Practice versus Belief
We live near the seashore and purchased small wetsuits (insulated swimwear) for our three youngest children. With this gear, they could play at the beach and have some protection from both cold winds and excess sun exposure.
My youngest daughter was just five-years old at the time. She proudly put on her new wetsuit before we went to the beach in the late afternoon. She played with her siblings in the sand and shallow water, exposed for an hour to a wet and chilly wind while my wife and I meditated.
After meditation I noticed she was shivering and her lips were blue. “Annapurna,” I inquired with concern, “aren’t you cold?”
“N-n-no,” she answered through chattering teeth. “I’m w-w-wearing a wetsuit.”
Our beliefs have a lot to do with how we perceive and interpret our experience. Yoga differs from religion in that it is not a belief system, it is a practice. The philosophy of yoga (a small portion of which has been introduced in this book) is non-sectarian and universal, but it is not necessary to believe it in order to successfully undertake the practice.
Just as a jogger will get the same results by following a jogging program whether or not they understand the physiology of jogging, so also in yoga, practice is primary and theory is secondary.
If you want to taste a delicious strawberry, you cannot just read about strawberries, you must obtain one and eat it. In a similar way, if you want to experience the benefits of meditation you must undertake its practice.
In the true yoga system, access to meditation is considered your birthright and there is never a charge for instruction. When you undertake this practice you will have a tool for exploring your own consciousness. Through the use of this tool, you will find the truth of your own spiritual nature within.