The Spiritual Path of Yoga - #2

Yoga means “to unite or join”, and refers to our human journey to uncover our highest nature in our quest to unite with supreme consciousness.  It is through yoga that one is able to experience our maximum potential, i.e. the true nature of the soul.

  

“When the restlessness of the mind, intellect and self is stilled through the practice of Yoga, the yogi by the grace of the Spirit within himself finds fulfillment. Then he knows the joy eternal that is beyond the pale of the senses, which his reason cannot grasp. He abides in this reality and moves not therefrom. He has found the treasure above all others. There is nothing higher than this. He who has achieved it, shall not be moved by the greatest sorrow.”  Sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

Yoga is the path of self acquired knowledge, a way of life, where the process of self-discovery means we have within us the same creative energy that created the universe.  And once this realization sets in, we have reached our highest potential for self-discovery. It is a path where living is an art, a philosophy, where life’s challenges are lived with grace and equanimity.  It is a science that requires knowledge gained by observation and experimentation, to reach a state of balance and harmony between the mind, body and spirit.

To embrace this path fully, means developing the understanding that we invite each and every person and situation into our life, and that we are indeed the architect of our life experiences.  As we sow, so shall we reap.  Our thoughts determine our emotions, and our emotions in turn become vibrations that draw into our experience that which is like unto itself. It is in this process of creation, that we have the ability to examine where we are on our individual journey to coming into our own magnificence and power.

Operating on a lower vibrational plane means dealing with base level feeling such as fear, doubt, insecurity, anger, greed, etc, disconnected from the interconnected fabric of life.  For example, if I do not love, honour and accept myself completely, and suffer from feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem, I will draw into my life people who suffer from the same, and in my interaction with them, experiences will occur to fuel these very feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem.

To raise our vibrational plane means to first begin by loving and accepting ourselves completely.  If I am responsible for everything that has come into my life, it is up to me to gain clarity on why certain things are occurring at any given point in my world.  As is my vibration, so is my world.  Everyone else is a mere actor in a movie script that I have created for my own expansion; an energy exchange in our connectedness and oneness, as we prod each other along our path.

To examine our internal world, and how we are thinking and feeling becomes instrumental. Awareness then becomes the single most essential quality. To become a deliberate creator of ones life experiences, means training the mind to focus, to think and to feel in a manner that raises our vibration, and one that connects us with the universal energy.

Our external world mirrors our internal world, and until one is able to expand into the perfection of our own true selves, the human journey remains a challenging one.  Yoga provides us the tools to balance the mind, the body, and the emotions, enabling the inward journey to begin. Yoga is a science, a practical, methodical, and systematic discipline that allows our awakening to our deepest nature. It is the art of self-discovery in pursuit of the eternal truth.

 

- Radhika Vachani