Doom. It’s everywhere.
AI is going to take over, bots are driving us apart. Don’t make the mistake of browsing the comments section under a video, picture or article! Foreign interference. Left vs Right. East vs West. Simply put… Hate.
How to cope in this tit-for-tat world, especially when it seems to be accelerating so damn fast?
My suggestion; we do what humans have always done.
The core ingredients of bread have not changed for millennia. Nor the method. It’s a staple.
The modern myth is that the latest and greatest thing will cure what ails us. I say give us our bread.
But honestly, where does this modern world leave us?
Chasing a fix.
The next gadget. Something novel that will make us… feel. Feel what? Something. Anything. And despite our best efforts, the more we chase, the more we scroll, the more we seek, the more the cycle accelerates, the more our suffering builds.
The individual is a relatively modern idea (and one that binds us to misery). According to the Yoga, humans are products of two things; a body (from nature,) and consciousness (what you / your Soul truly is).
The body comes from a long line of ancestors; human, monkey and beyond. It is quite literally full of sh*t.
Consciousness (awareness, self knowing), however, simply just ‘is.’ It sits behind the coming and going. It is the canvas onto which life is projected.
The goal of Yogic spiritual practice (such as meditation) has been to differentiate the real from the unreal, the temporary from the permanent.
It has been around quite a while (potentially 5000+ years, some argue a lot longer.) With enough practice, it helps us realize our nature as Soul.
As we scramble for the latest update / app / tool that is hailed by the marketers to make our life easier (for a small monthly recurring fee) it can be easy to dismiss the things that humans have done for a very long time as old fashioned and out of date.
But there is a reason that out of the myriad great ideas and novel inventions that have come and gone through the ages, that some persist.
Like Yoga.
Why keep these things around? Simply; Because they work.
If you find yourself scrolling, caught by the merchants of doom, the demonic algorithms of gloom and the general hysteria in the culture about the latest crisis or goings on in a far land; lean into what your ancestors did.
Firstly, it is worth remembering that each one of them survived long enough to nudge the game forward.
No matter the hardship, they kept going long enough for you to get the chance to inhabit this fine meat suit called your body.
What did they do?
Move. Eat. Sleep.
The fundamentals. But they also joined together as a tribe, they worshipped, sang and prayed; they were inextricably linked to the ‘nature’ many of us feel disconnected to.
Some took it even further.
All traditions have those who turned their back on society to journey within; the mystics, the sages, the Sufis, the monks.
And what did they do? Most of them spent a great deal of time sitting still.
The modern trip pushes us to think of religion as a choice, like a footy team, whereas for most of human history, we lived imbued in a spiritual reality.
The divine, in myriad forms, was present; be it through church, temple, study or reflection. Heck, even schools and universities were first religious institutions.
The Yoga posits a path that was relevant to the struggles of life 5000 years ago, that is relevant today and will be relevant no matter what future comes our way.
Yoga’s core premise?
The body is the temple; the dwelling place of the Divine Soul (Atman). Many practices help us tidy up the temple – cleaning, sweeping, dusting and wiring it to be grand. These are the movement and breath based practices that the West has latched onto and over emphasized.
A crowning practice, like Meditation (Dhyana) is designed to bring us to the sanctum sanctorum, the holiest of holies; not as an external ritual, but as an inner rite. Something that you experience.
Something that you feel.
Dhyana is so much more than ‘a wellbeing practice;’ it can literally form the basis for one’s spiritual life which, for us, is what undepins our sanity.
When we are anchored in the Soul, the comings and goings of life, the endless change bothers us less; fear doesn’t get a grip on our unconscious.
Trust. Faith. Optimism.
These flow without effort.
You may well know this. Perhaps though, you are just opening to the idea of change. Perhaps you are in need a little nudge in the right direction.
The essence of meditation isn’t too complex; sit down and surrender.
That’s it. If all you take from this musing is to do that, I promise it’ll do something for you.
I dare you to give it a go. Sit, Surrender. Something comes up? Let it go? Body hurts? Let it go. Mind wanders? Let it go…. over and over and over again.
Let’s take you home.
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If you ever feel the call to connect to the traditional, spiritual side of Yoga and meditation, please reach out as we would love to hear where you are stuck.
Simply reply to this email we can point you in the right direction.
If you are sold on the idea, and want to give yourself the gift of a few nights away, immersing yourself in ancient teachings, disconnecting from the world of doom and gloom, we would love to host you on retreat.
Our upcoming August Soul Retreat is almost full.
For those that have attended a Soul Retreat and are looking for the next step, we have a bunch of other offerings like the Elements of Yoga or Four Yogas retreat that would complement your experience and help you give structure to your spiritual life.
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We pray that next time you feel overwhelmed and distracted by the never ending stream of stuff vying for your attention, that the light of your Soul illumines the peaceful path ahead. Have faith, it will!
Jai Atmeshwar
Victory to the Divine Soul
David and Raya
