Does true Yoga has to be in a cave?

When I started my Yoga practice, reading books on Yoga and talking to people in Yoga centers, etc. I was struggling with a question: when and how should I become a monk, where should I go and how would I make it work (I’m realistic enough to notice that real world requires passports, visas, money – monks in the West hardly would survive on alms). I was asking people, who, I thought, practiced more, seen more and may give me an advice. I thought, I have to become a monk sooner or later. I thought there is no other way.

Then I got my answer. – I got married.

I’m not sure I would have understood completely a married person before I became one myself, so… But if you are not married and would like to listen – I’m more than happy to share. I think, married people would understand me (easier).

• Thing is – being married is at least as “hard” as being a monk. “Hard” – meaning it gives you so much opportunities to grow in your mind and your heart that you can not possibly overestimate it!
• All this is of course if one is willing to notice the opportunities, learn, live, and be happy and make others happier. Your partner, even the best in the world one, will give you millions of chances to improve your patience, love and loving kindness, peacefulness and compassion, and many other things.
• And the beauty of all this is that it is “active study”, it is real, it is here for you every single moment. – It is not a theory, a book, abstraction. – Nodding along with the best “face-mask” of understanding of everything in the world is not working here. In reality – sooner or later whatever you do, think, or feel will get back to you. Good or bad. And sure, it’s true in general, but nice thing about sharing your life with another person is that you get feedback fast, no need to wait till you reincarnate (if you are going to).

And of course there are many examples, when things don’t work out between two. – It happens a lot… People try. Some lessons are too hard and some are not ready… But if we are developing mindfulness, kindness, and patience – just as monks – we have a chance to succeed with the robes of all colors and styles: from orange and simple to black-and-white costumes…

What do you think?

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