If you’re ready to apply yoga philosophy to your own life—or teach it with clarity and feeling—my classes and workshops create space to sharpen your thinking, steady your inner life, and connect your practice to what matters now.
Riding around in a mystical machine
|
Greetings Reader - In his Yoga-sūtras, Patañjali describes the true nature of the self as being eternal, pure, and joyful. It’s nice to know that we have the potential to experience ourselves that way. The sutra also makes a clear distinction between the true self and the not self; the temporary material body that’s subject to so many problems. The differentiation between the infinitesimal spark of individual consciousness within the body and the body itself is a fundamental principle of yoga philosophy. So much so that it’s how Krishna begins his teachings in the Bhagavad-gita: by telling us that material bodies come and go but the spiritual person within the body never comes into being and will never cease to be. Okay, so, that may sound like a nice idea but how do you make it experiential? How do we test the theory in order to turn book knowledge into a lived experience? Here’s a special Halloween meditation that I think will help: The next time you’re walking down the street, remember that there’s a skeleton inside your body. And when you remember, make a point of locking in on this reality by silently saying to yourself, “There’s a skeleton inside my body.” I mean, it’s true, right? There IS a skeleton inside your body. In fact, why wait? Take a moment right now and bring your awareness to the skeleton inside your body. It’s weird, right? Maybe a little . . . creepy? But check it out: if you remember that you have a skeleton in your body when you’re walking down the street and you become aware of your skeleton and feel how it’s carrying the rest of your body as you place one foot in front of the other, it will totally change your experience of walking. When I do it, I feel like the Terminator. Or at least like my body is a machine that I’m riding around in. Which is exactly how the Bhagavad-gītā describes it: “O Arjuna, the Supreme Lord resides within everyone’s heart and directs the wanderings of all living beings, who travel as if riding on a mystical machine that’s composed of my illusory material energy.” – Bg 18.61 It may freak you out a bit, but I can practically guarantee that if you remember that you’re walking around with a skeleton inside your body, you’ll experience a profound distinction between your consciousness and the body you are conscious of. Yoga wisdom tells us that we’re not skeletons or pancreases or neurons bouncing around our cerebral cortices; we’re eternal spiritual beings riding around in mystical machines. Remember this meditation when you’re out trick-or-treating. Boo! Hoping you get a bag full of treats, - Hari-k P.S. - If you're in the D.C. area, I’m excited to invite you to connect with me in person on Saturday, November 16th at the DC Supersonic Kirtan at ISKCON of DC from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Kirtan is a devotional practice of call-and-response chanting of sacred mantras that inspires inner peace, joy, and a sense of connection. No musical experience is needed - whether you’re familiar with kirtan or new to it, all are welcome. P.P.S. - If you're a yoga teacher who wants to integrate yoga philosophy into your classes and workshops but hesitates due to feeling unqualified or fear of sounding too academic, CLICK HERE for a FREE resource that will show you how to smoothly transition from casual conversations with your class to sharing a bite-sized nuggets of authentic philosophy that your students can use on and off the mat—all in under five minutes. |
Hari-kirtana das
If you’re ready to apply yoga philosophy to your own life—or teach it with clarity and feeling—my classes and workshops create space to sharpen your thinking, steady your inner life, and connect your practice to what matters now.
Greetings Reader - Our free monthly series, Community Conversations, continues next Wednesday. This month we're going to talk about — you guessed it — the U.S. midterm election results and what yoga wisdom has to say about how to ride the blue wave. The social order and political system described in yoga wisdom literature is designed for both material prosperity and spiritual upliftment for every member of society. It's very different from what we're accustomed to in the United States and in...
Greetings from Madrid, Reader, Galavanting around Spain for the past few weeks has been quite an adventure. And, as one would hope, I’ve learned to speak a little Spanish. Okay, very little. As in, just enough to be a polite American tourist who obviously doesn’t speak Spanish. ¡Hola! ¿Vegetariano? La cuenta, por favor. Gracias. Adiós. See? ¡Sí! But the most significant word I learned is tranqui. It’s short for tranquilo, which means calm or peaceful, like the English word “tranquil.” Tranqui...
Greetings from Montserrat, Reader, Imagine what the Temple of Apollo at Delphi would have looked like if it had been designed by Dr. Seuss. That’s a fair description of Parc Güell, a festive 42-acre garden complex draped across the southern slope of Mount Carmel on the northern edge of Barcelona. Designed by Antoni Gaudí, whose Modernist architectural imprint is practically synonymous with the capital of Catalonia, Parc Güell’s undulating architectural forms are rich in symbolism, its native...