Sri Alwar - Acharya of Nathamuni Sampradaya
During our Melkote Retreat Sri Alwar shared a lesson I had not heard before and which stuck in my mind. I asked him later and he told me this saying comes from a category of texts called “Subashita” which simply translates as “good sayings.” It is just a fragment of wisdom from the deep and rich tradition that the yoga of Mysore has come down through. Obviously we will talk about such things with those who are very close to us, but this struck me as a really valuable piece of advice.
Your age. Whether you are young or old, whether you look younger or older than your years, it is simply nobody’s business.
Your health and the medicines you take. If we divulge the details of our personal health people form their own opinions and their attitudes towards us change. It is better to keep such things private.
Your personal practice. Your Asanas, Mantras, Meditation, whatever it is you do, keep it private. Don’t brag when you feel good about your practices and don’t complain when things are not ideal. You weaken whatever you do by discussing it openly with people who have no business knowing these things.
Your money. Talking about how much money you have is just plain bad luck. Bragging about how much or lamenting the lack of money demonstrates need for either praise or sympathy and both make you look bad.
Disagreements within your family. In every family there are bound to be differences of opinion. Whether is is between husband and wife, siblings, parents or in-laws - it is always a mess sometimes. That is humanity. Don’t air dirty laundry. Keep your private life private.
The love affairs you have had. Never discuss your sex life or allude to it. It is poor taste and does nothing for you.
Those who love you. Don’t name drop. Don’t brag of successes or impressing anyone. Let people hear those things from other people if they are to hear them. Bragging about anything simply says “I am insecure and need validation.”
Those who hate you. We all have people who we are not on the best of terms with. Maybe we have outright enemies. Don’t speak ill of anyone. Don’t talk about arguments you won or how much you dislike so and so.
The charity and good deeds you do. Whatever you do for others let it be true karma yoga and don’t talk about it. Again let other people tell about those things if they are noteworthy. It is enough to know we have done a good thing for someone. There is a belief in Indian culture that you actually lose the virtue of your good deeds when you boast about them.
These nine things when observed carefully give the personality strength and stability and instill respect in other people. Don’t try to tell people who you are, let them discover for theirselves and form their own ideas. There is great dignity in this. These ideas are ancient guides for creating successful interactions with others.
In today’s social media driven world we have the opposite idea. People post everything for everyone to see. This idea that “My life is an open book and I am just so comfortable with myself that I can tell everyone everything is naive and foolish. Especially in the context of a yoga teacher interacting with his or her students, these nine observances and very good advice in my opinion! This is the sort of stuff we talk about in our 200 hr Ashtanga Yoga Trainings. Learn more here. https://www.ashtangayogastudio.com/200hrtraining