Creatively Engaging and Integrating Your Shadow Side

“Hello darkness, my old friend,

I’ve come to talk to you again…”

Many readers will no doubt recognize these as the haunting opening lines of Paul Simon’s song Sounds of Silence. To me, that song always reflected a desire to understand and integrate the shadow side of one’s personality. Everyone has a light and shadow side; to deny this is to deny reality.

Our shadow sides can frighten and repel us, and this can be a good thing to a certain degree. We are mammals with highly developed cerebral cortexes; as such, we have nurturing and loving instincts that we ought to engage and develop. But in evolutionary terms, we’re only half a minute or so removed from our hunter/gatherer ancestors, and from them we’ve inherited predatory and tribalistic instincts as well. Many of us have encountered our authentic, ideal selves in meditation; we know that divinity resides within us. Yet to deny the reality of our animal selves is to invite disaster. Pushing them down deep into the subconscious tends to make them manifest in disastrous ways. The most successful human beings, I think, are those who consciously engage their shadow sides, learn from them, and integrate those energies into their lives in a positive way.

When we encounter the darker sides of our nature: our anger, rage, jealousy, bigotry, and the rest, what are we as yoga and meditation practitioners to do? I would suggest that all energy is malleable; one form of energy can always be transformed into another. Meditation is about being fully aware of what’s going on, both within and without. If in the course of meditating we come across some singularly unpleasant aspect of our nature, I think we should simply sit with it at first, allowing it to be what it is. As Thich Nhat Hahn teaches, “There is a time to visit with a pleasant friend, and a time to visit with those who are not so pleasant.”

If jealousy arises, try saying, “Hello, jealousy, I know you’re there. It’s okay; you can be what you are.” If anger comes to the surface while you meditate, you can welcome it in the same way: “Hello, anger, old friend. I know you; I know you need to be acknowledged.” As soon as you stop resisting these aspects of your shadow self and allow them to be what they are, they lose some of their power over you. You are then free to start transforming their energy into something positive. It’s really not that difficult to transform the energies of hatred, jealousy and delusion into their glorious opposites: love, expansiveness and enlightenment. But they will not yield to the transformative process until they are acknowledged and validated.

Of course, this does not imply that we should indiscriminately embrace all the impulses from the shadow side of our personalities; that’s how tyrants and murderers are created. One must find an ideal balance between the extremes of complete denial and total embrace. By practicing faithfully and working skillfully, a practitioner can find the middle way and be a source of joy to herself and others.

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1. Yoga, Pilates – and an Opinion from a Friend

photo credit: Vasenka

Recently, as I was headed out the door for a yoga class, I realized that I had never invited my good friend out to a class with me. I thought she would like just to get out of the house, especially considering the fact that she is very active in the running community. But when I got her on the phone, she almost couldn’t say no fast enough because she felt that yoga delved too deeply into religion, and since she is a staunch Jehovah’s Witness, she felt it went against her belief system to go to a class.

This got me to thinking; is yoga a religion? Is it seen as such? Hmm…investigation is required.

Now, I’m someone who truly feels that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, as long as they aren’t forced upon anyone else. I believe in God, but that is my own personal choice, and I don’t choose to worship in a public church venue and I don’t feel that my belief in God affects my yoga practice. And I also believe that we have so much to learn from one another and other religions, so much so that to me, every day is a new and important experience on the path to my own spirituality.

Once the idea came to my head, I felt a real need to research the idea of yoga as a potential religion. A really great article can be found here: simply click on the “Is Yoga a Religion” link. I’ve read countless articles on the topic, several books on Hinduism and Buddhism, and several forums. The debate obviously still exists.

As most of my readings deduced, there is no denying that yoga practices are rooted in eastern traditions, however, that is simply because that is where yoga originated. And although these concepts often still remain in yoga itself, it doesn’t have to be a part of your practice.

I use an analogy based on Canada as a whole. Canada is a country where a majority of the original immigrants were of a Christian faith. However, Christianity certainly isn’t a necessary criteria that regulates one’s ability to become Canadian. In fact, what makes Canada so amazing is the mix of ethnicity and faiths that comprise our amazing country, and the right to retain your beliefs no matter where you are. I see yoga as being similar to Canada. You can stroll into any yoga studio and believe in any deity, God, or higher power, and still retain that faith, all through the class, all while stretched into warrior pose.

For those of you who worry that yoga will encroach upon your own personal religious beliefs, I encourage you to go to a class and shop around for a studio that makes you feel comfortable. If the teacher is spouting off with a bunch of Buddhist ideology that makes you uncomfortable, then feel free to walk out of the room and into another studio that is more in line with your beliefs. Yoga is more accessible today than it ever has been before. One no longer needs to go to a retreat in India to learn the path to a deeper practice. There are books, DVD, classes, whatever! The belief system that exists in yoga is not married to any religion. This is what makes it so beneficial to people across the world.

So from what I’ve learned, the answer to my original question is no, yoga is not a religion. It is simply a tool to deeper understanding of yourself, and in fact, can often deepen your relationship with whatever God you believe in, or don’t believe in. Yoga can give any number of things to yourself and to your body, if only you let it.

Kelly

No related posts.

photo credit: ServantofAgape

Hello again and welcome back!  In last week’s article, we began a five part series based on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and the first of the Eight Limbs of Yoga; Yama, or ethical disciplines.  Part one of Yama – Ethics for all Humanity is available through this link, and covers the first of the five ethical disciplines, Ahimsã.  Today, we will be looking at the second ethical discipline; Satya, or Truth.

As I briefly spoke of prior, we appear to be entering a time in our society and in many societies where the basic moral underpinnings are being washed away by the day to day struggles towards freedom, financial safety and outright survival for far too many of our brothers and sisters.  What we need is a change of mind in the way we view our relationships with all aspects of our lives, and a change of response. Patanjali saw this inevitable breakdown some 1700 to 2200 years ago, and in his wisdom provided these ethical disciplines to guide humanity back onto the path that we as a species have appeared to have fallen off of.

Satya

The second of the five ethical disciplines is Satya, or Truth.  I want to emphasize the difference between truth with a small ‘t’ and Truth with a capital ‘T’;  Truth with a capital ‘T’ is universal and knows no boundaries and can speak from thousands of years ago with the same authority today.  Any other truth is not really truth at all, and there are no such things as half-truths.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Truth is God and God is Truth.”  Satya or Truth therefore, is the highest ideal of conduct and personal morality.  In speaking truth, thinking only truth, and performing genuine actions based on truth, we act in harmony with The Creator, and find all our needs fulfilled without effort.  There is a much deeper component to Satya when it comes to our day to day relationships and interactions with others; remaining true to ourselves and being genuine in every moment of our existence.

The real me

To remain true to ourselves is to remain sovereign over our minds and carry the realization that only we determine our actions.  In example, a teen under pressure to smoke marijuana with friends remains true to herself and chooses to leave the party; whereas her friend refuses to leave and against her own better judgment smokes marijuana to feel part of the group, and is not true to herself.

One of the easiest ways to recognize we are letting go of our own truth is when our sentences start with words like; “You made me,” and “That person drives me,” or something to this affect.  Remaining genuine means accepting that regardless of another’s actions or the situation, you still chose to speak or act the way you did of your own accord.

Losing Power!

When we are not true to ourselves and are not genuine, we give all our personal power to the object, person, or situation that we blame our words or behavior on.  After awhile, it becomes a disease – there will always be something responsible outside of ourselves on which we will lay the blame.  This leaves us solely in the control of any outside force that comes our way; be it the environment, a person – anything can whip our emotions and our thoughts into a frenzy of responses.

Remaining sovereign over your own self allows you to enter into any situation with clarity and truth as your ally.  In a storm of events, the genuine person is an island of calm and peace.  Confronted by anger, hatred, or fear; the sovereign individual sees through this and takes action on a much deeper and more meaningful level.

The four sins of speech

According to Patanjali, there are four sins of speech:  ridiculing what others hold to be sacred, abuse and obscenity, spreading falsehood, and outright lying.  I can personally admit at one time or another I have been guilty of all of these…repeatedly.  As a young boy from a single parent, exceptionally poor family, I used to feel the need to lie to schoolmates when it came to television (we did not own one)…and after a decidedly unpleasant departure from the Catholic faith years later, there was no end for the better part of a decade to the ridicule I would rain down on any unsuspecting Catholic that crossed my path.

Patanjali was right; the tale bearer is more poisonous that a snake – and I aspire now to be better than that.  ‘Sin’ as defined by Patanjali was considered as anything that moved one away from focus on God, or the Divine.  There is no blame there, only the opportunity to learn and grow.  When we can guard our tongue against these for sins, or even make our best attempt; we are participating in helping and healing others and ourselves.

Next week

We’ll be moving off topic for next week when I will present an article selfishly geared to men:  Mid-life man Yoga!  We’ll cover some of the symptoms of mid-life crisis, some tips to help, and of course, Yoga to soothe the mind and body!

Until then…Namaste.

Related posts:

1. Yama – Ethics for all Humanity…Part I: Ahimsã

In a world gone mad where ethics are seldom pure, politicians are expected to lie, and the very foundation of our society appears to be falling from beneath us; it may time to consider Patanjali’s commandments that were designed to transcend country, creed, religion, age, and time.  Patanjali wrote these commandments to apply to both the whole and the individual – rules of morality for both the society and the person living within the society.

Yama – the first of the Eight Limbs of Yoga described in Chapter II of the Yoga Sutra – is defined as ethical disciplines.  There are five principles that if not followed will lead humanity towards much of what we see happening in the world today: Chaos, violence, covetousness, stealing, and untruth.  According to Patanjali, the best way to combat the root of these problems is by consciously redirecting our thinking towards the following principles:

Ahimsã (non-violence)

In the Sanskrit language, the word Ahimsã is something more than a command not to participate in killing or using violence; its wider meaning is love itself.  This love embraces all of God’s infinite Creation, as we are all Children of Allah.  This same command applies to Nature and all its wondrous diversity:  Do not kill, and practice non-violence.  The true Yogi or Yogini believes that to kill or destroy any being or living thing is to wrong the Creator Itself.

We must understand that violence is a state of mind – not the actions we see manifested by such states.  One can choose to use a knife to cut fruit, or to kill or harm another.  Violence is nothing more than the minds manifestation of fear, weakness, ignorance, or restlessness due to feelings one cannot act.  When we can see ourselves and everything around us as Holy Creation and base our faith in this truth, freedom from fear and ignorance follow naturally.

The right to live

We are all Yogis and Yoginis; aware of it or not.  Those who have realized their sacred place in our world believe that every creature has as much right to live as the Yogi or Yogini.  These men and women know their lives are linked deeply with all other life, and rejoice when they can provide joy and solace to those around them.  The Yogi or Yogini realizes that they have been placed here on this earth in the service of others, and he or she looks upon all of Creation with eyes of love.

Abhaya and Akrodha

An integral part of Ahimsã is Akrodha, or freedom from anger and Abhaya, or freedom from fear.  In order to free ourselves from fear, we must lead a pure life – a life purified through the study of Self.  There are many fears we give power to in our daily existence:  The fear of loss of wealth, job, and reputation, the fears of the future, and of the past, and of things unseen and unknown to us.  Most prevalent in our society is the fear of death itself.  The Yogi or Yogini knows that the body is a temple – a temporary house for the infinite Spirit, and is able to see the macrocosm in the microcosm, as well as him or herself within the whole.  Death becomes a friend; a constant reminder to remain in the moment; relish it, and live fully every minute of every day. When we fully realize our own immortality and rest in the arms of Creation, fear leaves us forever.  How can one who cannot be harmed in any way, has always been and will always be…be harmed?

Akrodha (freedom from anger) really applies to the first of the two types of anger.  The first type of anger manifests itself whenever we feel slighted or wronged in some fashion, or we see others harming themselves or those weaker than they are.  When our minds enter the state of being angry, our judgment becomes clouded, and we strike out at the wrongdoer.

Oppose the wrong, not the wrong-doer

Out of anger, we demand justice when a wrong has been committed.  The Yogi or Yogini can act without anger and oppose the wrong while loving and forgiving the wrong-doer.  Instead of punishing the wrong-doer and inviting continued wrong behavior, the Yogi or Yogini will prescribe penance for the wrong while lovingly showing the wrong-doer a better path to follow.

The second type of anger is ‘self-felt’ by the Yogi or Yogini when he or she acts against their better nature.  This type of anger can lead to spiritual growth in the aspirant, as being stern with one’s own failings can lead to increased willpower and greater focus.  It is important to remember that in being stern with ourselves, we must still balance forgiveness for the times we find ourselves falling down.

Gentleness

Another attribute that goes along with the first commandment of Ahimsã (non-violence) is gentleness.  The Yogi or Yogini is firm with themselves and hold their actions and thoughts to a higher ideal, while at the same time forgiving the wrong actions of others.  This gentleness of mind allows the yogi or Yogini to empathize with any suffering he or she sees, and strive to alleviate that suffering out of gentle love for those he or she sees as part of themselves and all Creation.

Rather than seeing someone who commits a wrong against another as being bad, the gentle mind and heart of the Yogi or Yogini reacts with firm love – as a mother might who loves her children dearly but must cure them of a bad habit before it becomes destructive.  The gentle spirit of the Yogi or Yogini radiates outward from their core, and is recognized by Nature and all of Creation for its peaceful and forgiving ways.

Onward and upward

As each of the five commandments of Patanjali is an article in themselves, this will be a five part series which will run over the next seven or eight weeks, interspersed with other articles to keep the content for our beloved readers fresh and interesting.  I look forward to your feedback and any questions or discussions our readers may wish to engage in on the subject!

Namaste…and peace of Earth.

Related posts:

1. Ethics for all Humanity…Part II: Satya

If you have ever been interested in Yoga or are an active participant, you have been exposed to this ancient sacred language.  Literally; “refined speech,” Sanskrit represents one of the oldest of the Indo-European languages – with the pre-classical Sanskrit of the RigVeda and other ancient texts dating back roughly 4500 years to 5500 years ago.  Considered the ‘cultured’ language, Sanskrit is still used today and is one of the twenty-two official languages of India.

Scholars often distinguish Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit as separate dialects. Though they are quite similar, they differ in a number of essential points of phonology, vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, a large collection of hymns, Samhitas, theological, and philosophical discussions in the Brahmanas and Upanishads. Modern linguists consider the metrical hymns of the RigVeda Samhita to be the earliest; composed by many authors over several centuries of oral tradition. The end of the Vedic period is marked by the composition of the Upanishads, which form the concluding part of the Vedic body of work in the traditional view; however the early Sutras are Vedic too, both in language and content…Around the mid first millennium BCE, Vedic Sanskrit began the transition from a first language to a second language of religion and academia.

Why learn Sanskrit?

I can still remember my first exposure to Sanskrit years ago in India where I attended my very first Yoga class. “Mumble-mumble-asana,” What?  I looked around and tried to mimic the rest of the students who instantly assumed the correct posture.  The Yoga was confusing enough that first day without the language difficulties to boot.  In my usual bull-headed fashion, I dropped all interest in the original Sanskrit terms and focused on the postures instead.  Years later, I realized that my stubbornness was causing me to miss out on an important benefit of traditional Yoga and its use of Sanskrit.

Rick Briggs, a NASA researcher once wrote this in regards to Sanskrit:

“In ancient India the intention to discover truth was so consuming, that in the process, they discovered perhaps the most perfect tool for fulfilling such a search that the world has ever known — the Sanskrit language. There is at least one language, Sanskrit, which for the duration of almost 1000 years was a living spoken language with a considerable literature of its own. Besides works of literary value, there was a long philosophical and grammatical tradition that has continued to exist with undiminished vigor until the present century. Among the accomplishments of the grammarians can be reckoned a method for paraphrasing Sanskrit in a manner that is identical not only in essence but in form with current work in Artificial Intelligence. This article demonstrates that a natural language can serve as an artificial language also, and that much work in AI has been reinventing a millennia old wheel.  The discovery is of monumental significance. It is mind-boggling to consider that we have available to us a language which has been spoken for 4-7000 years that appears to be in every respect a perfect language designed for enlightened communication.”

A spiritual language rooted in science

“But the most stunning aspect of the discovery is this: NASA the most advanced research center in the world for cutting edge technology has discovered that Sanskrit, the world’s oldest spiritual language is the only unambiguous spoken language on the planet. Considering Sanskrit’s status as a spiritual language, a further implication of this discovery is that the age old dichotomy between religion and science is an entirely unjustified one.  It is also relevant to note that in the last decade physicists have begun to comment on the striking similarities between their own discoveries and the discoveries made thousands of years ago in India which went on to form the basis of most Eastern religions.”

When we learn the Sanskrit words and meanings as related to our Yoga, we are re-establishing a connection with the vibrations of millions upon millions of Yoga followers both past and present; as well as reconnecting ourselves to the ancient wisdom and spiritual knowledge that is contained within the vast works of Eastern history.  We are speaking the same words of Patanjali and so many others – carrying on (almost unconsciously) a profound history of inquiry into the natural and spiritual world which is rivaled by no other culture on our planet.  No other language in earth’s history has been designed to work with Creation and follow the resonances of the universe and Nature itself as with Sanskrit.  Truly, the more we learn of this language, the more direct wisdom and knowledge we are able to access.

Where to learn Sanskrit

For the purposes of Yoga alone, you have probably absorbed quite a few Sanskrit words and their definitions if you are a practitioner of a traditional Yoga form.  If you wish to improve your pronunciation and vocabulary, I have found a few free resources which are very helpful:

Sanskrit simplified pronunciation guide

http://www.selfdiscoveryportal.com/cmSanskritPron.htm

Online dictionary and utilities

http://sanskritdocuments.org/dict/

For those more serious about this ancient and spiritual language, you may download a complete course with lessons, tests and answers here:

Sanskrit Course

Namaste, my friends…

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1. The Language of Yoga: Nicolai Bachman

photo credit: Symic

Tuesday morning dawned wet and overcast – a perfect day to solve the occasional writer’s block I am prone to.  Usually I am just putting the final touches on an article by this time…not still trying to figure out what to write; but as it turned out, the subject of this article was already waiting in my email inbox.

We’ve discussed teaching, and what it means to be a great teacher – of Yoga or otherwise; but what makes a good student?  Life is a classroom – and there are some general guidelines that apply to all facets of our existence, as well as some amazing help along the journey.  Think of these guidelines as a student handbook given on your first day of school, except this school is lifetime enrollment – and its motto is too funny (forgive my warped sense of humor): “Graduation ceremonies held as required at the local funeral home.”

The Inbox

It has been over thirty years (gulp) since I attended grade three, and to be honest most of those memories are dim, shadowy remnants hiding in dark corners; but in a moment of Life’s curious synchronicity a light has been lit.  I received an email from a reader who recognized a reference to an amazing teacher during my third grade year – and as it turns out, we not only shared the classroom, but we both were influenced by this person at critical times in our existence…and so begins lesson one of life’s student handbook.

The First Lesson

Open up the student’s handbook to Life and you will find two words under lesson one:  “Don’t Panic.”  There is more wisdom hidden within these two simple words than I have room to write – which is probably why only these words are used.  Another way of saying “don’t panic” is instead to say “cultivate peace.”  When we keep centered within ourselves with a clear mind, the answers to life’s problems can be seen.  Clouded by fear and panic, we often fail to see what is right in front of us and instead make poor choices that can negatively impact our lives.  Learning not to panic and how to remain calm and focused in any situation is the most valuable lesson we can learn.  Both Yoga and meditation help to build this centeredness…

Lesson Two

As a good student of any sort, absorbing the material is a must.  On the second page of the student’s handbook to Life is lesson two.  Lesson two states, again, very simply:  “You have help.”  As with the grade three teacher who was there for not only myself, but at least one other (my heart tells me many), we all have help.  When we look back at our lives, it is easy to see in retrospect those who mysteriously entered our lives at a time we needed them, and then vanished almost as mysteriously when the time was past.

Not all the help we receive is easy to recognize, but as a good student, we should be aware of it.  The partner you angrily argue with over a trivial matter, a loud and obnoxious neighbor, or a loved one you feel more like strangling…all these people too are in our lives to help us along our way.  The help we receive does not have to be asked for – it is a natural part of Life’s University; but it is more effective when as a good student you come to recognize it in your daily life.  This help extends beyond our encounters with other people and into our environment as well.  A spectacular sunset watched in solitude can dispel a miserable day at the office more effectively than any medication – and with no harmful side effects!

Lesson Three

Lesson three comprises four words:  “Pay attention in class.”  A good student listens to the teacher, asks questions when confused, and pays attention to what is being taught.  Sadly, the majority of Life’s students pay very little attention at all in class.  We can get so wrapped up in work, bills, possessions…and then we stop listening in the classroom.  Paying attention can be as simple as stopping to notice roses on your way to work, or more importantly, learning to recognize the signs around the class pointing you in the right direction.

Learning to pay attention is a way of recognizing the sanctity of each moment and giving it the respect it deserves.  On a more physical level, our bodies give us many signs as things slowly begin to go wrong due to stress, disease, misuse, poor nutrition, and many other reasons.  Being aware of the subtle shifts in your health can give indicators that can save your life in some cases – as in the case of someone who begins to experience minor chest pains on occasion and rather than shrug them off, sees a doctor for tests and makes lifestyle changes to prevent a major attack.

Lesson Four

Lesson four in the handbook of what makes a good student is also straightforward:  “Lessons are repeated until learned.”  In life, a good student sees the lesson the first time it is being taught, and absorbs its teachings.  Our Teacher is a kind and loving sort – giving lessons that are easy and cause us little upheaval in our lives.  It is only when we fail to understand or absorb the lesson that they slowly become more and more intrusive – until we are forced to face what it is we must learn in this life.

Lesson Five

No wonder this handbook is not available in published form – six pages and less than a few dozen words…but it would be worth a fortune.  Lesson five is just as short and to the point:  “Nobody fails.”  That’s right.  You cannot possibly fail.  As a student, this means just a little more than receiving a passing grade at the end of your days; it also means that you should remain unattached from the results of your efforts.  Do the work in your life to the best of your ability and creativity, and let it go.  When we set all these expectations on ourselves and what we are trying to accomplish, we are setting ourselves up for failure instead of remaining open to the way we need to go.

A student’s point of view

Boy, there are days that class can really suck.  Too much homework or you think the Teacher is mad at you, or you just can’t seem to get it…That is where the final three words of our student handbook help.  On page six is written not a lesson, but a reminder:  “I love you.”  When you take a moment to realize how many events, people and situations are created for the sole purpose of teaching you what you need to learn, how can you not feel loved?  When you see the sun shining down upon you in the morning, remember that it shines for you too.  As children of The Creator, we are always loved, never abandoned, and never lost…

Namaste, my friends.

No related posts.

I confess it has been a difficult couple of weeks – to the point where I found it necessary to take five days off work, retreat from the world – and regain balance.  Even my Yoga has suffered – too tired, too much on my plate, can’t focus… The day to day hustle, the mental and emotional stress of the work environment, bills, personality conflicts, and sometimes just plain old nasty people; they all contribute to this ‘yoke’ that modern culture has become.

When we are not engaged in our daily affairs, we stereotypically turn to TV or the Internet for what most call “down time.”  Little time is reserved for actively strengthening our commitments to higher ideals, spending time in nature (a healing place), or communing with ourselves…and our Higher Self.  Why does our own ‘inner voice’ seem so subdued, if audible at all, in today’s world?  Where is the Divine Nature of our existence in our day to day activities and especially, our thoughts?

The Bhagavad Gita

Yes, I have spoken of this tome before…although this incarnation is by far the most readable, understandable, and valuable of any read to date.  I have read this book over and over again in the last few weeks, and draw strength and faith from its pages.  The Bhagavad Gita is a love song sung by God to His friend man.  The Gita is a statement of the core truths which many of us already believe in our deepest hearts – making these truths clearer, and offering practical application in our daily lives.  More than just a book, the Bhagavad Gita has an ‘accumulated potency’ – full of the ancient but ever current breath of spiritual energy and strength.

Dr. Jack Hawley

In the course of writing The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners, Jack Hawley consulted over thirty different texts, and in doing so has synthesized the original languages into English in such a way that has preserved in ancient within the new.  The recently of late Sathya Sai Baba and many other contributors served as sounding boards and advisors during the creation of this English translation – rigorously testing the translations and their meanings to insure the heart of the Gita remained intact.  Jack Hawley is a student, teacher, consultant, and lecturer who works to instill new energy, heart, and spirit into large organizations and groups.  Over the last fourteen years, Hawley has spent half of each year in India learning, teaching, and living by the principles in the Gita.

What I needed

As I had said, it has been a rough while as of late.  There is a real downside to losing balance in life – once you start down the dark side… (Sorry, watched Star Wars on the weekend!)  It’s true, though.  Once my Yoga fell to the wayside, I of course began to beat myself up about it.  This eventually turned to becoming angry with myself, and then angry at others.  When my anger at myself spread outward, my meditations started to falter, and then I noticed my appetite changing, sleep changing…STOP THE BUS!  I’ve learned the hard way that there is a point we all reach at some time or another affectionately known as “The breaking point.”  Going past the breaking point is a one way ticket to the dark side, and I was teetering on the edge. (I know, enough with the Star Wars references…)

I took Jack Hawley’s advice and buried myself in the Bhagavad Gita…too unfocused to meditate or contemplate on it for any length of time; I read it.  I read it slowly, against my ingrained ‘research skim’ I treat most books with; stopping to go back and re-read when the end of a stanza forgot the beginning.  Over and over – no TV (well, except for Star Wars – again, sorry), no music, just the Bhagavad Gita and an intense hope that the accumulated energy of this work would somehow just seep into me.

Where I Got It…

Miserable use of language, I know…but it fit the time.  Chapter Eighteen of Jack Hawley’s the Bhagavad Gita is entitled:  “Liberation Through Knowing, Acting, and Loving (Moksha Sanyasa Yoga), with a simple yet profound subtitle – “Give Me your whole heart.”  I think I reread the subtitle four or five times, as if stuck on it the first time I read the book.  A subtle little bell was beginning to chime softly in the distance of my soul…no nearer or farther than I imagined it, I suppose.

Years of searching, years of education in religious studies and ancient philosophies, thousands of books, and tens of versions of the Gita – none spoke to me as this did.  My heart has belonged to the Creator always.  Meditations and my day begin with prayer to be an instrument of The Divine, see that Divinity in all things, and act accordingly.  What part of my whole heart was I failing to give?  I realized that once I had been liberated from narrow-minded “it’s our way to heaven or you will go to hell” philosophies (no offence to anyone), I have been lacking something:  A practice I was totally comfortable with and could follow.

How one becomes Perfect

Stanza fifty as The Divine speaks yet again to Arjuna:

50   So learn from Me now, friend, as I briefly profile the qualities that make the loving Yogi one with Me.¹ There is no higher achievement.

51   Cultivate a pure intellect.  Free your mind and heart from delusion.  Be self-restrained.  Give up the ego.  Subdue your senses through steady will.  Abandon the sight, tastes, and noises of the world.  Put aside with no regret the likes and dislikes so burdensome in life.

52   Seek solitude; eat but little, lead a simple, self-reliant life, curbing your thoughts, speech, and actions.  Be detached, impersonal.  Engage your mind always in concentration, contemplation, and meditation on the Godhead.

The instructions go on, but at stanza fifty-five The Divine ‘stops’ to drive a point home.  In the midst of profiling the qualities one should develop, Krishna (The Divine) gives a ‘sacred shortcut’ to Arjuna:

55   Be very clear about the crucial importance of love.  To love is to know Me. The act of loving itself is indeed the experience of really knowing Me, for I am Love, Arjuna!  To love is to know My innermost nature, the Truth that I am.  It is through this sacred and deep knowing that you gain access to Me and become one with My own Self.  Loving is knowing God!  As a deep knower of the Godhead, you actually become the Godhead.

Give Me your whole heart

I have always loved God – in all the variations I have considered.  I understand that all our views on the subject are going to differ, and they will probably all turn out to be incorrect and inconsequential in the presence of The Divine once we have shuffled off this mortal coil.  My love for Allah is not whole, however.  I find it easy to see Brahman in the flowers and trees, and all of nature’s creatures and sublime beauty.  I confess that I have a lot of difficulty with seeing Krishna in others still.  Thanks to Jack Hawley’s the Bhagavad Gita, I have a practice to follow as Krishna drives home again and again:  The Divine is inside you and all around you.  Nothing exists outside The Divine, and all that exists within God has at its core Divine Consciousness.

To give God your whole heart is to realize that God is in everyone and everything.  You cannot give your whole heart if you are not willing to love all of Divine Creation as you love God.  That means the person stealing your purse, the beggar asking for money or food…even those who would do you harm, as Krishna speaks of in the Gita.  The only practice we need to follow is Love.

Before I leave you with something to ponder for a few minutes when you have nothing pressing, I wish to extol the love and power inherent within Hawley’s the Bhagavad Gita one last time.  Buy it from Amazon, loan it from the library…heck – go to Chapters with a Starbuck’s and plant yourself in an armchair if you have to.  Read the Gita over and over again, slowly, reverently; the spiritual power in the Truths contained in the Gita will seep into you and begin to resonate.  All Truth has this capacity, and you will quickly notice it working in your own life.

The end

Finally!  For those of you who have remained conscious through this entire article, I salute you!  Back to my ‘problem’ with seeing The Divine in others – here is a thought for both of us to consider:  Imagine that just one person you will run into today is someone God sent your way out of love and curiosity to see how you are progressing in your journey…and God decided he was going to go along for the ride to be there personally.  It could be a beggar, a thief, a close friend, a co-worker, an angry customer – anybody.  Now imagine God is doing that already, in everyone you meet every day…

Namaste

Dr. Jack Hawley

In the course of writing The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners, Jack Hawley consulted over thirty different texts, and in doing so has synthesized the original languages into English in such a way that has preserved in ancient within the new.  The recently of late Sathya Sai Baba and many other contributors served as sounding boards and advisors during the creation of this English translation – rigorously testing the translations and their meanings to ensure the heart of the Gita remained intact.  Jack Hawley is a student, teacher, consultant, and lecturer who works to instill new energy, heart, and spirit into large organizations and groups.  Over the last fourteen years, Hawley has spent half of each year in India learning, teaching, and living by the principles in the Gita.

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photo credit: Axel Bührmann

Just a quick point before we begin:  Why “Teacher” as opposed to “instructor?”  In my own view, the word “Teacher” carries with it thousands of years of honorable and deeply spiritual meaning.  “Instruct” fails to convey the deeper values and meaning of Teacher…and I don’t like the way it sounds either!

I am far from being a good teacher, which is why I offer free Yoga sessions Sunday mornings at a local park…I wouldn’t feel the students were getting the value for the money if I charged anything more than a smile, or even a half-conscious grumbled “good morning.”  It is not that my heart isn’t in the right place, but I still struggle with patience and frustration when someone just can’t “get it,” no matter how I try to explain.  The sacred position of a teacher is not something I accept lightly, and I worry I might sully the field somehow through my inept efforts.  I leave the true teaching to those more deserving the role – Yoga or otherwise.

To teach anything to others is a holy and deeply spiritual calling – even if you are an atheist with no beliefs whatsoever.  Teachers participate in the same process that the whole of creation is here for:  To teach.  To teach or desire to teach Yoga is similar in my view to joining the priesthood, or becoming ordained as a minister; you are answering a higher calling not based on financial reward or physical gain, but an honest desire to share with others what you have learned and introduce others to the path of Yoga and its transformative qualities.  Let’s face it, when it comes to teaching Yoga, few make a full living wage without supplementing their income with regular or part-time work!

To be a great teacher

What does it mean to be a great teacher?  Why not just a good teacher?  From my narrow point of view, all teachers are inherently good through the very act of desiring to teach, and my respect for you knows no ends…The qualities of a great teacher are more than just qualities confined to teaching, they are many of the same qualities that we need to build upon to communicate effectively and enjoy meaningful relations with those around us.  All teachers are good teachers, as I have said before – but to be great:

You can explain anything to anyone – It is a real skill to be able to explain something to someone who knows nothing of the subject, or very little.  The true art of helping someone understand what you are teaching lies in your own ability to discern how that individual views what you are explaining, how they learn, and how best to present the material from their point of view. (One of my personal stumbling blocks…)

Temper, temper – There will be times when stresses in your own life and environment bring you to a point that you want to yell at those you teach, or at the very least yank some of your own hair out.

A sense of ‘ha-ha’ - Students find learning much more enjoyable if the teacher has a sense of humor.  This can be very valuable as a Yoga instructor, especially when you overbalance and collapse in a tangled heap of arms and limbs in front of your entire class while demonstrating an asana.  Humor allows you to participate in the laughter that follows, lighten the mood and energize the room, and use the incident as a valuable teaching tool instead of turning red with embarrassment and reacting poorly.

Common sense – A great teacher possesses common sense, which appears to be a rather uncommon quality as of late…perhaps it is time to ‘re-coin’ the term “uncommon sense” to replace it.  A great teacher is practical, and can size up developing situations and react appropriately in a seamless manner – dispelling issues before they truly arise, calmly acting upon as opposed to reacting.

You live what you teach – Students have an uncanny ability to intuit when their teacher has no belief or interest in what they are teaching.  As I have said, teaching is a higher calling – your own conviction and faith in what you teach will determine the conviction and faith you are able to generate in the classroom.

Both leader and follower – One of the best gifts from a student when in the role of a teacher is to have the student teach you something.  An openness to accept the position of follower in your own classroom or Yoga studio may be difficult at times…but no teacher is greater than those who can become a student as well.  Through this deeply meaningful experience of being taught by the student, the teacher is given the opportunity to grow and enrich every lesson they teach with the new knowledge the have been open enough to receive.

Tough skin – There are going to be times in every teacher’s career when circumstances in the studio or classroom leave you drained, feeling unappreciated, or even in despair over the events.  To teach is to interact with others in a difficult and often demanding environment where the same personality conflicts and other social issues can often be magnified.  Forbearance and a willingness to examine yourself without blame are important for your own mental and emotional health, as well as your attitude towards the students in your class.

Yoga Teacher

In my humble opinion, teaching Yoga is one of the highest teaching pursuits one can aspire to.  To teach Yoga is to help keep the doors open to ancient wisdom that is as current and true today as it was thousands of years ago.  As a teacher of Yoga, you are charged with guiding not only the physical and mental state of your students, but are also responsible for enriching your students’ own spirituality.  Yoga is an entire discipline and lifestyle built around a singular goal:  To exist in a state of knowing harmony with The Divine and all of Creation.  To try to play down or ignore this underlying component of Yoga is to do your students and yourself a great disservice.  To teach Yoga requires an additional component which is most often missing from other classrooms:  Deep spiritual conviction and faith.

Conviction and Faith

When we speak of “spiritual” in this case, we are speaking of the connection that Yoga has helped to forge deep in our being with our higher self. (Perhaps more correctly said: Yoga reveals the connection we have always had…)  That is one of the most profound powers of Yoga practice – you don’t have to have any faith at all, just follow the instructions.  The faith and the spirituality grow by virtue of nature.  Our natural state of existence is one of perfect harmony with our environment, ourselves, and all forms of sentient life.  Yoga is a science that brings about a spiritual result – the physical and mental benefits are more “side-effects” than they are meant to be goals.

As a teacher, you have already been affected at a deep and profound level by all the Yoga that brought you to where you are right now:  At the front off your class, with all eyes watching expectantly.  Some of those eyes are judgmental, some eyes may ridicule, others may convey boredom, and hopefully most of those eyes left over are glowing with attentive anticipation.  Each of your students is there for unique reasons, and each brings their present life-state with them.  It can be very easy as a teacher of any sort to find oneself overwhelmed with the problems students are having on personal levels, and this is where faith and conviction as a Yoga teacher are a must.

You have conviction regarding Yoga and its benefits, or you would not be standing where you are now.  Have faith that you are an instrument of Yoga whose honorable purpose is to teach what you have learned to others.  You don’t have to solve all the problems, and you will rarely if ever be able to meet all your students’ expectations or requests.  Have faith that in the same way Yoga began to make more and more positive changes in your life, it will in your students too.

Final Advice

For someone who feels he is unworthy of the role of teacher, it occurred to me that giving advice may be the worst thing I could do, but that is the great thing about advice – you as the reader don’t need to follow it!  If I could offer a few final words that may be have benefit:  Don’t teach Yoga, teach the love of Yoga…and don’t teach your students how to stretch, teach them how to relax…and finally, teach from the heart, not the manual.

Namaste my friends, my deepest respect to all of those we call Teacher.

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1. What makes a good yoga teacher?

The last week or so in my universe has been filled with the need to be constantly on guard against allowing negative energies to ‘seep’ into my own field of happiness.  Hours at work have been reduced because first quarter profits were less than anticipated; the company brazenly posted the salary of the CEO on their corporate site – and all ‘H E double hockey sticks’ broke out.  Hundreds of employees all making a subsidence wage (myself included) and now facing reduced hours, customer service failing, theft up…  Then there is the world in general – uprisings, war, famine, hunger – it can feel like I am on a runaway train that is racing faster and faster down a steep hill.  The difference is now I’m sitting quietly on one of the seats reading a good book, or enjoying the view out the window with a faint grin on my face as opposed to feeling like I am chained to the nose of the locomotive.

The Yoke of modern life

Ever experience days like this?  Weeks?  There are times when life’s troubles seemed to run on forever – until we feel crushed under a giant weight that pins us down, helpless; despite our daily struggles towards freedom.  This false sense of confinement and burden by everyday life is one of the “yoke’s” that regular Yoga practice helps throw off our shoulders for good.  That precious time we set aside to find peace and silence within ourselves as we allow our body’s to relax into the asanas and communicate to us the physical results of the day’s troubles…

For the remainder of the day – and those days when we allow life to take that precious Yoga session away from ourselves and rob us of the freedom it brings…there is always the Yoga of Humour.  I discovered quite some time ago that all of nature was already quite funny in its natural state – people included – and I’ve seen myself in a mirror (too funny!) – Pretty much everything has a humorous side – all it takes is a little shift in your point of view.  Now before anyone starts ranting and raving that if it is a point of view, it isn’t real:  Our entire existence in this world is solely dependent on our point of view, conscious or otherwise.  We have to accept that there will be day to day “yokes” of life we shoulder and carry the burden of – until the day we have learned to let them go.  Humour Yoga takes most of the weight out our problems and allows us to toss them off that much more easily.

What is Humour Yoga?

Simply put, a conscious effort to find the humorous side of anything that would normally cause us to react in some negative fashion. This doesn’t mean you are going to start laughing in the face of a six foot five inch giant of a man carrying a baseball bat and a mean look on his face – but the humorous approach you take will change the outcome.  Why did I choose this example?  It happened to me at work this week; except it was not a baseball bat, but a 175lb. bull dog with just as much attitude as its owner.  Not the dog’s fault though…

There was only myself and one female employee on for the entire evening due to these aforementioned ‘cutbacks,’ and I would almost be willing to swear that this guy somehow knew that when he started banging on our alley-facing receiving door.  We do not normally open this door as there is no view into the alley – but I could see through a crack in the metal that he was carrying an LCD TV he must have purchased at our store.  The rest of the story has to wait until after the court testimony I must give later in March – but suffice to say there were threats, yelling and swearing, using the dog to lunge at me and then pull him back on the leash…you name it, he tried it.

The Peaceful Yoga Warrior

There was a time in my life that as a soldier I would have responded very differently, allowing the insults, etc…to feed my rage against this person, perhaps even gladly meeting violence with further violence – but not now.  Instead I smiled.  I smiled at the humour of the universe because I would have never guessed something like this was waiting for me today.  I smiled because ultimately, if I was to die here today, it would be exactly the right time and in exactly the right way that it was supposed to occur.  I smiled because I already knew that any man who brings a large dog with him expecting a confrontation is at heart a coward.

Instead of yelling in return, I spoke gently and so quietly he was soon yelling at his dog to shut up.  When he threatened or used the dog to threaten, I smiled at the imaginary line in the sand between them and myself.  I smiled at the dog, and soon much to his owner’s chagrin, the dog would wag his tail and try to come to me when the owner wasn’t yelling and swearing at me.  Sadly for the cowardly fellow, I also saw the humour in his situation when the police came bursting through the doors leading to the receiving area from the front of the store.

Make lemonade

Humour Yoga is not just about laughing or finding things funny enough to smile about, it is more importantly about taking in all of life with a real sense of humour.  When life appears to be handing you lemons, smile and make lemonade.  When you fall flat on your face, have a good laugh at yourself instead of becoming upset. (Of course, this is only after looking around to see if anyone saw you, which is the first thing we all do – which is funny!)  The art of Humour Yoga means letting go, even if just for a short while…Step out of the game of life, sit back, smell the roses, watch the rest of the world continue to scurry by and smile at Life’s own sense of humour.

Humour Yoga not only improves your day to day interactions and experiences, it also has profound effects on the physical body and your mental state.  Less stress equates to better physical and mental health, smiling more burns more calories and causes the release of several chemical in both the brain and glands – and finally, the humorous approach to life quickly leaves the Ego (sense of “I”) without fodder to complain about, leading to a quieter more balance mental and emotional state.

The best way to learn Humour Yoga

Spend at least four hours on a nice day doing exactly what John Lennon says below in the chorus.  That’s it!  Then all you have to do is remember…you have to let it go.  “Watching the Wheels” was written in 1980, and is just as valid today as it was over thirty years ago.  That is the funny thing about truth and true words of wisdom…they remain valid despite the passing of time.

Watching The Wheels
John Lennon

People say I’m Crazy doing what I’m doing
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I’m o.k. they look at me kind of strange
Surely you’re not happy now you no longer play the game

People say I’m lazy dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that I’m doing fine watching shadows on the wall
Don’t you miss the big time boy you’re no longer on the ball?

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

People asking questions lost in confusion
Well I tell them there’s no problem, only solutions
Well they shake their heads and look at me as if I’ve lost my mind
I tell them there’s no hurry…
I’m just sitting here doing time

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

Let it go.  Step off of life’s merry-go-round long enough to take in all that is around you with a sense of joy, humour, and the understanding that this physical existence is meant to be a playground, not a yoke that bears down on our souls.  Then you too can step back onto that runaway train we call modern life and then sit beside me and enjoy the view.  It is honestly much better here looking out the window or reading a good book…perhaps we’ll chat.  In any case, it beats being strapped to the front of the train.  Less bugs in your teeth too!

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If you were to look up “patience” in a good thesaurus or dictionary, you will find that the most common definition of this word talks about forbearance, long-suffering, and bearing pains or trials without complaint.  Patience – or ksanti in Sanskrit – is in fact much more than this, especially to the Yogi or Yogini.  The patience of Yoga (and Buddhism) is patience through wisdom and clarity.  We learn when and where we need to exercise forbearance because we see the situation or environment we are in at the time from a more ‘global’ point of view.  True patience has an intelligent quality that combines clarity and understanding with virya, or energy.

Harmony

When we talk about patience, it is generally thought of to be of an individual exercising patience, but true patience is just as much about communication with others – and the environment.  Why are we patient?  Through self-discipline and clarity of the situation, we see an ultimate result or direction coming available.  We then create the right situation and harmony within our environment to allow the results to manifest themselves in accordance with Nature and universal harmony.  A short example to clarify may help:

The last month or so my own personal Yoga practice has been going very well.  I have felt more flexible than ever, and have started to notice physically how my body is adapting.  It was feeling like every session I was stretching further, relaxing more, and maintaining awareness of my breath as never before.  About a week ago, this suddenly changed.  I felt stiff, and my lower back was complaining bitterly.  Instead of easing off, as I should have, I longed for the feeling of the prior weeks, and began to push instead of allowing my Yoga to flow.  The next day, same result – again I was stiff and my lower back ached.

I blindly struggled along this way for four days before a phrase in a book I was reading jumped off the page and made me think for a moment.  In essence, my blind lack of patience and failure to see the larger picture was dissolving the conditions I had worked so hard to create to facilitate my Yoga.  Once I realized this, and backed off from pushing my practice and instead letting it flow freely; the right situation and environment was again established for me to begin to move forward again.

Patient creation

To see our environment and the situations we are part of in everyday life, it is necessary to maintain awareness of them, and awareness of what our own objectives are.  The Yogi or Yogini who carries his or her Yoga into daily life does not fixate on what he or she wishes to obtain, but instead focuses on creating the right environment for those objectives to come to fruition naturally and in their own time.  This intelligent patience of Yoga and many other spiritual traditions employs positive energy towards those things of which patience is worthy to us.  In this way, we do not suffer trials or pain without reason – which drains us of energy.  Within our pain and trials instead is the peaceful and harmonious energy of creating the right situations and environment to bring our wishes to pass.

Ways to practice Patient Yoga

• Take time to establish that which you truly want with yourself.  This can happen a few minutes before an important meeting, in the morning during meditation or over coffee, or cover longer term goals such as a new house or car.
• Breathe!  Maintain awareness of your breath when communicating with others in difficult situations and you will remain clear-headed and less prone to becoming angered or upset.
• Try Iyengar Yoga, where poses are held for extended periods of time.
• Be aware that your every action and thought reverberates throughout all of creation.  Many times it is us who created the very situation or environment in the first place that we need to exercise patience with to change.
• When you find yourself suffering in a situation or having to endure an environment you feel powerless to change, ask yourself what it is you wish to achieve by staying in it.  If the answer is important, you can begin to work on effecting the environment or situation to create the right circumstances.  If the answer is not so important, you may consider removing yourself and preserving your own energy for more valuable areas of your life where patience is required.

Final words…

Ultimately, we are co-creators with the Creative Essence of the universe.  This is true of our lives in the deepest sense.  Learning to practice patient Yoga in your practice and your life will lead you towards a more harmonious and creative state of being in which your goals and wishes are fulfilled naturally and in their due time.  At a much coarser level, exercising intelligent patience with ourselves and our own body during our Yoga practice leads to less injury and pulls or strains and works to focus on the experience and trust that the results we wish for will manifest themselves in their due time.

Namaste, my friends.

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