YOGA AS A LIFESTYLE: how to achieve?

Nowadays yoga practice became very popular all around the world, but very few people follow authentic morals and principles on which yogic practice is based. The basis of Yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which explain 10 main yogic principles. These principles must be followed first to continue with the other yogic practices such as physical practice of yogic asanas, breathing practices, concentration and meditation. Do you know what those principles are?

Yoga is not just about cool asanas that our physical body can do, yoga is a lifestyle that one can follow. These are 10 main principles of yogic lifestyle:

1. Non-violence (ahimsa) 2. Truthfulness (satya) 3. Righteousness (asteya) 4. Wisdom (brahmacharia) 5. Simplicity (aparigraha) 6. Worship of the spiritual goal (ishvara-pranidhana) 7. Sacrifice the ego (shaucha) 8. Self-discipline (tapas) 9. Reading/studying (svadhyaya) 10. Contentment (santosha)

By following these morals and principles one can prepare for further yoga practice of asanas, breathing techniques and meditation. These Yogic Principles are the core of all levels and aspects for a balanced life of a human being.

So how can we integrate ancient practice of yoga into modern world?

Start with following the universal principles that we walked about above. Once you make a real commitment to those 10 principles, you will see how your mindset and your lifestyle are transforming to a new level. Then you can smoothly integrate other yogic practices such as asana, breathing practices, meditation in a comfortable way for you and your schedule. Be mindful while choosing a yoga teacher for yourself. Make sure you feel real authentic connection of the teacher to Yoga and to yourself.