Happy New Yoga Year 2015 - The Journey gets accelerated now

My master in Gurukulam (Yogic Monastery) used to say on the day of new year celebrations that every time we step into new year, it should remind us how stupid we were and how matured we would have become. It should not go other way around. He has always stressed about "INTROSPECTION" during the new year celebrations. 

Here are a few steps I was told by my master and hope helps you too. 

1. INTROSPECT

Meditate an hour the least after your celebrations and just think about the whole year that has passed. The best incidents, the turning points, happy moments, the lessons learnt and so on. Just a deep "look-back" helps a lot to get the clarity over your own thoughts. 

2. SET A ROAD-MAP

I am not asking you to set your goals and work on to get it every day just like every life coach asks you to do it.  I am just asking you to think briefly about how would you like to see this year in terms of bringing life to your dreams. This helps you in setting the day to day life clearly. 

3. BE PASSIONATE 

Let's be sure this year. You will not do something that doesn't interest you, something to make others happy. If you do it, do it passionately. Be passionate about your work. If you are already into something which isn't your passion, but you can't turn back (your profession, most often) work on finding the ways to make it interesting. I know its harder, but you don't want to live any more for the sake of anything but of you. 

4. GIFT TIME TO PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Be attentive to others around you, listen to them and love them. Find the crazy, creative ways to tell them how much you love them. Yes, its important to tell them that you love them. Spend some time and most often this is what they need. It might be your kids, parents or friends. 

5. FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Find ways to follow what you love. Do something that drives you crazy, something that makes you forget everything in the world. Laugh so loudly that you tear your chest apart and cheeks get painful. Find ways to get excited for tomorrow and beware, nobody except you can find out this for you. 

6. HONOUR THE BODY, HONOUR THE MIND

Honour yourself, shed some sweat and keep your physical body fit and sit silently (or meditate) for at least five minutes to keep the mind fit. Honour the body-mind fir helping you everyday. 

7. BE PRESENT, ENJOY EVERY MOMENT

Yesterday and tomorrow are merely the conceptual existence. Everything comes in the form of present moment. The best present in the world is present moment. ENJOY every moment as if this is the last moment. 

8. EARN MONEY, EARN MATURITY

If you are a good person, its your responsibility to get rich and use it in a proper way. Money is energy and you need it in different forms. Earn enough money so that you can live your life fully and can extend the helping hand to the people who need it. Earn Maturity by reading good, fascinating books and approaching wise people. Maturity doesn't depend on the age, but the wisdom. Go to wiser people and try to learn to get wise. 

9. BE GRATEFUL TO BE GREAT

Be grateful for the beautiful life, for things you have, for people around you, for nature and for everything. When you look at the things to be grateful, life appears to be exciting and makes every second happier. 

10. HAPPILY DISSATISFIED

Be happy with what you have. Be grateful for the life. But this should not stop you in the path of getting better. Contentment shouldn't be the reason for stagnation. Be dis-satisfied with what you are to get better everyday. There is a thin line between both of them. Be happy with who you are and dis-satisfied to get better. Happily dissatisfied. 

Wish you all a beautiful Year ahead...

Do I need a religion? Is Yoga a religion?

Let us first understand what is religion? Religion you can name any one, is a set beliefs, principles and concepts created so that by following them, a society with people in it can live their life better. All religions have this basic underlying principle inside them. Religions are not meant to make you free. Religions can not afford to be individual as they are crafted for the masses. Religions will have rules and regulations to follow and there will be many questions unanswered or improperly answered as the driving force of religions isn't a quest of truth, but a constitution under which people can lead a better life. 

All religions, therefore, have the basic moral and ethical codes of conduct which are beautiful and precisely same compared to each other. The general framework of all the religions such as non-violence, honesty, cleanliness, absence of greed, controlling the anger etc. are narrated in all the religions and they do not differ. No religion tells you to be angry as it is good for you. But there will be other differences in the customs, rituals and traditions. As religions are crafted based on the society they lived at that time (or now), these constitutions are crafted for the people at that time of that society. Hence, there can be some rules which you won't necessarily accept even if it comes from your so-called religion. 

In classical Sanskrit texts, in the ancient Indian tradition, these are called "SMRITIS". Smritis are written, crafted by different Yogis, scholarly authors time to time. YAJNAVALKYA SMRITI, PARASHARA SMRITI, MANU SMRITI are just to note a few here. There will be many concepts or rituals you will see in these texts which you might completely disagree as they are not amended for the present society. 

This whole perspective is applicable for all the religions present now. There is no hell-heaven concept in the reality. This infinite cosmos couldn't be that simple. But the religions when put forth the idea of heaven-hell, they do not intend to present the truth but it was a concept to keep the masses on track. One needs a moral fear to to be a human being, to furnish the human characteristics. The purpose of the concept is different. 

Then, what is the truth? As you evolve, you will understand that you do not need a fear of God, a fear of Hell, an attraction of heaven, but your actions will be motivated by your conscience. You will not be a good human being due to the fear of God, but your kindness, honesty and love are due to the inner conscience. Your inner journey of being better human takes the first giant step and THIS IS YOGA. Yoga is not a religion, but beyond any religion. You are good, honest and light because you can't afford to be otherwise. It has become your personality to be kind. There is no fear, no police in the sky observing your actions to decide your future life after death. But you will select, prioritize the present by living it fully and decide your future. Now, you understand from the heart that the God is nowhere in the galaxies, on the heaven, but inside. Your God, the Light is inside and you do not need to take any journey, any prayers, any rituals, follow any one but to listen to your heart. You do not need any teaching as your heart knows it all. You just need to listen to it properly. 

Yet, we need the concept of religions as there will be no change significant in the mass-conscience. As a society, a set of people, we need to have these moral rules and codes of conduct to create a social structure. All these religions are true at a layer, but start to appear weak and superficial as you explore the light inside. 

As it is becoming a lengthy article, I sum up with points.

1. Religions ask you to follow, But Yoga or its Masters do not.

2. The idea of Following anything/anyone is against the practice of Yoga.

3. Religions will have rules, Yoga does not. 

4. Practice any technique, continue to practice if it works, leave it if it doesn't. 

5. Religions claim to take you towards the God, Yoga does not.

6. Yoga does not ask you to take any journey as the God is inside, in fact, you are THAT. 

7. There will be teacher, preacher, texts, rituals in religions, not in Yoga. 

8. Your experience is the only thing matters in Yoga practice. 

9. Follow religions if you don't know how to listen to conscience. 

10. Follow your heart, be present, live every second fully as your present moment is eternal and momentary. This is Yoga. 

Follow Your Heart

P.S. Your comments inspire me the most. Do not hesitate to put forth your thoughts and let me know if I have to expand, illustrate anything in these articles. -Namaste-

I am Responsible of My Universe Inside Out

Our generation has been tremendously successful in understanding some of the most subtle secrets of nature and have benefited out of them. In the journey, often we might have thought that we are so independent, capable of achieving so many things that our ancestors have never thought off. 

But often, the chaos in life, helplessness at different situations have led us to feel more dependent and weak. Often in the race of achieving and being independent, we have achieved less and become more dependent. Hence, what is the secret of nature? who and how are we? are we independent and can make our own choices in the life or is it just an illusion of freedom? Does fate decide everything?

In the context of Karma, a beautiful metaphor of cow is often used to explain the subject we are discussing now. A cow is tied to a tree with a long rope and allowed to eat the beautiful grass that is grown near by the tree. The Cow can make all the choices on how and what to eat and the way to enjoy. But it has to be within the specified boundary of tied rope. It can roam everywhere within the radius and can't go out of the radius. 

AREN'T WE INDEPENDENT THEN?

No! Absolutely not. The idea of complete independence in the way we most often understand is an illusion. We are not independent at all. A simple example shows it clear. I bought a new phone and it's beautiful and I own it. But the bitter reality is "It is not mine". The payment I made is to use the phone forever. I own the phone I bought can be explained that I have the right to use it forever. 

The idea of using the waves to talk to each other was an imagination of a mind which was the foundation of the phones. Then comes the transformation in mettlurgy science which has contributed in the creation of different metals. Then, the network towers, so on and so forth. My few bucks can't really pay for all these ideas, efforts and dreams. Hence, I do not own my phone in a literal way, but I own it to use it, of course forever. 

ARE WE DEPENDENT ON OTHERS 

This too is a an illusion. Nobody is dependent on others. We are born to be free and absolute freedom finds it hard to be dependent on anything. 

I am Responsible of My Universe

SO, WHAT'S THE TRUTH?

My search for Spiritual Guru in India

The human mind is in quest of finding the real purpose of being here on the planet earth. It has always been our endeavor, be it in any civilization to know the root, the source of happiness, the reason behind all the miseries and to make the lives better every day. In this journey, India being one of the oldest civilizations has been pioneer in finding answers which seem to be more closer to the reality. With its different perspectives, popularly known as "schools of Philosophies" India has been trying to explore the reality behind the fabric of the world in deeper ways. 

All the explorations, the religious or spiritual texts when they are trying to put forth the fabric of the universe, the understanding does not seem to be easier. Hence, the journey of finding "the Guru" begins. A guru, the master who might have known, experienced better than the us would explain, show and guide us in the path. The position of a "Guru" in the path of spirituality plays a larger role than anything else. 

Hence, the path of spirituality or otherwise can be termed as "path of inner journey" needs a Guru. 

Follow your heart to find your Light - Samyak Yoga

But, here comes the thin line and the danger of losing the whole essence of the practice. 

Women, Yoga, Equality and Cosmic Shakti

This is one of the most controversial and misunderstood by the majority of the society. We, as a society have been fighting a long battle for the equal rights for every one and avoiding extra favors, suppression only because some people have different color, caste or gender. And now the world has reached to a state wherein a civilized society people are treated equally. 

Is there any gender equality? I really think NO! Before all the feminists get angry on me, I would like to make it clear. Do not claim equal rights based on genders. When you ask for equal rights, that itself is unconsciously explaining that you do not have it. Mother nature treats all living beings equal, not just males and females. Then what is the concept of male and female genders... 

1. Male and Female are not genders, but energies. 

Everything in the cosmic structure has three different layers. One is its real state i.e. Consciousness. The second one is its existence in energy-form and the last one is the manifestation with physical framework. Apart from the consciousness state, we all are energy species. Male and females are different energies. Based on the domination of male/female energies, we are formed male or female physically. Often, energy domination may not be same as physical one. Do not get confused with the energy-state and the physical frame. Try to perceive human beings as the manifestation of energies in the physical form. 

I don't mind to be hated... Difficulty of Being Good

You read it right. I don't mind to be hated and I do not want to be remembered as one of the good people by everybody. The reason is to be good to everybody, all the time is impossible....

As you all know, we all the three male teachers here at Samyak Yoga were fortunate enough to study in an ancient system of education "Gurukula System of Education" prevailed during the time of Buddha, Patanjali etc. The replica of the same education system is created in the outskirts of Bangalore, South India. During our studies there, my master used to tell me "it is your main problem that you want to be good to everybody, every time and that leads to chaos". I took much time to understand the essence of his teaching. What I understood later as time passed was very interesting and made my life comfortable and less-complicated. 

All about Patanjali

The second article in the series of Exploration of Patanjali discusses about the meaning of the name " Patanjali" on the basis of Sanskrit grammar and also tries to shed light on the scholarly references about the contribution of Patanjali to the humanity.

Meaning of “Patanjali”

The compound name Patañjali has been explained by Sanskrit commentators in two ways. 

The first explanation of the word is añjalau patan iti patañjali (Patañjali is one falling into folded hands).

The untold stories about Patanjali

Most of Patanjali’s personal history is engulfed with mystery and myth; (much like any of the world’s spiritual super heroes) the tale of Patanjali’s birth has taken on legendary dimensions.