Who is a yogi and what is a yogi’s way of life?

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Q: Who is a yogi and what is a yogi’s way of life?

Guruji: A yogi is a child. A yogi is becoming a baby again and again. If you look at a baby, from about 3 months to 3 years he does almost all the asanas. It can even teach you pranayama. You don’t need a yoga teacher if you observe a baby. Similarly, all animals also do some asanas.

A yogi is one who is connected with the infinity; connected with everybody. He doesn’t feel isolated with anyone, at anytime. Yogi is one who is skillful, one who is flexible. Some people have a very flexible body, but their minds are very rigid. A rigid person is not very palatable. He cannot communicate properly and is not open to new ideas.

A yogi is one who is not rigid but at the same time who is not very mushy or wishy-washy; he is very straight forward. He has strength, yet is soft. He has a childlike innocence, yet depth in wisdom. He is childlike, not childish. He has a childlike simplicity, yet is wise. A yogi is sensible and sensitive.

Often people who think they are very sensible are not very sensitive, and people who are very sensitive are not sensible at all! A yogi is a perfect combination of sensibility and sensitivity.

Yogi is one who is loving, yet very centered. Often people who fall in love lose their centeredness, and people who are very centered, they don’t seem to be radiating love. A yogi is the perfect combination of head and heart; being centered and at the same time being very loving.

You can assign all ideal characteristics to a yogi because a yogi is one who is connected to the self, connected to the universe, connected to everybody; because everybody is connected.

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Q: Is meditation a part of yoga?

Guruji: Meditation is definitely a part of yoga. Yoga has to be meditative, else it will just become an exercise, gymnastics.

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The purpose of yoga is to put a smile on our face in spite of all the stress and tensions, or situations that we are put through in our day-to-day life.

Om Namah Shivay