Sunday, November 25, 2012

YOGA - A JOURNEY TO THE HIGHER SELF



A monkey, which leaves the tree and swims in a lake is inferior to fish. A racehorse kept in a beautiful and posh apartment, is inferior to a rat. A good swordsman given a plough to cultivate a piece of land, is inferior to a peasant. In the same way people feel inferior, if they are not summoned to a higher self.

“I am uncomfortable talking to people, I feel shy, I can’t mix with people, I feel diffident in getting jobs done by others, I am an introvert. How can you help me?” a lady asked, in one of my LIFE programs.

The art of living is about balancing. We have to balance our work, home, body, and mind. We should balance between being outer winners and being inner winners.

Reflect on this.
A woodcutter had to struggle hard to earn two meals a day. He met a monk. The monk advised him, “stop staying at the edge of the forest, and go into the forest. One day’s hours of work will fetch you one-month’s food.”

The woodcutter followed the advice. Deep within the forest, he found sandalwood trees. He was very happy. He expressed his gratitude to the monk. 

The monk advised again, “Take the risk of going still deeper into the forest. A day’s work will fetch you food for six months.  This time he found a silver mine. He thanked the monk again, profusely. The monk said, “If you trust me and go still deeper into the forest, one day’s work will make you earn enough to fetch your food for a life time.” This also turned out to be true. For he found a gold mine.

The woodcutter wondered, “Why then does the monk still stay at the edge of the forest and not venture into the forest, as he has been advising me?”

He expressed his doubts to the monk. The monk replied, “If you want to be eternally happy, sit under this tree and I will teach you to go within. Then you will be eternally happy.”

To be an outer winner, one has to explore the outside world. To be an inner winner, one has to go within oneself. The kingdom of heaven is within us.

The balance between being an outer winner and being an inner winner is what would make us feel good.

Why are you shy? This is because you are not feeling good. You are caught up in looking good. When you are not feeling good, even doing a good act may land you in trouble.

Reflect on this.
A woman noticed a boy jumping to reach the door bell. She helped him to ring the doorbell and smiled “Is your attempt now successful?”

“Yes; but now run and vanish before the door opens!” said the boy and took to his heels.
You say you are uncomfortable being with people. Your discomfort may be due to the lack of people skills. You should help people to bring out their best and that is possible only if your best comes out. Your best comes out if you balance being an outer and an inner winner. Learn to motivate yourself and others. Learn to be at peace with the imperfection in yourself and others.
One important aspect that has helped me in dealing with people is this value. The value of receiving complaints wisely. The more I listen to people’s complaints the more it appears that there are hidden agendas behind the plethora of complaints.

So the system I adopt is, the other has a right to complain; but not more than five minutes. If TV ads can last thirty seconds and still communicate powerfully, why not people’s complaints? We can spend more time for positive and productive talk. Engaging in positive and productive talk makes us feel good as against listening to complaints. This will help us to be positive with other people and make us feel good.

Shyness is another form of ego. Don’t support it. Just as you reject poisonous food, reject the ego games of your mind. Then you will see the truth is and not be taken in by illusions.
Reflect on this.

A woodpecker was pecking at an oak tree. A lightning struck the tree and felled it. The woodpecker flew away and boasted, “I never knew I was so strong.  I can make a tree fall.”
Drop your ego. You will find people as God’s messengers conveying divine messages to you, teaching you through their failures and successes.

Most of us are like an oak tree in a flowerpot. The flowerpot is like the ego and our being is like the oak tree. Do not confine yourself to the ego. Drop your lower self and let your higher self guide you. This is the meaning of yoga; being yoked to the higher self.

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