Yoga and Dharma

Yoga and Dharma

Date Posted:
January 2006

Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student who teaches yoga, encouraging her to include Dharma in the yoga sessions.

Include Dharma and bodhicitta in the yoga classes. Also, include mental health. With that comes Dharma. It is not necessary to say, "You must believe in Buddha." You can make it more universal. "Buddha" is Sanskrit, but in English it becomes universal. In a meeting in Taos we discussed how to translate such words. For Buddha, you can say “fully enlightened being, whose mind has no mistakes, no defilements, who has complete understanding.”

For Dharma, you can say “the true path which removes suffering and the cause of suffering – the path which is your mind.”

For Sangha you can say “those who complete the path.”

Along with teaching how to have a healthy body, include how to have a healthy mind. Within this, always include compassion and world peace, as well as peace in the family. Please include the Dharma, especially compassion.