All We Need is Yoga.

The meaning of Yoga is the deliverance from contact with pain and sorrow. One becomes in communion with God through the practice of Yoga.
We must strive to not be affected by our successes or failures. The goal is to exercise restraint of mental modifications and the fluctuations of consciousness.
Many Guru’s have spoken of the eight limbs or stages of Yoga. They are (1) moral commandments; (2) self-purification through discipline; (3) posture; (4) rhythmic control of breath; (5) emancipation of the mind from its domination by the senses and exterior objects; (6) meditation; (7)concentration; and (8) a state of superconsciousness.
As a breeze ruffles the surface of a lake and distorts the images reflected therein, so do the senses and exterior objects distort the peace of the mind. The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it as long as the water remains still and calm. When the mind is still the true beauty of the universe can only be seen.
Constant flowing practice is the only way. Just as a mountain streams constant flow keeps the stream pure, water in a ditch stagnates and nothing good can flourish in it.
Distractions and obstacles can be overcome through friendliness to all living things, compassion, delight, and disregard. Friendliness means feeling a true oneness with all living things. Turning enemies into friends and truly bearing malice towards none. Compassion towards all living things means using all of your resources — physical, economic, mental, or moral — to alleviate the pain and suffering of others.
Delight at the good work done by others, even your rivals, saves oneself from anger, hatred, and jealousy. A true student of Yoga understands the faults of others by first observing them in themselves.
Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance, and humility generates power. Courage without love is brutish. Abundance without moderation leads to overindulgence and decay. Power without humility breeds arrogance.
The one truth that cannot be circumvented is that a vegetarian diet is a must for Yoga. One cannot have compassion for all living things right to exist and simultaneously enjoy the benefits of the death of those living things. A yogi must believe — and live — the mantra that every creature has as much right to live as he/she does. Man is the only creature that eats when not hungry and generally live to eat rather than eat to live.
The poses of Yoga are that of a variety of animals for a specific reason. By placing one's body into the positions of animals a yogi’s mind is trained not to despise any creature, for it is realized that from the lowliest insect to the most perfect being, the breath of the universe runs through everything and, therefore, there is no difference in the form that it takes.
Another truth is that he who has learned to control his tongue will have attained self-control in a great measure. When such a person speaks they will be heard with respect and attention. These words will be remembered because they will be good and true.
A yogi reduces his physical needs to the minimum. Gathering things that one does not really need is acting like a thief and depriving others of the very things they are seeking. Just as one should not take things one does not really need, one should not hoard things one does not require immediately.
Yoga is not a religion. It is essential to study all divine literature and realize that there is a beginning to knowledge but not an end. By studying all divine literature a yogi puts an end to ignorance and enables one to appreciate his own faith better.
Our minds create bondage and only through it can we find liberation. Our mind brings bondage when it is bound to objects of desire. It brings liberation when it releases those desires.
The mind becomes pure when all desires and fears are annihilated. A yogi knows when to stop and this brings peace. This is why the yogi concentrates upon AUM (OM). The letter ‘A’ symbolises the conscious or waking state, the letter ‘U’ the dream state, and ‘M’ the dreamless sleep state of the mind and spirit. Together the letters symbolise the absence of desire, fear and anger while the whole symbol stands for the perfect being.
All of the above is taken from the first fifty (50) pages of Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar. I have found these fifty pages to be some of the best ever written. Hope you enjoy.
Namaste!
