There is no denying that we are undergoing a celestial speedup. Some say we are part of a mass evolution at the level of consciousness. Others see humanity as spiraling toward an uncertain and perhaps even apocalyptic future.
Even among lightworkers and healers, many are finding it increasingly difficult to rise above the persistent negativity. I have heard many highly evolved people say that they are feeling an increased nervousness, uncertainty, or a reluctance to act.
In society at large, there are more advertisements than ever for pharmaceutical sleep aids, mood lifters and sex-enabling drugs. Drug and alcohol abuse and addictions are on the rise. Many people are caught up in addictive thought patterns, worry, doubt, fear or other forms of neurosis. These dangerous habits of thought have become part of our collective psyche.
Many of us have a sense that we have a higher purpose, but are not quite sure what we are being called to do, and the uncertainty makes us restless and unsettled.
Whatever the symptoms, it is essential for our collective welfare that we move beyond the malaise, melt away the fear, and thereby move into a more peaceful and more gratifying way of living.
Yoga can and will help, guaranteed.
Why Yoga?
Quite simply, yoga makes us feel better. Not just temporarily. Yoga has the power to rewire the circuitry so that we become happier, healthier, more peaceful and more loving human beings.
Yoga is just one of many paths that, with focused attention and practice leads to enlightenment. Enlightenment is simply a remembrance of the truth of who we are.
It is this realization of the truth of our being that so many people crave. And it is the absence of unconditional love in our own hearts that obscures the truth of our being. We forget who we are when we think that we are separate from others and from the universe. It is the prevailing sense of separation that yoga heals, at the cellular level. When we see the truth of our being -- our connection to everything -- the fear disappears. The desire to numb ourselves slips away. Humanity evolves.
This realization may not be immediate. For many, it is gradual and happens at deeper and deeper levels. The important thing is that it happens.
Be Still, My Mind
"The power of now" is a great concept, but how many of us have tried to stay in the present moment, or meditate, only to have the mind take off like a jackrabbit or the body scream in discomfort or restlessness.
In fact, our lives on the material plane, which rely so heavily on sensory perceptions and body gratification, seem designed to keep us harnessed to the ego. Our society in large part is designed to reinforce the ego's misidentification with "my body," "my stuff." But we are not our bodies. And we are not our stuff. Yoga allows us to resonate with our own true nature rather than with the ego's perceptions of who we are.
A consistent yoga practice will actually still the disturbances of the mind. In this way, yoga is a valuable spiritual practice, especially at this time in our collective evolution.
Yoga's ability to still the mind allows us to see more clearly the truth of our being and thereby feel true happiness. The happier we are, the better off we are. This is not selfish. On the contrary. If we are to heal the mass neurosis of our times, we have a God-given obligation to feel good.
As a friend once said to me: "If I knew feeling good felt so good, I would have made it a point to feel good a long time ago."
I encourage anyone who has not developed a disciplined and holistic spiritual practice by now to look into yoga. Try a few poses on your own or go to a yoga class, and sit for meditation. It might not feel entirely right at first, or it might be love at first asana.
Whatever the case, yoga can't not work. If yoga is a practice that resonates with you, you may be about to embark on a life-long love affair that will transform your life and the planet.
Namaste!
