Life moves.
Stuff grows.
Sadly, we are like a business; if we ain’t growing, we are most likely….
Death… gulp, what are we going to talk about next, surely not taxes?
(Though it may be topical right now, I promise I will spare you!)
Besides the obvious, when it comes to life, what can we say for certain?
Let’s start by looking around.
What’s happening. What do you see?
Life… its the thing that moves.
Trees, planets, quasars.
All moving.
Even rocks and glaciers are eroding and flowing on long enough timeframe.
Life.
It moves.
Ponder this for a moment, though life moves… it is ‘we’ who are moved by life.
The birth of our children.
The loss of someone dear….
Tears.
Shed in joy and in sorrow.
These are the moments we remember.
Have you ever paused to consider though… who is this ‘we?’
Who is the “I”?
According to the traditions of Yoga and Vedanta, the ‘we’ that we truly are (as opposed to the ‘we that we ‘think’ we are, or the ‘we’ that the culture or our parents tells us that we are) is pure consciousness.
The various yogic methodologies, such as meditation (dhyana) and physical positionings (asana) are used by aspirants to reveal one’s inner nature as awareness. We call it the Soul, though to you it may be the deeper self.
Contrary to the modern trend where Yoga has become a glorified exercise class, Yogic practice helps us get to know the ‘We’ that we are; beyond mind, and beyond body.
Gold, shaped as ring or necklace, is still just a shiny rock. One metal in myriad forms.
Everything you have experienced of life, the thing that moves, is united by a simple fact; it’s your experience. Much like the fact the substrate of jewellery is Gold, the substrate of being is not atoms and quarks, to a Yogi it is chaitnya (consciousness.)
This very consciousness, shapes itself into mind and body and complex moving life.
Why does it do this? (A topic for another Monday!)
Yoga posits that amongst the sea of change and movement, there is one unmoved, unchanging, unblemished thing.
It also goes on to say that when we confuse our real nature with the moving life stuff, we suffer.
Though we may intellectually agree with such a statement, though we may believe we are a Soul, how many of us live that way?
Life is a master of sucking us in. Like a bingeworthy streaming series, it always has us coming back for more.
Walking the path of Yoga means leaning the tools to take control (of what you can) and surrendering what you can’t.
Manifest reality (the stuff and things that make up our experience) has a nature. Scientists try to objectively study it. Power seekers try to control it.
But what of the Yogi?
We seek to go beyond nature, not by shunning it, but like a good dance partner, by moving with it.
Most spiritual traditions are united in the underlying premise that their version of God is somehow eternal / infinite / formless. Yoga is multi-faith friendly and does not impose dogma. It is practice centric. Belief, a mental trip, follows experience.
Meditation all but forces and encounter between the Formless (consciousness, Soul) and Form (mind and body.)
Sit for long enough and you will know which one is more real. Sit for long enough and you will realise yourself as the stillness in the movement.
When we know ourselves as consciousness, as Soul, we begin to move through life a little differently.
Compared to my days as a soldier, I have found I now move with a little more grace. I’m grateful.
I move in truth.
I move in Love.
Freedom of will means that I occasionally tread in life’s dog turds, but by incorporating a little bit of stillness into my day, I find myself more present, sharper and able to see the canine land mines before me.
As an activity to take this out of the mind and into the pragmatics of your life, I encourage you ponder;
Life may move… but how does a Soul move through Life?
{{contact.first_name}} If you feel the call, respond to this email with your Soulful vision for life and we can let you know what we think!
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If you are feeling a bit blocked or are interested in learning how to find this stillness in the chaos, the presence in the distraction, and a deeper connection to your Soul, I would love for you to join me on our upcoming Soul Retreat. After nearly 50 retreats at the Ashram, we have seen hundreds of Souls rediscover what is important.
The Soul Retreat is a great opportunity to equip yourselves with the tools required to move beyond suffering and to set up the brightest chapter yet and we would be humbled to help where we can.
Click through if you would like to learn more.
Jai Atmeshwar!
Victory to the Divine Soul
David & Raya Wegman
