A human being is a part of the whole,
called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences
himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a
kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of
prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a
few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison
by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the
whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but
the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a
foundation for inner security.
-Albert Einstein
The natural world in which we
live, and of which we humans constitute a part, works on the basis of cycle. It
is common knowledge within physics that every process tends to run down and
stop because the energy supplying the process becomes exhausted in overcoming
resistance, and changes to some other form. Whatever may seem to be a
continuing process is really equilibrium in movement which continues by rhythm
or cycle; one force dominates for a time, only to yield the dominance sooner or
later to some other force. Every process goes by ebb and flow like the tides of
the sea. A stream has a winding course because the current impinges against the
banks, first on one side, and then on the other. Day alternates with night,
winter alternates with summer. There are also longer cycles: for a series of
years there is abundant rainfall, then for some years succeeding these the
rainfall is scanty; sun-spots have their cycles, and electrical storms; and
probably also earthquakes and glacial epochs; the precession of the equinoxes
makes a cycle of 26,000 years. But nature makes no more use of regular curves
that form exact circles than she does of straight lines. Nevertheless, rhythm
in the physical world is everywhere present in some form or other.
Nature's natural rhythms
orchestrate when day turns to night, when flowers must bloom, and provides the
cue for when it is time for red and brown leaves to fall from trees. As human
beings, our own inner rhythm is attuned to this universal sense of timing.
Guided by the rising and setting of the sun, changes in temperature, and our
own internal rhythm, we know when it is time to sleep, eat, or be active. While
our minds and spirits are free to focus on other pursuits, our breath and our
heartbeat are always there to remind us of life's pulsing rhythm that moves
within and around us.
Moving to this rhythm, we know when it is time
to stop working and when to rest. Pushing our bodies to work beyond their
natural rhythm diminishes our ability to renew and recharge. A feeling much like jet lag lets us know when
we've overridden our own natural rhythm. When we feel the frantic calls of all we want
to accomplish impelling us to move faster than is natural for us, we may want
to breathe deeply instead and look at nature moving to its own organic timing:
birds flying south, leaves shedding, or snow falling. A walk in nature can also
let us re-attune is to her organic rhythm, while allowing us to move back in
time with our own. When we move to our natural rhythm, we can achieve all we
need to do with less effort.
We may even notice that our soul moves to its own internal, natural rhythm,
especially when it comes to our personal evolution. Comparing ourselves to
others is unnecessary. Our best guide is to move to our own internal timing,
while keeping time with the rhythm of nature.
Have you ever felt "in
the flow" or in a “groove” where you simply and naturally respond inwardly
to whatever comes up within an instant?
This is something we often associate with great athletes, musicians,
artists, and the like. Yet we can gradually achieve our own state of inner
awareness by lowering our resistance to inspiration, humbly acknowledging that
everything we have is a gift and surrendering to the wiser and saner higher
self that always votes for the optimal welfare of all. When we look back on
those moments when everything seemed to flow, we realize that we were willing
to get our sense of a separate 'self' out of the way, and allow our unified
identity (beyond space and time, yet acting within those dimensions) to take
over the controls… I'd call this surrendering to one's higher self, and the
best part is that this sort of surrender doesn't involve any compromises, since
our higher self awareness isn't after any kind of special or exclusionary goals
and benefit is assured for all from this encompassing intent. In order to hear
the inner voice consistently, we must be willing to acknowledge that our finite
perceptions are incomplete, and because of that minuscule and a with rather
distorted window on truth. Letting go of our biases and hopelessly territorial
perspectives gives us the clarity to receive guidance beyond what we currently
believe possible.
We as human beings are
undeniably an integral cog on the wheel of life, how we think, act, or don’t
act ultimately affects all life in the universe. As Yogis our practice is not
limited to the hour and half we spend on our mats it is the way we live our
lives. The word yoga is usually defined as union; oftentimes people will say union
of body, mind, and spirit. As true as this is it is a very limited and self
centered description. Yoga ultimately means the realization that we are not separate
beings in separate realities but of the same essence of the one reality. To “live” our yogic practice and interact in
the world as an integral part of the whole returns us to life’s natural rhythm.
WHAT IS LIFE?
Life is an Adventure ... Dare it
Life is a Beauty ... Praise it
Life is a Challenge ... Meet it
Life is a Duty ... Perform it
Life is a Love ... Enjoy it
Life is a Tragedy ... Face it
Life is a Struggle ... Fight it
Life is a Promise ... Fulfill it
Life is a Game ... Play it
Life is a Gift ... Accept it
Life is a Journey ... Complete it
Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it
Life is a Goal ... Achieve it
Life is an Opportunity ... Take it
Life is a Puzzle ... Solve it
Life is a Song ... Sing it
Life is a Sorrow ... Overcome it
Life is a Spirit ... Realize it
-Anon.