Soul Union

In Sanskrit, the word 'yoga' means 'union.' The goal of the practice of yoga is union with God. Contrary to the Westernized idea of yoga as a matter of body postures and asanas performed mostly for health, the true yoga is a spiritual practice designed to bring the practitioner closer to the great creator of the universe, the ultimate soul, God. This is not to say that asanas and physical well-being are not important. They are. But real yoga is a science and practice of the soul.

The aim of this practice is to calm the mind, close the senses, and open the doors of true soulfulness--true liberation from worldly suffering. According to the yogins of old, the purpose is to--through single-pointed meditation--to close off the senses and deprive them of worldly pleasure so that we go within to find the source of true bliss, true soul. This can only be found through realization of our higher selves--which is the sacred space in the heart that unites us with God.

Through the practice of yoga, I have been able to calm my restless spirit and find peace. This peace is our very nature. It is the peace we were born with and to which we can return in this life--not just in the afterlife. To find it, though, we must still our minds and find the silence within.

As Patanjali tells us in the Yoga Sutras, we will find in this silence the changeless, timeless, deathless source of all true joy--God.

The Razor's Edge

The Yogis of India tell us that the decision to walk the spiritual path is a decision to walk the razor's edge. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that the instant you find your treasure, a thief will arrive to take it from you. I can tell you for certain that this is true because, at the moment I found God, a thief came to try to steal Him from me. I am proud to say, the thief has failed to do so thus far.

The moment I made my decision to renounce the past and all worldly desires, my life became filled with nothing but sorrow. I say this, not with a frown, but with a smile. Why, you ask? For the simple reason that it tells me I am on the right path. If I were not, then I would not be experiencing such profound suffering.

The wise Saint Anandamayi Ma said with the greatest insight that God heals suffering with suffering. He places us in the path of sorrow so that we can be purified by it. Ma also tells us that we must accept what is and not fight against it.

I am living now a life in which sorrow is the cup I drink from in the morning, at noon, and at night. Yet, I have attained equilibrium and enough resolve to accept my fate. It is just a life, nothing more, nothing less. And this earthly life will end. I have every faith that the life that follows this one will take me to eternal bliss.

My advice, to anyone who wants it, is to accept whatever your fate may be. Learn from it, suffer with it if need be, but never fall, and never doubt the intrinsic wisdom of your soul.