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Cato
Germany
225 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 20 2020 : 06:45:12 AM
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| What is the best thing you can do to improve spiritually when you are not in your sitting practices, but in your daily life? I mean if you really want to make some progress. To serve others? Try to live the yamas and niyamas? Something different? |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2020 : 07:44:17 AM
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Hi Cato,
Great question!
Do your daily sadhana (spiritual practices). Make this a daily habit like taking a shower. This will take care for your spiritual growth in daily life. Serving others will help open the heartcentre.....smile to passengers, look at them, see them as you are. Have a little conversation with someone who is serving you in the supermarket for instance. Have patience, and for instance read every day one or two lessons of Yogani, absorb his wisdom or the wisdom of another wise teacher.
More:
Eat healthy
Have relationships with people from who you can learn
Do your daily duties with friendliness to yourself and others
Love more
Speak from the heart
Know when to be still
Just some ideas that popped up 
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2020 : 08:45:42 AM
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Hello Cato
Stop trying to control and fix yourself,others and circumstances
Dont identify with your thoughts and emotions
Move/act as per the moment needs
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Cato
Germany
225 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 04:30:28 AM
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| Thanks to you both for your suggestions. I appreciate those as general guidelines and principles to a good life. What I wondered was whether there is something that is favored within the AYP-approach that can be done when you're not in your sitting practices (I have in mind the booklet bhakti & karma yoga for example). |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4364 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 05:48:01 AM
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Hi Cato,
The advice given for people who are starting out with AYP practice, is to do the practices as described during the twice daily practice sessions, and then go out and live life fully. This is to ensure that people remain grounded and stable, as they are beginning to used advanced level yogic practices.
Having said that, there are certain AYP practices that can be done both on the mat, during regular sitting practice sessions, and during the day as well. We would not start to use these outside of practice times, until we have taken them on in our sitting practice sessions first, and become stable with them.
One of these is Siddhasana. When we take this practice on at first, we would only be using it during sitting practices, but eventually it can become our normal way to sit during the day. Even if we are working at a desk, we can have one foot tucked underneath us, on the chair or stool. Another practice that can be used during the day is kechari mudra. Again, we would normally begin using this only during sitting practices, but as we become used to it, it can be used at other times during the day.
Samyama is another practice that can be used outside of regular sitting practices. It can be used as "prayer" at times during the day, with a short period of meditation preceding it if necessary. Eventually samyama expands to become our natural way of functioning in the world 24/7. Cosmic samyama can also be used both during, or outside of sitting practices.
Self-inquiry (jnana yoga) is used only outside of sitting practices and can be taken on when sufficient inner silence is present. Then there are the shatkarmas, which can be done at any time of the day, and practices such as service to others (karma yoga) and any bhakti (devotional) practices we may have. And yes, it is certainly useful to study the yamas and niyamas and to integrate those into the way we live.
So, eventually, the life of a yogi becomes quite full!  In fact it becomes so full, that at some stage there is not a moment of the day when we are not engaged in spiritual practice of some kind or another, or several at once. But of course, it is wise to build up to this state very gradually, following the lessons for guidance on when to take on new practices, on or off the mat. If we find ourselves becoming ungrounded, that would be a sign that we are taking on too much, too fast, and would be an indication to cut back on what we are doing.
Christi
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Cato
Germany
225 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 11:56:19 AM
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Christi, I guess you know that indeed I am still figuring out a sustainable and stable practice. You give plenty of advice, thanks for that! When I think about it, particularly interesting for me are those aspects that play a role when interacting with other people. I guess that's why I put service to others and the yamas and niyamas in my initial question. And that is indeed what AYP recommends as well. However, the yamas and niyamas play a minor role as those are seen as coming automatically over time. I regularly catch myself being overly strict to my growing kids (not necessarily due to an overload). I regret that immediately and often wonder what I could improve in the future. That conduct based on the yamas and niyamas comes over time is a fine thing. But it does not help me today. I guess what I could do is try make a change in my mindset. That would mean, in a first step, to try to keep yamas and niyamas in mind and try to hold them dearly . Not automatically, but intentionally. That might be a "castle in the air" in the beginning but it might turn out in the long run. Same with service to others. Having said that, I hate to admit that my service to others could really improve. Sometimes I have the impression that my obligations (sitting practice twice daily; time for asanas; diet as well,...) come at the expense of my family.
So in short, I was asking for some AYP-related guideline for daily living. I guess yamas/niyamas and karma yoga are the answer. Actually it is quite similar to what maheswari and Charliedog recommended (Love more, Speak from the heart...). |
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maheswari
Lebanon
2516 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 3:49:58 PM
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Hello Cato
Are you intrested in karma yoga?
I am just mentioning this, no pressure whatsover, you need to choose what suits you and your family time and avoid overload
In case you are interested ayp material can be translated into German
Unless it is already done by someone else
Again that is just an idea |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4364 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2020 : 7:02:11 PM
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Hi Maheswari,
The lessons and AYP books have been translated into German already. The lessons are available on this website and the books are available here. The German translation work is almost complete.
Christi |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2020 : 03:54:30 AM
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Dear Cato,
Do not be to harsh on yourself...inner silence will guide you, but it takes time...you can practice to be truthful during the day. To yourself and to others around you. For instance if you catch yourself being overly strict to your children, speak it out to them. Apoligize for your behavior. Talk to them from your heart, meaning be trustworthy.
To others, listen, do not be in a hurry to answer, feel how their words come in, what happens in you if you listen? Is there a need to give your opinion, do you feel a pressure to speak up your words? Or can you easily listen with patience and let silence, interest and friendliness be a companion in your conversations with others? Observe and have patience with yourself. Do not forget that you are practicing, step by step 
During the day give yourself some breathing spaces, for instance set your timer every three hours if you easily forget it, take one or two minutes to observe your breath or to take some deep breaths.
Have regularly walks in nature and take your children with you, observe nature, look at trees, see the differences between their barks for instance. Look at the clouds. Feel and see how you are a little part of the whole. You are the example your children have, be their teacher, show them the beauty of life and love, be there to listen to them if they need you.
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kumar ul islam
United Kingdom
791 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2020 : 3:17:22 PM
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| read the bhagavad gita |
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bsash
India
4 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2020 : 12:34:07 AM
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Nowadays I chant a lot. I sometimes keep the chant up throughout the day. Half the time I will be working and the chant keeps going on in the background. It helps keep me calm and relaxed. It's also easy to practice as part of the daily life.
I have noticed that when I am too lost in thought the chant pulls me back to clarity. |
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In addition to sitting practices
