious and mobile, attributing her vitality to yoga practice. In Belgrade, a yoga teacher over 90 stays flexible and healthy through yoga, unlike many former athletes who stiffen with age. Her master's teaching was clear: you must use it or lose it. This day is finished. Reflect on how you used it. What was your mental state during meditation and selfless service? Did you avoid your duties? Consider your mindfulness while eating and your study of sacred texts. How many chapters did you read or contemplate? Therefore, utilize each day fully.

"You have either to use it or lose it."

"How did you use this day? What did you think during meditation?"

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Well, there is news which is not so good. How did it happen that we had such a beautiful constellation, such a beautiful day, and yet something happened which is not good? That is, one day is gone. This day will not come back, whether you utilized it or not. During my world tour in New York, I visited an old age home. There was one lady there, 102 years old, and I gave a lecture. We asked her how she became 102 years old. "Because I practice yoga," she told everybody. "Because I practice even now, yoga." She is conscious, aware, has good memory, and is moving. In Belgrade, there is a well-known yoga teacher who was a ballet dancer. She wrote a nice book, and I think she is above 90 years old. She still likes making aerobic exercises, running, dancing, and is very flexible, very fresh, very healthy. She says it is because of her yoga. Otherwise, many other dancers and sportsmen, after 50 or 60 years, become very stiff. That lady told me, "Swāmījī, my master said, 'You have either to use it or lose it.'" He told her that you have yoga; use it or lose it. So this day is gone. How did you use this day? What did you think during meditation? What did you think during karma yoga? Did you run away from doing karma yoga? Yes, bam. And what did you think during eating? How was your day? What did you bring out? Svādhyāya—which chapter did you open today? How many chapters did you go through? And how many chapters did you close? That's it. Therefore, utilize these days.

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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