Detach Attach A Practical Guide For A Successful Yogic Life

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Preface India, otherwise known as Bharata, has been the land of yoga and yogis since time immemorial. The most beautiful gift the country has given humanity is indeed yoga. Yoga is the quickest path of spiritual evolution, one that proffers all-round integrated development and transforms the heart, head, and hands into loving and compassionate tools of service for the benefit of all creation. But yoga does even more than that: it can give us a taste of constant internal freedom. The teachings of India are all-inclusive. They show everyone irrespective of faith, gender, or age- how to live a yogic life of beauty, peace, love, and joy.

A tenet of Indian culture is that we must never lose hope, and indeed, every yogi is a person of hope. People who suffer from a lack of faith on the journey of life lose their hope, and ultimately, their strength. By doing so, they damn themselves and demean their human birth. We would do well to live with inspiration and encouragement (utsaha), courage (sahasa), and strength. We also need earnestness, interest, and faith (shraddha). These qualities show us the path to progress and help us achieve success and glory in every undertaking. With the torch of hope, we can attempt the journey of life with interest and enthusiasm.

We human beings are inseparable from all other forms of life, including plants and animals, with which we have eating, breathing, sleeping, experiencing fear, and procreating in common. But unlike other species, humans have the unique ability to evolve or devolve, to become divine or devils. Our attitude, our lifestyle, and how to use our time and talents are our choices. By leading a yogic life, we are like instruments in the hands of the Divine. When we live with love and compassion for the benefit of all, we will easily evolve.

As good human beings, we live with dignity, honor, and humility; our duties and responsibilities start with ourselves and our family and extend to society and the rest of creation. With love and attentiveness, we are to learn from everyone and everything, whether human or nonhuman. Doing so helps us open our hearts and minds, and keeps our hands and feet ready to act and move with meaning and purpose. The path of yoga is not about escapism; it is about love and service.

What should we do and avoid in order to progress on the path of yoga? This question was the focus of two retreats I gave in Australia and New Zealand some years ago, and the essence of those talks has now been made into this practical handbook. The answer to this question lies in the ancient wisdom of the classical yogis, wisdom that transcends time and place- it is eternal and useful even in our present modern age. When we study their teachings, only one thing is necessary to enjoy their beauty and bounties. we must follow them with an open heart and clear mind. It is also important to understand that yoga is neither a set of body gymnastics nor a practice in which one sits in seclusion with their eyes closed and mouth shut, hiding away from the hustle and bustle of modern-day life. Instead, living with love and understanding is the essence of a practical spiritual or yogic life.

Whatever is discussed in this book is naught but the wisdom of the yogis applied to the twenty-first century. All glory and greatness go to those ancient saints and sages for their infinite love of humanity. I am humbled by their lives and ageless instruction; they have been a great source of inspiration and encouragement for me. I am also grateful to my parents and my great teacher, as well as my students for their love and kindness. Last but not least, I am thankful for all those devoted students who have been involved in this work, it is an outcome made possible through their great combined efforts.

The modern world we live in provides us with a great deal of opportunities. Let us live with selfless love and compassion to make it beautiful. Let our lifestyles be simple and conducive to nature and all living beings. May we be true examples and motivate others with our love and humility, not with instructions and commandments. Again, I offer my love, gratitude, and thanks to all who have been helpful in propagating this ancient wisdom. for the betterment of creation. Let us live for others and pray for the wellbeing of all.

Introduction As conscionable people, we should understand our lives and our responsibilities. We should also learn how to fulfill our obligations and duties and proceed confidently on the path of evolution in love and peace. Yoga is a path that brings quick evolution in all human and divine qualities, and that is why it is a universal way to all-round development. Yoga also teaches us how to love honorably, genuinely regarding all living beings and respecting their intrinsic right to live. In this book we will discuss how we can incorporate this and other aspects of yoga into our daily lives.

Our Breath

Let us think for a moment. Is breath not the most valuable aspect of life? If it stops, everything in us also comes to an end. The next obvious question is whether we take proper care of it. Are we aware of our beautiful breath as we go about our busy day? If we wish to remain aware and alert, we must remember each and every breath. An intelligent person, a seeker, a sadhaka, or an aspirant is someone who never forgets a single breath and uses it in a grateful, loving way. How can we do that? When talking, we can watch our inhalations and exhalations between words. When silent and even while reading this book, we can observe the natural flow of our breath even more.

Silence in Life

Silence is the most beautiful aspect of daily life and we must learn to spend time in this state every day. A few hours after retiring for the night, we eventually and unconsciously arrive at the deep sleep stage, one of complete silence in which we rejuvenate and manifest more energy and peace. This experience is nothing like the wakeful or even the dreaming states, because dreams also have an impact on us when we are not sleeping. If our dreams are nice, we feel good. If they are unpleasant, we feel agitated or restless. When we make a conscious effort or have an opportunity to be quiet during the wakeful state of our daily lives, we experience the benefit of silence even more. We can do this through the practice of yoga, or in other words, meditation, the art of purposefully silencing the mind so that we are able to enjoy more beauty and love both within and outside of ourselves. Although we have an innate yearning for the state of silence and solitude, part of us wants to be known and also wants to know others.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga is a dynamic approach to life. Although the simple meaning of the word is "union," the Bhagavad Gita (6:23) defines it beautifully as viyogam yoga sanjnitam, which means "yoga is disunion or separation." This may sound like a contradiction, but with a simple example, we can explain it. If we want to clean our body, we must not get in the shower with a raincoat and shower cap. To "unite" with the water, we have to take off the clothes that separate us from it. Thus, before we can fully begin to understand the "union" of yoga, we must first understand what we need to detach ourselves from.

**Contents and Sample**