Web Zen Minimalism

Bikram Choudhury lectured in Boston in June (2009). These are my notes.

To concentrate, to meditate is the hardest thing to do. The mind functions with a conscious, subconscious and superconscious. Understanding how the mind operates is the key to phenomenal power. Yoga teaches one how to concentrate, ten seconds at a time.

Killing time is the greatest crime. Time is life, life is time. Think about that. Until yesterday, I thought time was money. Finding purpose in life makes no allowance for wasting time.

What you do doesn’t matter. How you  do it does.

Bikram didn’t say yoga was zen, but he did say yoga was everything. Communication is yoga. You can have everything but have nothing if the body, mind and spirit are not in sync.

Learn to love yourself. Learn how to take care of yourself. No one else will love you until you first love yourself. The mirror is the tool.

The most important thing in life is you. Who are you? What is life? Life is simple. If it works, do it. If it’s bad, don’t do it. Don’t let your mind give you bad info.

No food is the best food.

I almost fell out of my chair when Bikram stated his mantra, “Make People Happy.” That’s my mantra!

Self-realization’s greatest obstacle? Excuses. Decide. What do you want? How would you live if this were your last day?

Focus on Don’t Dos. By not doing things that are bad, you automatically do things that are good.

What is exercising? Exercising is stretching.

Control your emotion. When you express anger, you lose. Withdraw anger. That’s what it means to turn the other cheek. Anger can be creatively processed internally.

Ask, “what am I doing?” Am I chasing a fantasy? Is this an illusion? Escape attachment. Pursue higher consciousness. The things that are left behind are not remembered.

Yoga makes one bulletproof. No one can steal your happiness.