Past things are in the past and do not go there from the present.  This is an obvious thought at the beginning of a new year.  Yoga stresses that present things are in the present.  That the sun and the moon revolving in their orbits do not turn around.  This brings us to one of the main tenets of the practice of yoga. Vairaja is a sanskrit word meaning “dispassion”, “non-involvement” or the relinquishing of results.

The practice of Vairaja is essentially that one lives in the present moment ….only in the “now”.  One is aware of just this present, fully occupied with what one is doing, giving the best without concern for the past or future.  The past is gone and there is nothing we can do about it.The future has not happened and therefore it is stupid to worry about it.   All that exists is this present moment and we must give our best for this moment only.

Have you ever visited a bottled water factory? Here you will see empty bottles standing erect on a conveyer belt.  Automatically each bottle moves forward, is filled with water, sealed and replaced by the next bottle. Each bottle may be considered as a second in time, waiting to be filled by your activities, inevitably to pass onto the next second.

Now apply this concept to your own life.  As you fill each moment of each day, it passes on and is replaced by the next moment.  This is automatic, there is nothing you can do about it. You will only fill up so many moments to make up so many minutes, hours, days and nobody can extend a day to more than 24 hours.

What you put into each bottle (which is each second of your day) is your own choice.  If you put in vinegar it will be bitter. Sugar will make it sweet.  Whatever you put into each moment of time is what you will experience and no one else can fill your bottles of seconds for you.  It is all up to you.