Sivananda Yoga FAQ

Q 1:  How can a person, who has been thinking in a negative way for a long time, change to positive thinking?

A: Start with some positive suggestive formulas: “I am hale and hearty. I am healthy. There is nothing wrong with me. I was under a misconception of my own abilities and capacities. Now I have realized my real nature”. Do it with the help of some person advanced in Yoga or a devotee of the Lord. Start with a prayer to the Lord. Make prayer a part of daily life and ‘a must’ in life. All negative thinking will end and they will become quite normal.

Q 2:  How does the power of concentration increase in my mind?

A:  Concentration increases by curtailing your wants and desires, by observing Mouna for two hours daily, by remaining in seclusion in a quiet room for one or two hours daily, by practicing Pranayam, by prayer, by increasing the number of sittings of meditation in the evening and at night, by Vichar and so on. These are all elements of your Sadhana practice.

Q 3: Why does God create rogues?

A: As this is a relative world, there must be rogues and honest men. A rogue is not an eternal rogue. A rogue is the saint of the future. Roguery is a negative virtue. It is not a separate entity. Honesty will have no existence in the absence of roguery. The raison d’etre of roguery is to glorify honesty. Roguery and honesty are the obverse and the reverse of the same coin. They are mental creations only. Even a rogue has some virtues. There is neither absolute roguery nor absolute honesty. God Himself plays the part of a rogue in the world’s drama for His Lila. There is neither John nor Peter.

Previous FAQs at http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/faq/faq.html

There is some truth in everything. Views and opinions are subjective aspects. – Swami Sivananda