By Manjari Bhatt

In any social, cultural or spiritual functions, I'm introduced to others as a Yoga Teacher / Therapist, the first sentence in conversation starts from the opposite person with Oh! I also know yoga ! I just look at that person without any expression or great response, the next sentence would come, I mean I also do yoga. I still just node my head so next sentence would come, I mean, I go to certain place to practice yoga. Again I would look without any reply, person will continue, You know, I've learnt from so n so teacher, video or studio. I just keep silence, so further next sentence would come, you know life is very hectic and busy and I don't get time but I try my level best to practice at least once a week. My work is such that I travel a lot so sometimes I don't get time, my routine gets disturb so I can't practice for few weeks in a row n I really miss my yoga practice! The excuses are thousand for not practicing yoga regularly by each and every person. Here the question is not about the yoga practices but yoga life style. Person has to live a yogic lifestyle not just few poses or breathing and meditation!

I'm just asking myself and wondering that great Yoga masters like Swami Sivananda, Swami Vivekananda or Shree Yogendraji has never used such sentence that I know yoga to my knowledge! Those who are real Yoga masters of the past or even present days would never use such term or sentence!

Yoga is such a Human science that no one can claim that I know yoga. No medical doctor would ever say that I know medical sciences even after years of studies and medical practice! One can have a mastery over any particular faculty / branch of a medical science after years of practice. Here in general people practicing yoga techniques once a week claims that he/she knows yoga! Even person having taken just 200 or 500 hours course in yoga teacher's training claims that he/she is a yoga teacher. My question is that do we really know the science of Yoga?

As per medical science, Human brain is used only 6% of its total capacity by a normal man. Many brains work collectively for any research, using various methods, and then after years of hard work something is invented. It takes few more years to prove its authenticity. There and then only it is accepted as a scientific technique to practice in order to achieve same or similar results.

In this age, do you think anyone can say that I know everything about computer! Though it is man made compact device for various uses, the whole system is a compilation of work made and put together by many brains in last few decades! Then also no one can claim that he knows computer. People say that I know such programs or such hardware or software details but can't claim that I know the whole computer science! Graduates with major in Computer science also have limited knowledge with their years of practical practice they learn more.

Same way in Yoga, as a complete science, various paths and methods were used and practiced for ages and practiced by thousands of people for centuries after centuries. What today we have is a collection of all those complied forms from past 5000 years of practical methods. How can one claim that he knows yoga? Even people those who have reached the level of Samadhi and have experienced various innermost experiences would never claim that they know yoga because it is a learning process that he/she knows yoga? If one learns and practices even for 50 - 60 + years, then also one can't claim till one reaches the final stage of self-realization. Leaving the mortal physical body and merge into the supreme!