नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन।।6.16।।
But, O Arjuna, Yoga is not for one who eats excessively, nor for one who does not eat at all; neither for one who habitually sleeps too long, nor for one who stays awake.
Osho’s Commentary
The path of yoga is the path of the golden mean, the middle way. It is a path of balance. Any extreme is a hindrance. One who eats too much is a slave to the body. His energies are pulled down. One who starves the body is also obsessed with it, just in a negative way. Both are body-conscious. The yogi is one who gives the body its simple, natural nourishment, and then forgets about it. The same is true of sleep. One who sleeps too much lives in a state of dullness, of tamas. One who forces himself to stay awake creates tension and restlessness. The yogi finds the natural rhythm of his own body and follows it. The whole of life is a delicate balance. To be in yoga is to be in perfect tune, like a well-tuned musical instrument. Any string that is too tight or too loose will create dissonance. The yogi is a master of this inner music.