Yoga of Freedom
We all have freedom of choice
within the restrictive boundaries in which we find ourselves. The
freedom of the Yogi transcends normal limitations and includes
freedom from suffering and many of the limitations which restrict his
work and life to finite areas of activity. The freedom to which the
Yogi aspires arises from the understanding and realisation of what is
meant by Self Realisation and the oft repeated phrase Atman=Brahman.
The Atman is a reference to the
Self or Soul of a human being in its eternal and highest sense. A
question is often asked, ‘Do we have a soul?’ The answer is we do
not have a soul, we are a soul.
Prior to the time in which we
became aware of ourselves in the individual or self conscious sense
that is prior to creation itself. God existed as pure spirit, that is
as power unformed and Self aware throughout his eternal being. Hence
the word Absolute to express that which is without limit, yet
complete in itself.
The soul, which gives rise to a
sense of individuation, is a particular area of activity or solo zone
of the Absolute, and if it were possible to lose one’s soul, it
would simply mean taking away the boundary that separates us from
God. To grasp the significance of this is called strong meat as to
achieve it requires an act of faith. As by transcending the boundary
that separates us from God, does not mean that we disappear but
return to the original level of being prior to creation.
The feeling that we have of
separation arises, because we identify with our own particular zone
of activity, and this is reinforced when we come into contact with
other beings or separative zones of action and become drawn into a
world of difference and comparison.
The world in which we live is very
much a test bed or proving ground for the life of spirit. Spirit is
the activity of the soul and the more we become enmeshed in the world
of time, the further we move away from free initiative spirit and
subject to the reactive behaviour and responses of the world which we
have created for ourselves.
The ideal world exists in the mind
of God as Truth sustained by love. It is the real without which the
world would fall apart and which provides the pattern on which all
creative form sustains itself.
Karma is the by product that
arises as a consequence of wrong thought, wrong feeling and wrong
action. Karma is a bit like the dog which runs out of the sea and
shakes off all the excess water from its coat. The shaking or
readjustment does not disturb the essential underlying pattern;
however, constant sinning, or missing the mark, can disturb man’s
underlying unity, resulting in psychological as well as physical
problems.
The essential unity that makes
life complete is always there and is fundamental to existence, it is
the Edenic or Garden of Eden in which there is differentiation
without judgement and which existed prior to the fall. God does not
judge us as his love is perfect freedom, we judge ourselves through
the inner disquiet that we feel when out of phase with reality. It is
through inner disquiet translating itself into action that we begin
to learn the lessons of life.
It is after tilting at many
windmills and falling of our horse many times that we discover that
the answers do not lie outside of ourselves, but within our own
hearts, where the undemanding truth presents to us a vision of
reality.
What has been a vision of reality
is not always recognised, even when it has been written down by Sages
of the past for the benefit of future generations, as with the
ethical observations and observances of Yoga called the Yamas and
Niyamas.
The Yoga postures themselves are
more than just a means of adopting strange shapes so as to
demonstrate ones fitness and prowess but a means of embodying eternal
truth by working toward the highest degree of physical health and
well being. This requires a high degree of sensitiveness and
attunement within oneself in order to bring the body gradually and
naturally into correspondence with the eternal.
Prana or Life Breath is the out
speaking of the eternal, via the rhythmic sequence of the breath, as
it brings life and love to the manifest world. This sequential
breathing loses effectiveness with mentally imposed rhythms on the
breath. The subtle rhythms we call life rise and fall in harmony with
the wisdom that has generated life. All wise and all knowing these
rhythms adjust and respond to the medium in which they are working.
No two human beings are identical and only sensitive introspection
can help us to respond to the healing and developmental rhythms which
are perfect to each situation.
Introspective breathing is only
possible when we are detached from the worldly aberrations of mind
and consciously attuned to the world of free spirit. The withdrawal
of the senses which turns the senses from outward to inward is called
pratyahara and part of Yogic development and learning to recognise
and trust the inmost Self.
The lower mind linked to the
senses is useful for storing and collecting information about the
world in which we live and is much like the modern day computer to be
used from time to time. The higher or intuitive mind is not
restricted to time and place and to be able to attune ourselves to
its wavelength, we have to refine our whole being from the ground up
and learn to quieten day to day thought frequencies and listen to the
still inner voice within.
Meditation helps us to gain in
trust and recognise the voice of spirit and is the mediation and
means by which we can develop a working partnership with the inmost
Wisdom and Understanding. This partnership is non restrictive and the
inner voice is a still voice that comes to the heart and mind like
the reflective light that shines on the still surface of a lake.
We all have freedom of choice, to
either choose the wearisome constructs of the lower mind, locked into
the time worn decisions of the past, or trust the intelligence of a
spiritually awakened heart and mind whose burden is light.
Gordon Smith
