Nov 16, 2007

REAL YOGA

Defining the ritualistic practice of Real Yoga

The practice of yoga and other allied internal arts is a scientific method of self development. Thousands of years ago when yoga was in its beginning stages there were no yoga postures or asanas as there are in today's practice. Quite simply when a villagers duties to family and village were finished he or she would yearn for the true meaning of life. This resulted in the investigation of the patterns of thoughts that filled their minds. People would go out into nature (like the American Indians) and sit in silence concentrating on their thoughts. After many moons some were able to watch their minds start to clear revealing a pathway into their psyche. Once on the internal road and in touch with their inner nature (their Soul) their life experiences started to change according to the intuitive thoughts surfacing in their conscious minds. They experienced the realization that they were more than they thought they were. This was the beginnings of the yoga practice which we continue with today.

Real Yoga is my interpretation of the experience of the search for the soul, or I could say the discovery of what is and always will be our connection with the universe, nature or God. As I have said before I do not hold myself up as a guru or yoga master. The following is just a description of my experiences on the road. By no means have I reached the end of the road. I am just a traveler like you, moving along the never ending road.

The key practice I follow is the cultivation of the breath which is linked to the movements of the body as I move thru a sequence of postures instilled into my subconscious mind by a regimented ritualistic practice. Since the posture sequence is part of me, I can focus my concentration on the movement of the breath internally. In this practice there is no time. One hour passes like 5 minutes. Little by little my breath penetrates my whole body and I experience a state closely identified as a religious experience. I experience the yearning to purify my body and be of service to all of humanity. This practice of asana and accompanying meditation leads to the awareness of a deep seated desire to stay connected to this newly discovered part of me. My life experience starts to change according to the deep connection I have with myself. My heart center opens and I give forth vibrations of caring and love.

The above realizations take time and that ancient desire to discover who we really are appears in our intuitive thoughts surfacing again and again. This drives the discipline necessary to complete our daily practice. Little by little we change over a long period of time and turn into real human beings. People who care about their parents, people who realize the value of life, people who are respected by their families, people who respect that all life is sacred. Real people experiencing the human dimension of the five senses and balancing that experience with their intuitive judgment.

True spirituality, total awareness and mindfulness result from this type of practice. Real people conducting business in an ethical and moral way are also expressing their own true nature. Daily meditation brings mind body and spirit together resulting in finding happiness.