Post date: Sep 16, 2015 4:43:53 AM
When I was a student years ago in Korea, the students were forced to study English. To get a decent job, you needed to get a good score on a standardized test of English like TOEFL or TOEIC. But in most jobs, you don’t even use a single English word. So I was one of those students that studied English for hours to get higher test scores not really knowing the purpose. Then during my first trip abroad, I realized the purpose: English is one of the languages that people communicate with. It is a tool, not the goal for my study (my goal was not to study the language, though it certainly could be for others).
When I practice yoga asanas (poses), I keep reminding myself of the real goal. It is so easy to be caught up with the physical part of yoga. I can do a head stand in the middle of the room for 10 minutes, but so what? I practice daily to master certain poses, but why? The body is a temple for the soul. I discipline my body to have a positive effect on my mind so they can be a clear channel for my soul to manifest fully instead of obscuring it. I become a whole person. With that, I can better serve my family, community and eventually the whole of humanity. Whenever I open my mat, I tell myself: “let’s not confuse the tool with the goal.”