Faith and Perseverance

We often believe there is some secret formula that will give us success in yoga practice or some magic pill that will give us health and longevity. We rarely look to ourselves as personal healer or guide. Yet the yoga texts tell us that all that is required is faith and perseverance on our part and that which we are seeking, will be found in ourselves.

QUOTES — from ‘Shiva Samhita’ — chapter 3, verses 16, 18, 19, 17.

“The person who has control over himself attains verily success through faith; none other can succeed. Therefore, with faith, the Yoga should be practised with care and perseverance.”

“The first condition of success is the firm belief that it (vidya) must succeed and be fruitful; the second condition is having faith in it; the third is respect towards the Guru; the fourth is the spirit of universal equality; the fifth is the restraint of the organs of sense; the sixth is moderate eating, these are all. There is no seventh condition.”

“Having received instructions in Yoga, and obtained a Guru who knows Yoga, let him practise with earnestness and faith, according to the method taught by the teacher.”

“Those who are addicted to sensual pleasures or keep bad company, who are disbelievers, who are devoid of respect towards their Guru, who resort to promiscuous assemblies, who are addicted to false and vain controversies, who are cruel in their speech, and who do not give satisfaction to their Guru never attain success.”

Radhasri (Rhonda Fogel) has been teaching yoga in Canada since 1998 and is the founder of Hatha Yoga Shala currently based in Montreal.