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I have heard the definition of yoga many times. Yoga means balance. The entire universe is balanced by one principle, and that is yoga. It is the uniting principle between space and consciousness, like cement between two bricks. When there is no balance, one side suffers. Therefore, it is also—in German, perhaps in your language or in English—like when two oxen are carrying a chariot. The chariot is bound and tied with a piece of wood in the front. They tie the ropes to the yokes with a long rope, which they place on the neck of each ox. That piece of wood is at the height of the knees of both oxen, and that means balance. If one ox runs too quickly, the other suffers, but this yoke balances both of them. This is also named yoga. So, yoga comes from yuj, meaning the balancing principle. All visible and invisible elements in the entire universe are in perfect balance. This is not only for humans but for all planets, stars, elements, and for our planet too. When there is balance, there is no suffering. Out of balance, harmony is produced. If there is no balance, there is no harmony. For humans, this balance means the same understanding. For people, this equality means understanding, not misunderstanding—the same opinion. When there is the same opinion, there is no fighting; there is harmony. When the intellect comes between, then the balance suffers. Therefore, intellect is one-sided. As one philosopher said, a ton of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice. Harmony comes through the practice and understanding of balance. And when there is harmony, there is unity. There are no different opinions; there are no wars. Therefore, literally, yoga means union. Where there is unity, there is power. Where there is duality, there is no power. For example, we have the United Nations (UNO). What does that mean? It is a union of all nations, and that has power. This word 'union' comes from yoga. The word unity is yoga. Thus, yoga means, first of all, balance—balancing the entire universe. Secondly, harmony—harmony in the entire universe. And thirdly, union—the unity of the whole universe. This same principle also applies to the tree of our being. Therefore, our body, mind, emotion, and intellect—everything should perfectly be balanced, harmonized, and united, meaning functioning properly together. Our consciousness, mind, and emotions should be in perfect harmony with each other. According to this definition, yoga is not a subject of particular realism. Yoga is in every atom. It is like God consciousness, but more than that, because yoga is a uniting power. What does it mean for us to practice yoga? There are two or three aims. First, he who understands this definition of yoga, which I have just explained, will practice yoga for spiritual realization or achievement. Those who understand this definition will practice yoga to realize themselves spiritually. For this, you must go through the guidance of a guru who has this balance, who has these achievements. This is the prime aim of practicing yoga. Second, to achieve or realize some siddhis or miracles—through some rituals, tantra, and other things. For that, you need very strong mental power and discipline. Without discipline, you can try your whole life and get nothing. There was a man who wanted to become a great yogī. He went to the forest, made a small hut, lived on vegetables and grains, meditated, and practiced different tantric kriyās, praying day and night to get some power. One day, while meditating, he began to levitate. He was levitating only 5 cm and felt dizzy. Can you imagine levitating and not knowing when you will fall? He thought, "Now I am the greatest one. I have siddhis. I will go and teach the people and show them that I am a siddha." What happened? The ego came. The biggest enemy of your spiritual path is your ego and māyā—temptation. Money, men, and women are a little māyā; it's nothing. But the biggest māyā is when you get siddhis; then you become blind. He decided to go to civilization to tell them he was a great saint. He put his mālā away and said, "I don't need anything," sitting and thinking, "Oh, how big I am." Before, he was running from one master to another to collect techniques, mantras, and kriyās. At the end, this person will have nothing. While he was sitting under a tree thinking how great he was, a bird made something nice for him on his head. He became angry, looked at the bird, and said, "Stupid bird, do you know who I am? I will kill you through my siddhi." The bird fell down and died. Now his ego became stronger. He said, "I am now the Siddha. I can even kill someone through my thinking." He went to the village, which took three or four weeks to reach at that time. He came to a village in the morning, around 10 or 11 o'clock. He went to a house to ask for food. The lady of the house said, "Yogī, please wait a while. I am just giving food to my husband. After that, I will take care of you." He said, "Do you know who I am? You let me wait? If you are a well-wisher of yourself and your husband, then don't let me wait." That lady smiled and said, "Yes, I know who you are. But you should know that I am not that bird which you can kill." His ego fell down like a mouse falling into cold water. He asked, "How do you know this? I didn't see you there. How do you have this divine vision? What did you practice?" She smiled and said, "Yes, I practiced yoga, and then life. Go back to the forest, practice for 24 years, and pray to God for forgiveness for your ignorance." So, this is the second part: many people practice for achieving some siddhis. You can get siddhis, but you must live accordingly, and we often lack that discipline. The third point for practicing yoga is to maintain good health—harmony for body, mind, and soul—so that you will lead a healthy way of life and have a happy, healthy life. But to lead a healthy life, not only exercises and breath techniques are needed; we also have to take care of our diet—what we eat, what we drink, where we live, and so on. There should be no competition and no challenges. Practice your yoga exercises, prāṇāyāma, relaxation, mantra, and meditation systematically. Try to get the real information about yoga; don't create your own stories. It is a lifelong commitment because you would like to be healthy and happy lifelong. If you stop, you will be back to nowhere. Some people fast for ten days to lose kilos, but after fasting, they gain all the kilos lost in ten days back in just two days. So why did you suffer for ten days? It is said the body will regulate itself. If you keep strict dietary principles—eat as much as you can, but only at meal times, and in between eat nothing except pure water—then you will see your body automatically balance again. But how many things do we eat, bite, and drink between our two meals? We disturb the biorhythm of our body. So, eating also needs big discipline. Now you should know which part of yoga you want to practice: just for good health, for siddhis and perfections, or for the unity where your self merges into the cosmic Self. The decision is in your hands, and you have responsibility for your life. Therefore, you personally have to take care of your body, mind, intellect, and so on. If someone is ill and goes to a doctor, the doctor gives some medicine. But it is you who must take the discipline and take the medicine at the right times. If you do not take the medicine and then say the doctor didn't help you, that is not the mistake of the doctor. Similarly, when you come to the Master, he gives you only some advice and exercises. But if you do not practice discipline faithfully, you will not realize anything. Where to stop the time? It's your life. It is for you, and you have to look after it. All these relations—husband and wife, parents and children, your properties and friends—will only be with you as long as you are living; after that, it's finished. That is why when you are ill, you go to a doctor: because you don't want to die, you don't want to suffer, you want to live happily—meaning healthy—and you want to live long. When you decide to do something, then do it faithfully. There are people who do not understand spirituality. They do not understand bhakti yoga. They only want to do it intellectually. That is nothing—only to know why I practice nīti, which side first, left side, what was this and what was that, what does this mean? There was a disciple who got a kriyā from me. After two years, he asked again, "Can I have a new kriyā?" I said, "Next summer." Again, he asked for one kriyā more. Now I don't even know where he is. He went to collect some kriyās from somewhere else. A disciple has to be faithful; it's a lifelong journey. Then you will get something—not all, but over many, many lives. To get gold or diamonds, you have to dig through many things. So, decide, please, for what you are practicing. Do not create fantasies. Do not try to levitate. The higher you go, the more dangerous it becomes. The higher you fall from, the more it hurts. Try to lead a humble life without ego, without jealousy, without competition. It is that kind of ego which destroys humanity.