I hear more and more a phrase:”In Tantric yoga everything is sacred” and this phrase puzzled me to the point that I decided to write something about it. I don’t know much about Tantric yoga but I have read some literature about yoga written by people who studied yoga for a long time, and it is my understanding that fundamental principles of yoga are the same no matter which branch of yoga you consider yourself a follower. The goal of yoga is the quieting of the mind so that we can see with more clarity. When we see everything around us with more clarity, we begin to understand the true nature of things, including our own true nature. The ability to understand true nature of things brings about tranquility, equanimity and profound peace, in short, it makes us happier. In this process we learn to painstakingly, patiently and compassionately observe our mind and look for the roots of our mental formations, be they emotional or intellectual. As we watch and go deeper, we are likely to encounter emotions and thoughts that may be considered “undesirable”. By fully acknowledging these thoughts and emotions as being a part of us, we start the process of healing, of organic transformation of these negative energies. It is in this sense that we talk about full acceptance and understanding of our human nature with all its pitfalls. But it is quite different, from my point of view, from declaring “everything sacred”. In fact, yoga is telling us that nothing is sacred, that all our actions, thoughts, emotions, beliefs should be continuously looked at so that we learn how not to identify ourselves with those mental formations. Our actions are not sacred either since our karmic path is the one of cause – effect: we are presented with choices all the time, and our actions are the result of the choices we make, not our destiny. It is easy to declare mess you are in “sacred” and live in it happily for a while, but it takes constant work and courage to become still and to really look inside and to be open to change. That is why a phrase:” Push down between your thumb and your index finger” is much more sacred for me than many of spiritual revelations.