Life Of A Yogi

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Yoga means union
Union of soul-mind-body
Body that forever ails
Ails of endless travails
Mind that wanders
Wanders without control
Control these two
Be a yogi!!

A yogi at heart
Heart that is detached
Detached from the world
World that’s an illusion
Illusions we chase
Chasers get no peace
Peace always evades
Be a yogi!!

Yogi with peace of mind
Mind that’s finally sure
Sure of what it wants
Wants inner happiness
Happiness it gets
Gets and then spreads
Spreads to all mates
Be a yogi!!

© 2016 Alka Girdhar

A yogi, in the above sense, is a detached renunciate, someone with a blissful state of mind that is unaffected by good or bad. He’s everyone’s friend and companion, and yet not attached to anyone.

Hence yogi is not just someone who does rigorous yoga exercises the whole day long, although that has its benefits too. After all, a healthy body and healthy mind go together, while meditation too calms the mind.

These were my random thoughts as today is International Yoga Day!  In Sydney there was Yoga atop Sydney Harbour Bridge.
I personally do no yoga exercise ever though I aspire to learn…maybe one day..

11 thoughts on “Life Of A Yogi”

  2. It is fine if you are unable to get into those difficult postures that are part of hatha-yoga. It is enough if you become a yogi as exhorted in your poem, attaining eventual union of one’s inner consciousness with universal consciousness. My international yoga day wishes to you, Alka…

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    • Wishes to you too, Raj! I’m trying to know more about types of yoga – ashtang yoga, hatha yoga and all. Ironically, I’ve always done plenty of meditation and gained from it, without knowing what kind of yoga it was. I felt very intuitive and that’s when I realized that unconsciously I was cleansing my chakras. I suppose I’ll be ok with simple postures as well but one needs patience to learn.

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  3. I am not a very big fan of yoga or yogis…two entirely different entities… yet I loved the way you have used them together to weave the magic of poetry. The way you have lifted each last word of the verse to create that charming effect of words playing with each other is indeed musical 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

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    • Thanks Balroop! True. People who do yoga may or may not end up being a yogi. Likewise, it’s not compulsory for yogis to do yoga though it may help their purpose. I too am not a fan as such, but I’m aware in order to be so I’d need to know it well but where’s the time and patience for that.
      Generally speaking…historically we happily embraced and even took pride in emulating everything foreign that landed on our ancestral land while overlooking what grew inside, till some outsiders started valuing them. In Sydney I come across non-Indians with huge knowledge of yoga, so that way, minimum I can do is respect and value our ancient heritage, as that is what we all inherited, irrespective of our religious faiths (that are often different even within a single family, at least in mine)

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  4. I think being a yogi is essentially a state of mind (or, better yet, a mindset). If we are able to do yoga exercises as well, so much the better. I’m working on the mental part, and using conventional exercise to achieve an acceptable balance. Nice post! 🙂

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    • That’s true! A yogi’s detached thinking has to be a mindset. I suppose particular yoga postures may benefit in case of specific ailments, otherwise conventional exercises should work as well as yoga. Thanks for appreciating!

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