What does it mean ?
A life on yoga means nothing else than that “All life is yoga”.;-)
This saying goes back to Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), a renowned Indian philosopher and yogi who developed in modern times the basis for yoga uniting body, mind and heart as one complete path, as body and world being part of divine reality.
To me a Life on Yoga is a conscious way of leading my life based on knowledge, action & devotion. Being aware of What I do & How I do what I do. Making efforts on searching for improvement on behalf of myself by reflecting without judging. The famous maxim “Be the change you want to see…” goes very much along with it.
Do I make my choices consciously? How much do my emotions influence me? Am I surviving rather than thriving in life? Do I follow what I most love to do in life? Am I able to accept my weaknesses without blaming myself? Am I aware of my attachments, of my desires? Is what I want really what I need? At the end of each day I try to preserve all that I have experienced and learned.
He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, him I vanish not, nor to Me does he vanish. (Baghavad Gita, 30)
A Life on Yoga for some…
A Life on Yoga for some is knowledge only, the study of texts and seeking the Absolute in everything (Jñāna yoga).
Others select willpower and action as its instruments. All activity is an offering to God (Karma Yoga), like Arjuna, the warrior-hero of the Bhagavad Gita.
Bhakti Yoga chooses the power of emotion as its vehicle. By devoting oneself to the One, the Yogi strives for the infinite and seeks the Absolute.
Man proposes God , God disposes” (Bhavani Prasad)
Origins
One essential part of my Life on Yoga has been and still is the Study of Yogic Texts. Something that I am very grateful for and something that has brought me closer to the layers of “my-Self” that have been covered through my language, my imagination, my memory, desires & fears. It has been and still is an ongoing process which trains me to see, think, talk and act from a place of more clarity.
The right path – Dharma
The Bhagavad Gita (for most Hindus seen as a guidance to a more spiritual way of being and behaving just like the Bible is for the Cristian’s) is a part of the long poem “Mahabarata” and describes a war between family and friends on the battlefield.
It is a dialogue before the war starts between Krishna, identified as God, and Arjuna, a highly focused archer, who is in search for his liberation because of the struggle he experiences having to fight against family and friends.
The whole poem reminds me that I always, at any time and place have a choice. Every moment is an open possibility.
A choice for the right path (Dharma). The right path…seeking and following my purpose, my work, the true meaning & reason for my existence.
In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna helps Arjuna to overcome his despair and convinces him that his work is being a warrior, meant to fight. It is only through his work that he attains liberation. It is his Dharma to go into the battle, even if this means fighting against his family and friends.
Like Arjuna I am very often in doubt and despair how to act, what to say. I fear the consequences of my actions and words.
But in the end I believe that everything said or done in a conscious way is part of what I have chosen to be my path. The one that I am meant to be on.
The more I sit and dedicate myself to my practice (devotion), the more I listen & see from an inner place of quietness. I observe my feelings, my attitudes, my breath, me and my body without judging.
Once in a while I get a sparkle of what might be a life of detachment or liberation (knowledge). For a second I am One with all. It seems as if far away but yet so present…the pure present moment….so peaceful and quiet. It is that strong feeling of being part of something really big, priceless, nameless and I feel my heart full of gratitude.
It is that sparkle that keeps me moving forward. Life is a duty to fulfill, to work on. Life is a challenge to accept and a promise to keep. It is a song to sing as it is a game to play.
Like Krishna says, there are multiples opportunities of “breaking free”. Life has no beginning and no ending.
So if I won´t make it this time, rebirth is guaranteed. 😉
Let´s practice together
and share knowledge, action & devotion. Check out my weekly classes on the beach and in the studio https://all-life-is-yoga.com/courses/
He who does works for ME, who looks on Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who is without hatred for any being, he comes to Me, O Pandava.(Bhagavad gita ,55).