It is amazing to me how many people want the rewards of yoga yet are afraid as hell to have faith in following the classical study and practice of yama and niyama. It is amazing to me to see my ego at work and realize I am one of them. It is far more likely for someone such as myself to spend hundreds of dollars attending workshops and buying equipment for attaining a pose than it is for that same person to attend to hundreds of minutes self reflecting upon their impact on the world and their ability to manage the ugly parts they see. All of that would of course help us solve our own problems , is laid out and requires no outside guru, no clothes and very little pockets of time or money but that is not the yoga many people want. So you can imagine my amusement when Russell Brand's take on seeing life through the process of meditation and yoga hit social media and made perfect sense to me. I was actually quite amused at the way he is riding out the concepts of classical practice parameters while "working the system". I am not sure he is for real or if he is using the acquired knowledge for manipulation; but, either way, it is very apparent he gets it.
You See "getting it" or what I would consider understanding the practice can make you very powerful It will manifest the exact needs you have for your targeted focus at that time. So if your mind's focus is a killer body than the body will follow , like a puppy dog, to all the important achievements in your mind and in a few months of practice you will glow like a Griswold Christmas light show. Just remember, do not be confused with every eye catching light show being the meaning of Christmas. What if the lens you filter your experiences through is clouded by greed, impatience or fear? Is it really green and red light you are seeing on the tree or is it a single light wave coming through a colored piece of glass. This is why it is imperative to not delve too deep into the practice of yoga without Limbs 1 & 2 under your belt.
The fact is many powerful yogis do not physically look the part but they still feel their grace because they are masters of limbs 1 and 2 and dabble for health needs in asana ( all the postures). It is very true that circulation and body awareness is important because we need to take care of the house of our soul but this can be accomplished by a clean diet and general physical fitness exercise. You do not need yoga asana to do it but yoga asana is a step by step path. We do need to live in this world of form and structure but the goal of yoga practice is self realization not headstand. The idea is to obtain flow and strength of mindset and form, to literally turn your world upside down but to be settled in meditation there as if you always knew it as right side up. It is the goal, if there is one in yoga practice, to be able to perceive your max potential through the finest subtleties of poor health as well as the over abundant joys of a good lifestyle. The lens should be clear and direct pure light. I thank Guruji for teaching me that, especially when I am but a struggling yogi in progress.
So I get it and keep looking for the yogis in hiding. I keep looking in the mirror. I keep looking outside for the small, round, unpopular and mistaken ones longing for a clear consciousness. I keep looking for myself as I look for the one behind a powerful figure or the homeless man on the street. I look forward to meeting the saints or spirits that will manifest in human form at a moment when I needed the words, the spiritual connect or a smile. I keep looking and welcome the ones suffering or misunderstood. I keep looking because they dutifully carry the sorrows of the world in their hearts like me because I can teach them to find contentment through their strain. I keep looking for the bruised or talents in the ruff because I understand that pain is real and a part of life. I want them to see that while they do not like it, they can understand how to be humble and continue on until they are not of this body or mindset to do so anymore. I keep looking because I know there are people out there that will always make their mark and I want to support them.
I said I get it! I am a human in practice for a spiritual existence just like everyone else. I negate my practice needs to some extent almost every day but I can't even get away from the path because I see patients that want me to magically heal their pain and go through the suffering for them. They want the answers minus the experience. They want me to pass that experience onto them through my touch, my word or my action instead of doing their work alone. I get it , The ultimate guru is within but I am understanding the trials of being the guru through living the life of a physical therapist, mother, wife, woman and very hard on myself householder. I get it, I sell it and live it but it is so easy to objectively look at the entire 8 limb path of yoga and say, "Oh I can do that easier. Maybe I can just skip being nice to everyone including myself. Maybe I can limit my compassion to my family, friends or pets and still resist the desire to complain about how I look , dress or talk." But I get it. I get it!! I can not look the part enough.I can not forsake retreating into spiritual studies often. I can not mindfully redirect my light through a dirty lens. I can not live guarded and just say that is my style, that is my brand, that is me and me is great. Because I get it.......I get it.....I get it!
