"Yogastha kuru karmani sangan tyaktva Dhananjaya Sidhyasidhyo samo bhutva samatvang yoga uchyate" Bhagavad Gita 2:48
Yogastha - Steadfast in Yoga
kuru - perform
karmani - duties or actions
Translation: Be steady in yoga, Arjun, do whatever you must do; give up attachment, be indifferent to failure and success.
In life we have to accept our path, accept our Dharma (our purpose) without being attached to the fruits of our actions, the same goes for the yoga journey. Concentration on action means concentration on the present or living in the present. While concentrating on the present that is the only way one can make conscious based choices and decisions. Once we concentrate on the present, we are no longer caught up in the past or the future, thus, past anxieties and future worries no longer can make us suffer.
In this epic Hindu Verse, Krishna explains to Arjun "do your best and leave the rest", meaning give 100% and be attached to your actions but be detached to the results. This is also an act of surrender to God, to Divine intervention, and an example of faith. Always living in the present moment with awareness, and practicing the beauty of allowing. The primary gist of the Gita is that at all times, your mind should be in a "state of yoga", having consciousness in our actions, acknowledging that at every moment our mind is working through our actions, united. This unity is where we derive the word Yoga, translated in Sanskrit as to yolk/join/unify which is the union of the mind, body and spirit.
This "state of yoga" translates onto our asana practice....when beginning a class never be attached to the studio, the location of our mat, to the instructor, to the asana we plan to do in our class, to the asana that other people may do in class, but rather surrender to our breath, and just allow the practice to be an extension of that surrender. This approach to practice without ego and with total receptivity is when miracles happen.
This "state of yoga" translates into our dietary habits. We are always in a rush to eat, on the go lifestyle forces us to adapt to quick meals, fast food or skipping meals. Do we enjoy the sight of our meal, the smell, the touch, the taste, or even take time to notice how much we must chew? People who eat with awareness, connection of mind to body, generally never over eat.
Regardless of what religious faith you abide by.... a good lesson from the Gita, a parable from the Bible, a verse from the Kabbalah are all means for us to learn, grow and better ourselves.....to be aware, to allow, to be present & receptive, and invite a "state of yoga"
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