PART ONE
Whenever
we step into the light, our shadow side also becomes more apparent.
The path
toward yoga's lofty goal of self-realization (atmajnana) is not in the least
glamourous. On the contrary, it is quite
humbling. For we must constantly,
bravely, and compassionately face our limitations in order to realize our
unlimited potential as spiritual beings.
Practice
has a different meaning. It is the
consistent willingness to open to life in all of its joy and pain.
Thoughts
are the sensations of the mind just as sensations are the thoughts of the body.
Practice...can
be understood as a willingness to return to the reality of this very moment,
that is, to observe with dispassion and clarity exactly what is -- right
now. Does this moment call for silence
or for answers?
Paying
attention to the thoughts and sensations of the moment will give me a chance to
respond to life less from my patterns of defense and more from integrity.
Consider
removing the layers of doubt, fear, and denial that keep you from experiencing
connection with your own wholeness.
Whether
we seek something called spirituality, holiness, or enlightenment, the route to
it is through our humanness, complete with our strengths and our weaknesses,
our successes and our failures.... We use ourselves to discover ourselves.
When you
are in a state of yoga, or wholeness, you rest in your own true nature.... When
carving stone, the sculptor removes everything that is not the statue. She does
not add anything to create it, except the willingness to do the work. The art of revealing beauty lies in removing
what conceals it.
Suffering
differs from pain. Suffering is caused
by the emotional reaction we lay on top of our pain.
Each
moment is holy and holds the potential for self-transformation.
Spiritual
seeking is not what we do outwardly but what we acknowledge inwardly.
To
practice yoga in the deepest sense is to commit to developing awareness by
observing our lives: our thoughts, our words, and our actions.
The real
beginning of spiritual practice is evident when we accept responsibility for
ourselves -- that is, when we acknowledge that ultimately there are no answers
outside of ourselves, and no gurus, no teachers, and no philosophies that can
solve the problems of our lives. They
can only suggest, guide, and inspire.
Most
daily activities are goal oriented.... We all spend most of our time forgetting
to feel, to sense, and to know life -- moment by moment.
Do what
you can and do it fully.
