Mental and Physical

Source teaching · Alex Julian, 2024

The original lesson

This was touched upon in the first lesson, where we redefined yoga. However, I want to go a little bit more in-depth here and really drive home how important this is. Unfortunately, modern-day yoga is inverted in many ways, and we have collectively strayed from the original teachings. The core of yoga is focus, discernment, clarity, and mindfulness — living fully in the present moment.

Physicality is definitely a part of yoga, and there is benefit to exercise, good posture, and stretching. However, this is merely a small part of the yoga system, and it is actually meant to be preparation for the real yoga of the mind. Furthermore, while physical yoga has its benefits, they pale in comparison to those of mental yoga, which are virtually limitless.

I want to share one of my favorite quotes with you, which came to me under a pine tree one day. Yoga starts on the mat, but it is finished off of the mat — in real life. Yoga may start with the body, but it is completed with the mind. Don’t get stuck in the small rectangle that is a yoga mat. Instead, have the Earth be your yoga mat. The greatest artists do not confine themselves to a single medium, but they make life itself their canvas.

The benefits of mastering focus are unfathomable to most people at first. It is actually the gateway to optimal learning,

maximum productivity, and the greatest beauty. Discernment has always been important, but even more so now. Have you seen how good deep fakes are already? Can you have the clarity to see what is true and what truly matters? Can you slow down in a world that only asks you to go faster? Can you live in the present moment so you don’t miss out on your own life?

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