Category: Yoga

Spirituality, Yoga

I AM a Divine Being

Jivani Lisa

A meditation from Nischala Joy Devi:

In a softly lit room, sit [or stand] as close as comfortably possible to a mirror.

Take a few deep breaths and let them out slowly.

Allow yourself to relax.

Take a moment to look at your own familiar face.

Allow thoughts to drift away. Bring awareness to your eyes.

Keep your eyes soft as you gaze deeply into them.

At first you may feel uncomfortable. (We rarely, if ever, look ourselves in the eye.) But the eyes are the windows to the soul, so take a look into your own.

Continue to relax and soften the gaze.

Find yourself going deeper within until you get a glimpse of the Divine Light that is ever present.

Repeat either silently or aloud, “I am a Divine Being.”….

As you allow your eyes to close, be still and experience any feelings that surface.

Practice two times a day for a week and observe how your newfound feelings and thoughts influence the vision of your True Nature, and other people’s as well. Each time you pass a mirror or think of yourself in any way, reaffirm, “I am a Divine Being.”

— From The Secret Power of Yoga, pp. 23-24

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

Spirituality, Yoga

The Virtue of Surrender

Jivani Lisa

If any want to follow me, let them renounce themselves.”

(Jesus in Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Matthew 16:24)

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to God as we understood [God].”
(Step 3 of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous)

In Yoga, there are 5 Observances: Cleanliness, Contentment, Discipline, Self-Inquiry, and Surrender to the Divine. This surrender means willingly trusting that there is some sort of big picture in life which we can never truly understand with our small human mind. It means giving our lives over to making the world a better place by our loving presence, by our choice to put the good of others, of the world, over our own petty wishes.

Here is how the Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr, explains surrender:

“Surrender will always feel like dying, and yet it’s the necessary path to liberation. It takes each of us a long time to just accept—to accept what is; to accept ourselves, others, the past, our own mistakes, and the imperfection and idiosyncrasies of almost everything. Our lack of acceptance reveals our basic resistance to life. Acceptance isn’t our mode nearly as much as aggression, resistance, fight, or flight. None of these responses achieve the deep, lasting results of true acceptance and peaceful surrender. Acceptance becomes the strangest and strongest kind of power. Surrender isn’t giving up, as we often think; it’s a giving to the moment, the event, the person, and the situation.”

In Yoga, these teachings on surrender tie into Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) and Karma Yoga (the path of selfless service). I believe these ancient spiritual teachings are precisely what the modern world needs to remember and practice so we can help make the world a more peaceful and loving place for everyone.

May we trust – and begin NOW, this very moment!

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash
Sanskrit, Yoga

Union

Jivani Lisa

Yoga is the cessation of movements in the consciousness.”

— Yoga Sutra 1.2, B. K. S. Iyengar translation

Yoga happens when there is stilling (in the sense of continual and vigilant watchfulness) of the movement of thought without expression or suppression in the indivisible intelligence in which there is no movement.”

— Yoga Sutra 1.2, Swami Venkatesananda translation

Basically, when the mind is clear and calm, centered and quiet, we experience Pure Consciousness – the True Self which we ARE. (Like the photo below, taken at Dream Lake inside Luray Caverns in Virginia.) The water is perfectly calm, so there is no distortion of What Is. This is Yoga. “Union.” Or “to yoke.”

photo from Ashburn Magazine
Yoga

Pratipaksha Bhavana: Yoga Sutra 2.33

Jivani Lisa

“When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive] ones should be thought of. This is pratipaksha bhavana.” (Swami Satchidananda translation)

“When doubt or wayward thoughts disturb the cultivation of a calm mind, generate the opposite: a counterforce of thoughts, images, or feelings that have the power to uplift, invigorate, inspire, and steady the mind. This is pratipaksha bhavana.” (Rev. Jaganath translation)

pratipakṣa = the opposite

bhāvanam = cultivation

In this practice, we consciously choose to replace a negative, unhelpful thought with a positive one. For example, instead of focusing on a thought such as “This world is a mess,” we choose something like “This world has so much beauty in it.” We might go on to think of all the beautiful places or situations we know. Instead of a thought such as “My son is ruining his life,” we choose something like “I love my son no matter what.”

This practice can also be used with thoughts about ourselves. A thought like “I’m so weak” can become “I’m getting stronger each day.” The positive thought generates a positive energy within us to take whatever actions we’re able to take while letting go of whatever is beyond our control.

Repetitive thoughts form what Yoga calls samskaras. These samskaras are like ruts in the mind: We have a tendency to fall into them over and over because that is what we have done in the past. The negative ruts are well-worn. However, the good news is that, with regular practice, we can form new ruts that move in a healthy, positive, uplifting direction.

Try this:  Write out two or three negative thoughts that plague you. Then, write the positive thought for each one you wish to use instead. Begin countering the negative thought with the positive one as you go about your days.