Live before you die, so that death is also a lively celebration.
B.K.S. IyengarRead
The Yogi conquers the body by the practice of asanas, making the body a fit vehicle for the spirit. The Yogi knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit, for a soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of physical practice in achieving spiritual well-being.
B.K.S. Iyengar articulates that through the discipline of asanas (yogic postures), one can strengthen the body, which serves as a crucial vehicle for the spirit. He suggests that to neglect the body is to hinder the soul's potential, likening a soul without a body to a bird unable to soar, highlighting the interconnection between physical and spiritual health.
In practice
In a yoga class to emphasize the importance of physical practice.
Live before you die, so that death is also a lively celebration.
Hard work and humility are essential for spiritual sadhana.
Asana done from the brain makes one heavy and done from the heart makes one light.
The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.
Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun.
Before peace between the nations, we have to find peace inside that small nation which is our own being.
But what is quackery? It is commonly an attempt to cure the diseases of a man by addressing his body alone. There is need of a physician who shall minister to both soul and body at once, that is, to man. Now he falls between two stools.
Daily, I examine myself in three areas. Have I done my best when doing things for others? Have I been trustworthy in my dealings with my friends? Have I revised the lessons I have been taught?
I stood checked for a moment - awe, not fear, fell upon me - and whist I stood, a solemn wind began to blow, the most mournful that ever ear heard. Mournful! That is saying nothing. It was a wind that had swept the fields of mortality for a hundred centuries.
I don't presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.
If people become accustomed to lying, they will unconsciously commit every possible wrong deed. Before they can act wickedly, they must lie and once they begin to lie they will act wickedly without concern.
If you do not specify and confront real issues, what you say will surely obscure them. If you do not embody controversy, what you say will be an acceptance of the drift to the coming human hell.
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