Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Yoga is nothing but intense, pure awareness

To lose awareness, is laya. It is an exciting stage in itself. However, actual yoga for me begins where even in laya u are aware: this could be the state of nirudda.

I find, as I struggle with the layers of yoga, that non-attachment is a great place too. But intense awareness, which is detached, is better even than non-attachment. So, that is how it goes on, this peeling of layers, waiting for the nothing:)
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In this verse from the Yoga Sutras, Rishi Patanjali describes the dangers of wrong type of concentration, which lacks the purity of a spiritual temper: " When such concentration is not accompanied by non-attachment, ignorance remains. The aspirant will reach the state of discarnate gods or become merged in the forces of nature."



Once the 19th century saint Vijaykrishna Goswami was asked how the mind may be taught one-pointedness. He gave this metaphysical analogy on how it may be achieved. There is a forest in which many wild animals live.  They are not visible, since they are sly, cunning and dangerous. They lurk about to attack when least expected. However, when a fire is set to the trees, the animals rush out. So too it is with our mind. The fire of sadhana (regular practice) can release the hidden animals of our thought-patterns (or samskaras). Then the space becomes forever free of them. It becomes citta bhumi (the plane of pure consciousness).

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That is why, I cannot imagine not practising. Teaching yoga is very incidental for me. I also believe unless u have that relationship with yoga, where practice is more important than teaching, u should not even dream of teaching... Because then u will only be teaching poses, not yoga:) And those who preach philosophy without practicing asana,  the less said of them..

1 comment:

evnathan said...

Burning attachments and desires is, using the fire hypothesis,is a beautiful expression. There is a saying of roasting the seed also to prevent it from germinating. Our Rishis are great in such expressions