Discipline of yoga

 

Yoga is what happens when you are in the moment, so totally at ease and in peace. So what is yoga? It is chitta vritti nirodaha. Yoga means uniting with your source. This happens when the mind, which is chattering all the time, suddenly becomes silent. Yoga is called a discipline. When does the need for discipline arise? Discipline arises when something is not very charming to begin with.

There are three types of happiness. One is sattvic — happiness which is not pleasurable to begin with, but ends in joy; rajasic — happiness that seems to begin well but ends in misery; and tamasic — there appears to be happiness but in reality there is only misery from beginning to end. 

No discipline is necessary for tamasic happiness. Wrong discipline results in rajasic happiness. For sattvik happiness, discipline is essential to begin with. It need not be uncomfortable all the time. But if it is uncomfortable, then you should be able to bear with it. You need discipline. That is why Patanjali begins with the present, when things are not clear and when your heart is not in the right place. 

The discipline of yoga is nobody’s imposition, it is self-imposed. Shasana means rules someone imposes on you. Anushasana is the rule you impose upon yourself. When you are thirsty and want to drink water, you do not say “Oh! This is a rule, I must drink water”. When you are hungry you just eat. When it comes to the question of enjoying oneself, no discipline is necessary. When you are happy, when you are in peace or happiness, then you are already in yourself. There is no discipline there. But when the mind is wagging its tail all the time, then discipline is essential to calm it down. The fruit of it is eventually blissful, joyful. Like a diabetic saying, “I have the discipline not to eat sugar”. 

There is a lot we impose on ourselves — every morning we wake up and brush our teeth, and brush them again before going to bed. But these have been self-imposed from childhood by your mother. Once it became a habit, you understood it was for your own good. And then you found it was no longer your mother’s rule, but your own. In the same way, keeping yourself clean, hygienic, exercising, meditating, being kind, considerate etc- all these rules you have imposed on yourself are discipline. 

Yoga is the act of restraining or freeing the mind from the clutches of the modulations of the mind. There are five types of modulations of the mind — wanting proof for everything, lack of comprehension, imagination, sleep and memory. All through the day, your mind is in one these modulations. But, if there are those moments when you are not sleeping, not remembering old things, not imagining, or looking for proof, then that moment yoga has happened. 

At that moment what is happening? You are just by yourself in the journey of your own self, which is the source of joy or source of love or source of peace and knowledge. This happens whenever you are watching the sunset or when you experience beauty in your life or when you experience lot of energy in the body. This also happens after pranayama (breathing techniques) or during meditation. The mind is then free from all these five modulations. That is why when you do yogasanas you put the body, mind and breath, all in one rhythm. That is when real yoga is happening and you are with yourself.

Light up the fire within!

 

If you are unhappy, you better check if one or all of these are lacking: tapa (penance), vairagya (dispassion), sharanagati (surrender). Tapas is agreeing with the moment, total acceptance of pleasant or unpleasant situations. Vairagya means “I want nothing and I am nothing”. Sharanagati is, “I am here for you, for your joy.”

If you grumble, that means you are lacking these because when you accept the situation, you cannot grumble. When you take it as tapa or a state of dispassion or surrender, you will have no complaints. These three purify your mind and uplift you in joy. If you don’t do it willingly, you will do it in desperation. First you say, “Nothing can be done.” Then in anger and desperation you say, “I give up, I want nothing.”

We need to remember that we are fire. However, some ash gets accumulated over the mind. Once you blow the ash away, the fire will rise up and shine brightly. If there are too many worries in your mind, then just say ‘Hmm’ (with slight force), and all that ash that has accumulated on the mind will be wiped off and you will feel fresh. Often we sit and keep worrying. Don’t sit and brood over it. March ahead, remembering that you are fire.

When you know you are fire, nothing can burn you. Let go of the past and move happily into the future. Take life in its totality. Some pleasant, some unpleasant experiences happen and then they go away. There is no problem that cannot be solved. The solution is the tail of every problem. Solutions come to you when you are calm and collected; you use intelligence; you are not lethargic but active and you have strong faith in divine law. Knowing that “I have all the blessings, I have the grace, only the best will happen to me”, you should move ahead.

How can I change my astrological predictions?

 

Astrology is the study of the connection between macrocosm and the microcosm. Everything in this universe is connected. But astrology is not fatalistic. It is about probabilities. It just gives you a roadmap. It gives you an idea or an overview of how things are.

But, there are many free choices of yours, like there are many exits on the highway. If you take a picture from the sky, you can see the entire highway, but there are many exits and the car can take any exit. That choice is there.

So, life is a combination of freewill and destiny. It is not only freewill or only destiny and astrology is a way to know about it.

But the more important thing is the impact of your practices. Meditation and spirituality are one step higher than astrology. Your meditation, compassion, work, and attitude can change things.

Opposite values

 


Positives and negatives are merely a play and display of the relative. In the absolute, there is neither positive nor negative.

Date and time are relevant, only when you are at some point on the globe, the moment you take off to outer space, there is neither day nor night, no time, no date, no year.

Similarly, positives and negatives are relative. Opposite values appear to be opposing, but in some way they are complimentary.

Life gives you both positive and negative. Focus on the good and move ahead with commitment.

Music, sound and silence

 

The purpose of sound is silence. Sound originates from silence and its goal is silence. Silence simply means total harmony.

When there is total harmony deep within you, then even sound seems like an object, it seems heavy. But the way is through sound, through music.

Music is that which connects the individual to the universal. The limited mind expands through music and realizes it is already part of the big consciousness or the big mind.


Things happen - you need to move on

 

In the world things happen, some pleasant, some unpleasant. Some things happen the way you want it, some things don’t happen the way you want. Bundle it all and put it aside. Nothing can really take away your happiness.

Things come and fleet away, and everything that comes and goes has a purpose. A thorn and a soft rose petal, they both have their purpose.

Even if you get disturbed, never mind! It’s okay. ‘Okay, I got disturbed, so what?’ Move on. I think it gradually happens. Sometimes you don’t even notice that you’ve suddenly become unconditionally happy!

I want to see everyone smiling and happy. Just create waves of happiness, everything else is irrelevant.

Free yourself from the storm of emotions

 

Life is found to be caught up in storms so very often. And you are not yourself when you are in a storm. You don’t know what to do. At those moments all your spiritual practices, concepts, ideas and ideals fall apart. Your devotion, your love and all the beautiful things you cherish in your life, simply don’t seem to be there or mean anything. You are under the influence of a big storm. A whirlwind rises in you and throws you off balance.

What do you do? Nothing is helpful. You sit, close your eyes and try to meditate. But the mind is all over the place. You feel as though you are in a burning furnace, and you don’t know how to put the fire out. And the more effort you make to cool it down, and put it out, the more the fire burns, the more the restlessness and agitation increase. You are yourself only between the storms. How many storms rise in your life, and how frequently do they rise?

The less frequent they are, the more you are yourself. At those moments you are happy; you are settled. You are calm. Just think of those moments of intense restlessness, agitation and feverishness. The breath becomes heavier. The body becomes unbearable. You are not at all aware of the mind. But that is not what you are. You get a glimpse of the clearness of yourself between two storms. But life seems to be like the ocean – wave after wave lashing at you, one after another.

This is the only problem. This is the only basic problem in the universe. There is no other problem. You can attach it to one thousand causes or reasons, but the problem is how to free your life from this storm which has gripped it.

The first thing to do is to become aware of this. At that moment, the storm will subside. First, stop regretting things. For no reason, there is turmoil in the mind. When your mind cools down and you experience that inner cool, soft and delicate aspect of yourself, there is a big relief.

No one storm can be there all the time. It is impossible. It comes and subsides.

Your mind is like a wind – a whirlwind, subsiding and cooling down. That is your true nature. That is love. You have been resisting, restless, all this time. Now you see it is there. Okay, so let it be there. It is a part of nature. The storm is also a part of nature. Stop resisting the storm. Take it, gulp it in its totality; go deep into it and you will see it is nothing. It is just created out of yourself, your mind and your consciousness. In that aspect of you, you are your Self.

Know that there is a power, some power, someone, who is really caring for you.

Not just someone there is only One in the whole universe. That One in the universe is caring and taking care of you. You can relax, rest and be peaceful.

There cannot be an ocean without waves. Every event touches life somewhere on its surface. It creates movement. Take all that comes with both your hands. Don’t say that it is impossible or not possible for you. This thought of something being not possible means that you are resisting. This is making the storms stay for long periods. Stand there with your arms open. Say, ‘Whatever storms come, let them, I’m here.’ You grow out of them. You become bigger.

Tell yourself:

“Come what may, there is nothing that can destroy me. It may be excruciatingly painful, but it doesn’t matter. It still cannot destroy or kill me. I am here. I am much, much bigger than all these emotions, commotions or waves. They all rise inside me, in me, and in no way can they destroy me. I will let them be.”

So when a storm arises, just be with it. Do not try to get rid of the storm. Be with it; go into it. And, of course, you have your meditation and spiritual practices to help purify your whole system. It’s such a blessing.

NOTHING can take away your happiness

 

In the world things, events, happen, some pleasant, some unpleasant. Some things happen the way you want it, some things don’t happen the way you want. Bundle it all and put it aside. Nothing can really take away your happiness.

Things come and fleet away, and everything that comes and goes has a purpose. A thorn and a soft rose petal, they both have their purpose.

Even if you get disturbed, never mind! It’s okay. ‘Okay, I got disturbed, so what?’ Move on. I think it gradually happens. Sometimes you don’t even notice it that you’ve suddenly become unconditionally happy!

I want to see everyone smiling and happy. Just create waves of happiness, everything else is irrelevant.

Underlying basis for a friendship to blossom

 

A friendship based just on needs doesn't last long. However when it comes from a space of sharing, the whole world will befriend you. 

Tell your friends, ‘I’m here for you’, I don’t want anything from you other than friendship. That will make your friendship long-lasting.

When you come from that space, don't you think your friend will not help you? They will help you when you need help. Not one but ten will come to help you.

Not demanding anything from friends, and telling them I’m here to support you is the key.

Buddha is the manifestation of silence

 

When Buddha got enlightened on that full moon day in the month of May, it is said that he maintained silence for the whole week. He did not say a word. Mythology says that all the angels in the heaven were frightened. They knew that it was only once in a millennium that someone blossoms like Buddha. Now he was silent!

The angels then requested him to say something. He said, “Those who know, they know even without me saying it and those who do not know, will not know even if I say it. Any description of light to a blind man is of no use. There is no point in talking to those who have not tasted the ambrosia of life, and therefore I am silent. How can you convey something so intimate and personal? Words cannot convey it. And, as many scriptures in the past have revealed, words end where truth begins.”

The angels said, “What you say is right. But consider those who are on the borderline, who are neither fully enlightened nor totally ignorant. For them, a few words will give a push, for their sake you speak, and every word of yours will create that silence.”

The purpose of words is to create silence. If words create more noise, then they have not reached their goal. Buddha’s words would definitely create silence, because Buddha is the manifestation of silence. Silence is the source of life and is the cure for diseases. When people are angry, they maintain silence. First they shout and then silence dawns. When one is sad, they ask to be left alone and retreat into silence. Similarly, silence is the recourse one takes to if ashamed. If one is wise too, there’s silence.

Look at the noise in your mind. What is it about? Money? Fame? Recognition? Fulfillment? Relationships? The noise is about something; silence is about nothing. Silence is the basis; noise is the surface. From the very beginning, Buddha lived a very satisfied life. Any pleasure was at his feet the moment he wanted it. One day he said, “I would like to go and see what the world is.”

Buddha set out in the quest for truth, all by himself, leaving his palace, his wife and son. The stronger the silence, the more powerful will be the questions that arise from such a silence. Nothing could stop him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away during the day, so he quietly escaped at night and his search continued for several years. He did all that people told him to do, he went from place to place, fasted, and he walked many paths, before discovering four truths.

At a time when there was so much prosperity, Buddha gave a begging bowl to his main disciples and asked them to go and beg! He made kings take off their royal robes and take a bowl in their hand! Not that they were in need of food but he wanted to teach them the lesson of becoming ‘nobody’ from being ‘somebody’. You are nobody; you are insignificant in this Universe. When kings and geniuses of that time were asked to beg, they became embodiments of compassion.

The first truth is, there is misery in the world. In life, there are only two possibilities. One is to observe the world around us and know from others’ sufferings. The other is to experience it and find that it is misery.

The second truth is there is a cause for misery. You can be happy without a reason, but misery has a cause. The third is that it is possible to eliminate misery. And the fourth truth is that there is a path to be out of misery.

Observe your true nature. What is your true nature? It is peace, compassion, love, friendliness and joy and it is silence that gives birth to all this. Silence swallows the sadness, guilt, and misery and gives birth to joy, compassion and love. In this way, everyone can enjoy and cross the ocean of misery.