Why Yoga

Namaskaram 🙏

Sensitivity towards life, shall not only make us aware of our own experiences in a more profound way but also make us more sensitive and empathetic towards others.  

Allowance with ease is the lack of resistance. Inner Engineering by Sadguru is thus, meant to reduce friction in the mechanics of our system. Greater awareness of our own being, automatically makes us aware of what is working and what is not. 

Sensitivity towards life, shall not only make us aware our own expereinces in a more profound way , but also make us more sensitive and empathetic towards others. 

Fulfilling demands of others, running about the entire time, completing tasks and fulfilling bodily urges and getting tired and sleeping in the night, not at all looking forward to the next day , but hesitantly waking up and again doing the same things again, for months and years, ofcourse affects us emotionally but also impacts our health in a tremendous way. 

Taking out some time to practice Yoga, for one's own well being is just as important as meeting our bodily urges like hunger and thirst. 

We tend to forget that this Being, is much more than this physical body and more importantly much more than the thoughts that we think. Our minds go on and on, incessantly. But, in the moments we can calm it, and let silence prevail, we experience the love, bliss and beauty in this vast Being that is flowing through this bodily intrument. 

I do not claim to be enlightenend but I have had experiences that are human and hence, I speak about them out of the urge to nudge fellow souls to enjoy the bliss that spirituality creates. 

It can be said that not everyone has the time for spirituality. Humans today, especially in metropolitan cities are living in a fast moving world. Time matters more than ever. Exceeding demands and tasks pile up. Many survive on a hand to mouth basis. I understand. Even while typing this, I can feel my stomach tighten up. Stress is a form of fear. The root of all negative emotions is fear. 

Let us dissect fear for a monment. Fear is an emotion that we have when we find ourselves in danger. Who is in danger? Oureslves. But in what way ? Are most of the situations a threat to our survival? Do they cause immediate danger to our lives? Rather, do we think that the situations that we apprehend may negatively affect our attchments? The attachments may be to a situation, or a person, or the past, or the present, or the future. The soul is unattached and extremely resilient. It has no threats. 

Threat to life, must be removed at any cost. However, for our attachments, we cause a threat to our life- our existence- our health. Because, life is only in the present moment and we lose it because of fear. There is only, now. 

Most of our misery is not because of what really happens but because of either our interpretation of what happened and our apprehension of what will happen. 

Yoga sadhana is meant to strengthen our will over our bodies and make our bodies much more efficient. Fear can be dissolved by awareness. We are constantly looking out in order to do what we should be doing, are supposed to be doing, are obliged to be doing, need to be doing and sometimes doing what we want to be doing. However, spiritual practices like listening to a guru, meditation, yogasnas, pranayama and practicing presence in daily life, brings our attention inwards. 

Over the past few months, I have been running about doing what I was supposed to be doing. My entire Being was deteriorating before my eyes. I have been a consistent Yoga practitioner all throughout my life. But I could not afford a yogic lifestyle due to my experienced paucity of time. I failed to realise, that one needs spirituality the most, especially during stressful seasons, mainly because sustained stress is not sustainable, it can take your life, figuratively and literally. I was living, but I kept saying that this is not life. 

On this auspicious day of Mahashivratri, I began Inner Enggineering. Sadguru brought me back to my own love. After my first 90 minutes session post midnight, I slept better than I did in the past 6 months, atleast. He did not do any magic. It essentially brought me back to how I felt during my days at Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala, where I did a 42 days residential Cerficate Course in Yoga. 

I would like to explain that it is similar, mainly because, one is drawn inward. The outside world looses it's charm on one. Wheras, the inside world is realised. I found myself becoming aware of my own vastness and love. I realised that 'I am love'. I am essentially everything. I realise that my own self was wainting to be seen. It was thirsty for my own attention. I did not give it any attention as I was all the time busy persuing, doing, acting, battling and achieving in the outside world. By pouring my awareness inside of me, I realised that I am not limited by this body. I am beyond it. I am everything I need. I still have bodily requuirements but I do not need to seek anything in the outside world to feel at peace, rested and satisfied inside my own self/ Being. I felt full. Parts of me that were thirsty to be discovered, were parched and my awareness quenched their thirst generously. But did they need me, or did I need them? Both needed this union. The alienation of the Being and awareness or presence towards onself can be so vast, that one doesn't realise being fragmented or seperated. Yoga , essentially means, union. This union is significant for sustainable well-being. Looking inward , unified me with myself and hence, I could feel an ocean of love. Desires and wishes come and go, but none of them is more essential than my self. I could feel the peace and fulfillment within myself. Earlier, I had this urge to keep myslef occupied or engaged in something or have thoughts. But now, none of this was required for fulfilling myself. I was full by my own awareness. Oprah says very rightly, "fill your own cup". Only when one is full can one give, or-else giving in a deprieved state makes one resentful, angry, in-efficient and hence fearful.

I am aware that this is not the ultimate. Daily and consistent practice, with full involvement is required to manifest our full potential. Being humans, we may fall out of balance. Hence, consistency is key in centering oneself again. Nothing in the outside world can compensate for the fulfillment that spirituality can bring. It provides only temporary solutions and one cannot afford a temporary solution as this life is precious. 

However, everyone realises this at their own pace. Life experience teaches us. One important thing that life taught me is that, it does not matter what one succeeds in acomplishing. That's because goals and desires do not cease. It is best if our own greivance and resistance ceases. So, what we achive has very little value to what we become while achiveing those things.So, it is essential to decide upon how does one want to live and conduct onself? Essentially, who does one want to become ultimately? Our values may keep changing, but atleast we can aspire for a heavenly state of mind.

Happy Mahashivratri! 🙏