Priorities. Yesterday morning I listened to a talk by my spiritual master/teacher Ishwar Puri on You Tube (IshwarPuriSantMat). There are several talks on there. Check them out. Just click on one that appeals to you (there are appealing titles). I saw "priorities" and clicked on it. Once again I heard a message I keep finding everywhere: if you are focusing on your meditation practice, your spiritual life, (as a priority), the rest of life happens around you and you do your everyday tasks with greater ease because your focus is not on those things. You do things (like the dishes or the laundry) in service with love & devotion, and the task is transformed.
Right now I am listening to him talk about Faith. He is making a distinction about faith. That faith is not blind faith. It is something that gets stronger when you see things like miracles and coincidences. You can build your faith - look for proof. I have done this many times and have had so many miracles show up in my life that I no longer get too surprised by them. I am always delighted and excited by these small miracles and coincidences.
How do you know when you have made progress? Ishwar says that when you experience less anger, lust, greed, ego, attachment (symptom emotional pain), that is a measure of your spiritual progress.
This is not something that practicing yoga asana can do for you, not just the exercise. However, engaging your mind and intention into the asana practice can do this for you. How? Set an intention! If you have a concern for someone (like today mine will be dedicated to my mother healing from bronchitis), dedicate your practice to that someone. Focus your love and devotion to that someone while you move through your asana.
There is no asana practice more powerful than the 108 Sun salutations. This is a moving prayer. At the Yoga Prairie studio, we are hosting a 108 event this Saturday afternoon. It is broken down into 3 segments with 15 minute break in between. It is a fundraiser for an organization that offers services to combat veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. One of the services is yoga. I can't imagine a more difficult life event to recover from than being involved in the violence of war and the organization "There and Back Again" is helping these veterans through recovering.
What you have read today...this is my yoga. I keep my body fit, my mind fit, focus it all on serving God and these are results that happen around and within me. I pray that I can make a difference in this world. I'm going to be a grandmother (in June 2012). I envision a world where all people have healthy food, clean water, comfortable shelter and safe, happy, loving, self-expressed lives. Wow! Envision that!
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