Body & Mind :

Three factors seem to be before us when we take a step in the practice of yoga. Now we are going carefully into the inner circle of yoga from the outer arrangements, about which we discussed enough. Yoga exercises actually commence yoga proper. Asana is the beginning of real yoga. When you do the asanas, three factors must be taken into consideration: your thought, your body, and the pranas.



Suppose your mind is intensely disturbed or agitated for some reason or other, and you are in a state of torn emotion. That is not the time to do physical exercise. You should not say yoga will make you all right. In that condition of the mind, asana cannot make you all right. It will even make you worse, sometimes. The mind has to be perfectly in agreement with the body; only then the body can cooperate in the practice of these exercises. If your mind says, "I do not want it," you will feel ache all over. It will not do you any good.


Continues...