Posted on

More Philosophy

Try to see others’ points of view. People will always disappoint when you just see them as body and brain. Once you begin incorporating your consciousness into your view of yourself, it becomes easier to see others view points. Each of us is a miraculous assemblage of unique combinations of anatomical, energetic, and mental parts plus consciousness – consciousness is universal, though each of us has a unique point of view.

The path to happiness is paved with knowledgeable perception of things and people around us, true reasoning, and faithful interpretation. It is a path of learning and acceptance. When you build these within yourself, through discipline and practice, you will see them in everyone and everywhere around you.

Posted on

About Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is the pursuit of happiness through the disciplined ability to direct and focus mental activity.  This pursuit has great rewards.

3,000 years ago, having largely achieved the basics of clothing, shelter, and food, human beings began asking the higher questions of, “How do I find lasting peace in the face of life’s pains and sorrows?” And, “How do I deal with life’s all-too-often tragic events?”

In Yoga’s long tradition, there are four paths to true inner peace: action, devotion, study, and controlling our minds. Further, there are two basic types of Yoga: Raja, which emphasizes meditation, and Hatha which emphasizes discipline as different means to the same end: peace of mind.

The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a 3,000 year-old, 200-line poem codifying the essence of the practice. This historic work is widely recognized as the original and authoritative text on Raja Yoga.  This poem serves as an outline for teachers and students of the practice of Yoga everywhere in the world.YogaSymbol

Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras is a universal text. If you can read and understand this, then the sutras were intended for you. Raja Yoga is a highly individualized practice. You are the only one who knows what you are thinking.

Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras was compiled in Sanskrit: a rich, ancient, phonetic language whose symbols and words often have multiple meanings.  The initial detailed explanation of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras wasn’t written until 100 years after he died; thus, it isn’t surprising that there are as many interpretations of his original text as there are Yoga teachers and students!

Raja Yoga is a dual practice in self-awareness and self-control.  It’s based on Karma and the significance of our own actions due to their perpetual affects; Sankya, which is the distinction between consciousness and thought; and the perpetual energetic nature of all matter.

Yoga, loosely translated, means “union,” in the sense that all things are connected; indeed, the practice promotes inclusion, acceptance (of oneself and others), a sense of belonging, fulfillment, and happiness.

Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras include general advice (never give up; always let things go); advice on attitude (be discerning, determined and devoted); and a set of eight, simple, yet not easy, step-by-step instructions to achieve bliss (essentially: be a good person, learn physical and mental self-control, and meditate).

While Patañjali promises nothing less than total bliss, that state of mind isn’t attained overnight; it’s achieved over time through diligent, constant practice – but have faith, every journey begins with an initial step.  Take the first step toward finding your own inner peace today – call us for an introduction to the wonderfully rich world of Raja Yoga.

Posted on

Karma

There are a few things to keep in mind about Karma:

It’s a natural law which applies to all matters. It’s the law of cause and effect: that every movement, change or action has consequences (if you increase water temp it boils; if you cross the street, you get to the other side). It occurs at every level: atomically, as one cell contracts, another is drawn toward it; if you tighten the muscles of your hand, your fingers form a fist; once the earth’s nonrenewable resources are gone, things become difficult.

All actions have virtually perpetual consequences; every movement or action has immediate and direct effects, as well as perpetual ripples of indirect consequences (if you take a left fork in a road, then every turn you take thereafter is predicated on having taken that initial left turn).

It’s nonperson-specific. We’re born into a tsunami of unfulfilled direct and indirect consequences of actions and events that occurred before we were born and that will go on long after we are gone. We can all think of instances where something happened to someone through virtually no fault of their own. Technically, that is Karma: the consequence of all things that precede, though not in a predestined sense (e.g., the only reason the tree limb fell on your car was because you parked under it – and/or you neglected to trim the tree – but not because of something good or bad you may have done).

Yoga is a constant practice in influencing and accepting Karma.  The intent of Yoga is to reduce suffering through self-awareness, and positively influence destiny – to the limited extent we can – by controlling our own actions, and accepting the consequences of actions and events that befall us through no fault of our own.