Yoga Bhoga

Yoga Bhoga is summed up in three words, pleasure, enjoyment and experience.

Taken from my Sanskrit dictionary:-

1. Enjoyment of the objects of the world through the senses. Worldly experience.
2. Enjoyment or unending bliss in the state of liberation, according to Dvaita Vedanta.

It may help us with the understanding of Yoga Bhoga if we reflect on the meaning of three words, Pleasure, Pain and Enjoyment. The word pleasure indicates that we are passive to a stimulus that we receive at our leisure. Pain is a unassimable level of stimulus that is unacceptable. Animals are particularly responsive to pleasurable and painful stimulus. Humans, in spite of threat or immediate danger, are more likely to go into a painful situation, if a loved one is threatened, or for the greater good. Experience tells us that pleasure is of limited duration as constant stimulation is no stimulation and in excess can become painful.

The word enjoyment (Joy) implies a degree of Self control as it is the affirmation and assimilation of a situation to which we have directed our attention. Meditation on the breath can lead to the experience of joyful unimpeded motion, by first stilling the mind and letting go every tension that distracts from observation of the breath, until there is the experience of being breathed rather than breathing. This experience is closely akin to the rise and fall of the joyful ananda or life force that undulates throughout time and space.

The opposite of liberation is lack of freedom and this does not necessarily mean imprisonment, it can also mean excessive regulation that restricts freedom of choice. It also has a psychological component as when identifying with restrictive or painful situations; we fall under the law governing those things.

The aim of yoga is to achieve Self Governance and Self recognition, as the Self is the immanent spirit in the centre of every being, which is essentially positive, it is the only absolutely real, and it has no negativity in it whatever and is essentially joyful.

To the yogi, freedom of action does not mean irresponsible action, but intuitive action guided by a source that transcends the limitations of the lower mind. An important Taoist concept is that of Wu Wei, of effortless action and knowing when to act and not to act. Wu Wei can be described as going with the flow, as can be experienced when practising T’ai Chi or when letting the breath rise and fall in harmony with life giving ananda.

Patanjali describes yoga as stilling the activities of the mind, which is not a recommendation to look mindlessly into space, rather to practice Self Awareness, free of the distractions of the lower mind and then to go with the flow, ‘letting’ go of all impedances to harmonious inter-function, guided by the light of truth within the heart. It is at this level of affirmation, that the life of the Yoga becomes a joy and each action affirms and awakens within the soul its eternal body of light and truth.

Against the background of the modern world it is difficult to maintain freedom from distractions and not unlike the seafarer practising close water navigation, there are tides of emotion to deal with and hidden rocks to catch the unwary. We have to be ever watchful and each time we forget our life course, bring ourselves back to freedom that lies within by practising continual Self remembrance.

The Word Yoga

The Word Yoga has a unique significance, and transcends the popular view of many, that it is only a series of exercises designed to improve health. When understood, Yoga can be one of the most important words in our vocabulary, as it is a reference to that which is our eternal reference centre. To discover this inner space, that transcends all outward limitations, is the goal and aim of Yoga. A similar word that carries the same spirit and significance of the word yoga is the word religion, which can also used in the sense of union, as it is defined as binding back to the source.

The words Yoga and Religion by definition are synonyms. However there is a subtle difference in stress, as Religion usually refers to a large and organised pattern of belief. While the Yogi usually stands on his own two feet with consciousness as his guide

The Yogi following a spiritual path, may well accept the discipline of the religious life, while at the same time working to develop his own being to the highest level possible. The Self (Atman), transcends the lower nature or ego, that has only self-interest uppermost in the mind, rather than the greater good.

Pratyahara or sense-withdrawal; literally ‘gathering towards oneself’, is possibly one of the most important next steps in Yoga, as it is a step we take when breaking identification with the objects of the sense world.

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff believed that most of us were asleep and on automatic pilot, and at his Institute for the Harmonic Development of Man. Would occasionally shout ‘STOP’, when his followers would freeze and suspend whatever they were doing, even stopping in mid conversation. They would then observe the real feeling and intention behind what they were doing. Revealing that we are not always awake and being true to ourselves.

The word Yoga can also be an important reminder, if every time that we hear the word, we stop for a moment, and remember the times that we experienced real peace and tranquillity. Moments of being true to ourselves, it can be a useful reminder during moments of forgetfulness, and a catalyst for change when needed most.

Magical Asana

Magical Asana captures the spirit of the living forms they represent. In the early days of the forest people, seated asana gradually evolved to represent the many living forms around them. Such as the Lion (simhasana), the Fish (matsyasana), the Cobra (bhujangasana), the Locust (shalabhasana). Even the ancient and sturdy Indian Plough (shalabhasana) had its representation. Whatever is named has its form and functions; change the name and both the form and function change. For example, the Lion posture can be more than a vague representation of the Lion and when entered into whole heartedly, will capture the strength and courage of the Lion, and provide an energy boost if needed. Likewise the Cobra when invoked can transform a rigid posture into a flexible, mobile exercise with a sense of immediacy, not unlike the Cobra when ready to strike. Likewise the Tree (vrikshasana) is a living entity; in tune with its surroundings and the changing seasons. By attuning ourselves to Name, Form and Function, asana becomes more than a movement with physiological benefits and awakens energies with a healing and transforming potential.

Deep Relaxation

Deep Relaxation Techniques as taught in the Yoga class, usually start at the superficial level of tense and relax; in order to release muscular tension. Much more difficult is the release of emotional tensions which run much deeper, often originating in early childhood and sometimes from inherited ancestral trauma. Many day to day emotional upsets can be managed by calming the breath, in order to calm the emotions. At much deeper levels there can be an accumulation of emotional experiences that become an ocean of unresolved hurt, which when tapped, open emotional floodgates difficult to control. Ideally the Yogi has a calm disposition, and is able to take control when faced with difficulties. This control comes from understanding oneself and developing a calm inner watchfulness when faced with many of the traumas experienced in life.

The yogic ideal of Self control is not achieved by allowing oneself to become emotionally entangled and caught up in all that the mind and emotions present to us, but rather trusting the conscious or intuitive self, which stands apart, and has a wider perspective and vision of the eternal. The central Self or observer does not have to dive in and become entangled in the difficulties presented to it; as by remaining detached it will remain open to a greater range of response possibilities.

Emotional surges, whatever the trigger, can carry us along like twigs in a fast running stream, often to our detriment. Regaining control is by the use of words and clearly verbalising to ourselves how we feel. The causes and background to emotional turbulence is often fuelled by injustices reaching back to childhood. Just as a cyclone or whirling energy system has a still centre, so does the Yogi, and it is to this centre he endeavours to return. The conscious use of the mind to analyse our experiences is not unlike the use of a fine sieve to sort out the real from the unreal and add to our storehouse of wisdom.

Deep relaxation techniques do not only release surface tensions but can also bring to light many suppressed fears and tensions. The technique familiar to those who practise Yoga Nidra consists in introducing pictograms once body and mind are relaxed. These pictograms appear to run contrary to what is calming and relaxing, such as imagining one’s own funeral, a hangman’s noose, or a prison cell. These random images often trigger associated suppressed fears, which if brought to the surface and into the full light of consciousness, can be replaced with love and forgiveness.

Suppressed fears are not unintelligent as they are reminders of much of the dangers we need to avoid. It is the irrational fear that keeps playing its old tune, where no danger is present, that is best released and made conscious, to be analysed and replaced with intelligence and understanding.

The Art of Meditation

The Art of Meditation

The art of meditation helps to take control of one’s life, gain personal freedom, and find solutions to the problems that confront us. Individual needs vary from coping with stress, to finding a reason for living, as well as for a few, finding the way to reach heights of spiritual insight.

Dealing with the immediate effects of stress, often means simply taking time out, finding a quiet place in which to walk or sit and taking the focus away from the problems in the mind. Worries we carry with us are usually accompanied by a restless body, with need to fidget and walk about, making sitting in one position difficult, and this is where a walking meditation will be of help.

When walking, be aware of the space in which you find yourself. Be at one with the energy field that surrounds you, and feel for any gradients, or subtle changes in feeling that seem to guide you. You have a choice with each step you take, either be absorbed in your thoughts, or enjoy the moment. Simply pause, still your mind and then carry the stress free moment with you, guided by the spirit of freedom.

A little stress is not a bad thing as it keeps us alive and gives tone to our lives. It is when stress is excessive, that it leads to strain and distorts our view of life. Meditation can give a sense of perspective, help us to grow in self-understanding, improve our relationships with each other and ultimately the universe of which we are a part. There are no limits to the number of techniques that allow us to do this.

Relaxing music at bed time helps reduce internal tension, particularly if the notes and chords are felt and harmonised internally. Not all ancestral tendencies are negative, that is the echoes from the past. Choice of music is important and needs to have a soothing, as well as an uplifting quality and some orchestral sounds link us in a positive way to family members, who may still be resonating in the protoplasm, by feeling for the positive moments in their lives, positive moments that are still being shared with you today.

There are meditations to suit everyone from the physiological, to the mystical and traditional. The physiological can use yoga asana to organise and guide the body energy, or the breath can be used to calm the emotions and bring peace to body and mind.

Not everyone has the ability to look beyond the world of form into the world of spirit that supports this world. The mystical or intuitive perception normally arises as a result of Self discipline acquired during traditional forms of meditation. An important first aspect is learning to sit upright in the most economical way possible, so that there is no sense of strain, the head perfectly balanced, the breathing peaceful and mind still. This form of sitting gives rise to a sense of presence, watchful composure, and can even be practised before sleep at night. We have all seen pictures of the sleeping Buddha, lying on his right side. The side of the face rests in the palm of the right hand, the essential being a comfortable mattress and a spine, free of tension.

Concentration (dharana) is the technique of centring the mind and preparing it for true meditation. On whatever we focus the mind it is unlikely to be void of feeling, the time of day, the amount of light, all give rise to changes in feeling perspective, and it is the changes in feeling that can take us along the different highways and byways of our thought processes. To be able to see clearly and keep to one centre without distraction is an essential precursor to meditation.

Meditation (dhyana) is a form of total concentration and occurs when the mind flows in an unbroken current towards an object. For example, when meditating upon a tree, there is a growing awareness that the tree is more than the totality of its individual parts. Every part from seed to leaf is an integral part of the whole and is linked to the Sunlight and the air and every living thing which surrounds it.

Samadhi or contemplation is a unifying level of concentration where there is an awareness of the whole pattern as an unbroken chain from the Infinite to the finite.

Words are more than diaphanous forms that float briefly in space, as they are audible resonances, sometimes voiced and sometimes unvoiced, that pattern and structure the world in which we live. Words can help us explore different levels of consciousness and Sri Aurobindo in a letter to one of his students described consciousness in terms of Quiet, Calm, Peace and stillness.

These simple word forms can be used to good effect either in meditation or relaxation. Take each word in turn and visualise the word clearly in the mind, before letting it go and feeling for the essence of the word, there will be many related feeling and images connected to each word, continue to let go until you feel at one with the reality represented by each word. The technique is a bit like what happens when a lump of sugar is dropped into a cup of tea. The form disappears but the essence or sweetness remains. Continue the exercise through Calm, Peace, into Stillness. There is revelation in stillness and from this level of objectivity, remain on centre and guide yourself back through each level, back to the Here and Now.

The essential art of meditation is bringing control back to oneself and discovering the inspiration and that comes from within. At first the traditional methods of meditation may appear irksome and a bit like work. This is because the mind is interfering with the free flow of spirit from within. When mind and spirit join forces they can learn to work together, so that the lower mind is transcended and a new level of thought emerges, that has the best interests of all living creatures at heart.

Listen..

Listen

Listen to the silent words

On which space hangs

Its eternal forms.

The silent backdrop,

The all comprehending now.

Whose none interference

In the world of men,

Judges none the less.

Listen to the stillness,

The unchallenging silence,

The action less action

That turns self willed motion

Back onto itself.

That makes all judgement,

Self Judgement.

There’s nought else...

WHO AM I ?

WHO AM I?

This searching question “Who Am I”, recommended by the Sage Ramana Maharshi, strips away the illusion of the egoic self, and when repeated as a mantra, is like the echo machine, familiar to sailors, which searches below the murky depths to reveal the reality that lays underneath.

“Who Am I”, is a direct question that gradually unmasks the false layers of identity, to reveal the true “Self”, the eternal reality that lies within. The non dual reality (advaita), that underlies all phenomena, can be likened to the ocean, without which the surface waves, which come and go, could not exist. It is identification with the surface waves of life that leads to confusion, emotional highs and lows, and the danger of being caught and transfixed by forces outside of ourselves.

Fortunately the road to freedom has been clearly outlined in the sacred texts and spiritual dialogues of the Upanishads, and in modern times in the literary works of Eugene Halliday. In particular his Reflexive Self Consciousness, which is an essential read for all those who seek psychological well being, and spiritual enlightenment. In the longest and oldest of the Upanishads the Brihad-aranyaka the Sage Yajna speaks and says that the Self (Atman), is not this- not this (Neti-neti), (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, 5.5.15).

To repeat daily, in a spirit of self inquiry “Who Am I”, will bring to mind many attributes, such as one’s own social and economic standing in life, the impressions we have about ourselves, and a constant stream of sense related information. This like the surface waves on the ocean distracts from the underlying reality and hence the reminder, not this- not this (neti – neti).

The analogy of the waves and the ocean is far from perfect, yet it goes some way to representing the continuum of the life-force, as it expresses itself through all animate and apparently inanimate objects, each standing out for a time and creating the illusion of separativity. To experience the wisdom that underlies form we have to place the mind in the heart and experience the source from which everything has arisen, hence the reminder, not this-not this.

Thoughts, habits and desires, have an inherent will to exist, and the more we charge them with energy the stronger they become, until even unwelcome thoughts become difficult to dismiss, invading dreams and creating under currents of feeling that influence every level. Watchfulness and discrimination are two key words during our journey of self enquiry, and we have to be vigilant, so that that the mantra neti-neti, does not lead from one form of day dreaming to another.

We cannot see the world of spirit, but it is ever present, and can be sensed at intuitive levels of perception, such as when we see an object or scene of great beauty, and then realise that to recognise it, it must already exist within ourselves. We are reminded here, of the words of a Father to his Son in the Chandogya Upanishad (6.12-14). “Believe me, my son, an invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe. That is Reality. That is Atman. THOU ART THAT”.

The Atman is both immanent and infinite and it is that in us which knows and has the freedom to make choices. The choices we make, determine the nature of the life we lead and ultimately we cannot blame anyone for what happens to us, as individual choices determine our outcome. True happiness lies on the inside and not on the outside and it is by diving deep within, that we are able to tap a source of wisdom that provides the template for every living thing, and continues to guide each according to their individual karma and the lessons to be learned.

The key to achieving clarity and awareness is a short period of meditation every day, and by enquiring “Who Am I”, this thought will gradually put all thoughts and impressions into perspective and gradually consciousness will become the screen against which all other thoughts come and go.

It is taught that all mantric syllables become more powerful the quieter they become, hence they are first voiced, then whispered, and mentally repeated until only the essence of the sound remains. ‘Who’, may start its life as an interrogative pronoun, but during meditation becomes more subtle, and much like the air flowing through circled lips, when voicing “Who”, there grows the sense of reaching more subtle levels of inflowing energy and consciousness..

Gradually we begin to trust the intuitive response from centre and learn to ‘Let Go and Let God’, by responding to the truth within the heart, and that Self same intelligence, that has developed the flowers in the field, the ability of the turtle and salmon to navigate the oceans of the world. It will also guide man to develop to his full potential, if we would only stop, let go, and listen.