The past week has been eventful in my life experience. Many signs and indications that change is coming, change in identity and how we present ourselves to the world. These signs have become more and more insistent, unavoidable. I’ve encountered the same dynamics, the same tensions, stories, and discord in so many people close to me.
Why is this happening?
What actions should I take?
Should I try to understand what is happening?
Last weekend I spent time with two of my spiritual mentors, working on finding an understanding of what, if anything, should be done. The outcomes seemed surprising to me. Yes, there are many things happening with many people. Yes, we may be able to help other people.
But what is holding me back? What is holding you back? What holds us back from a greater sense of identity with my true self and a natural manifestation of that in the world?
The answer was at the same time both expected and a surprise. I need to look within myself and find an assumed identity I haven’t yet allowed to fall away. In this realm I should not worry about others and their struggles before addressing my own.
What identity to drop? At first it seemed to be my close association with classical yoga. I’d been wondering about that for a while. Is it really a primary part of me or just a tool I used that helped me along some parts of the path?
To find answers I used a method taught to me by Terry Swejkoski. The method is simple, but not easy for me right now. But the answer came so dramatically and clearly, largely in the form of this recent video from Sadhguru. I didn’t go looking for that video, it just arrived in front of me.
“You should live in such a way that anybody who sees you should want to do it this way.”
Sadhguru
Simple, but not easy. Classical yoga is who and how I am, it pervades every breath. I can’t pretend otherwise.
Meditation Practice
This week we embrace the wisdom of classical yoga, with practices dating back thousands of years. These techniques arose so very long ago, and that they continue through to today is a testament to their timelessness, strength and effectiveness.
We’ll go through a series of pranayama breathing exercises, with a background from the Nirvana Shatakam, details in the session.