Have you ever wondered about the zenith of human development? Lot of folks would promptly respond with answers ranging from Mars colonization, AI, human cloning, flying cars, time travel and so on. Ever pondered upon the thought of how conquering the mind within, as opposed to conquering the world outside, could be the hallmark of the peak of human development.
Yoga is the science of the mind, body and interconnectivity with the cosmos. It is a subtle understanding of how the mind and body are linked together by breath and the vital force. It can also be described as the journey from the gross to the subtle. Sage Patanjali has defined Yoga as the control of patterns of consciousness.
Back in 2019, when I was quite unwell, enough to not be able to carry out my daily activities and yet the medical tests and repeated doctor visits yielded nothing substantial. Having exhausted every possible solution at hand, I finally resorted to trying out Yoga.
.After the first month of practicing Yoga, the first lesson that I learnt from the Yogic practices was breathing which taught me to live in the present moment, stay calm and access my inner bliss. This realization slipped into me as I practiced deep abdominal breathing which helped me to mentally slow down, giving me a sense of calmness….and slowly and steadily, I began to feel not so unwell.
Point of introspection: When you operate from a deep sense of calmness, how well are you able to see the problem for what it is and accept the problems for what they are without the urgent need to make a change?
To my utmost amazement, the next Yogic practice was comprised of asanas of utmost simplicity, ranging from stretching of fingers to that of toes, ankles, shoulders and neck, with parallel awareness and synchronization of breath, but had a huge impact on my well-being and gave me an instant sense of aliveness and vibrancy….and I understood the implication of the interconnection and interdependence of the various organs within.
My second learning was therefore that it does not matter how small an action is, if the action chosen is the right one and applied with focus, integration and synergy of head, heart and hands, the impact can be huge and significant. Also, a subtle understanding seeped in that when we look at the forest vis-a-vis the trees, we can only do right by ourselves when we do right by others, as we are all interconnected.
Point of introspection: What is that one thing that you do consistently that will bring about a huge impact and the desired transformation? To change the world, what is the change that you need to bring within yourself first?
Therefore, every day, little by little, having seen a quick and substantial improvement in my health, almost instantly, I was motivated to learn more about the science and began to read books and literature from the Yogic scriptures and my faith in the science, started taking deeper roots. I learnt about the Yamas and Niyamas and following and practicing the guidelines of living a clean and simple life, not only externally but internally, leading to pure joy and happiness. This in turn, led to even further improvement in my health.
This was the third learning from Yoga, and experientially made me understand how one’s beliefs, faith and a living a lifestyle that ignites enthusiasm and joy can bring in about a complete transformation.
Point of introspection: How there is more to presence than just optics? How presence is an inside out job and the need for values to be exuded inside out? Why it is necessary for your being to reflect leadership in order to be seen as a Leader? What culture are you creating in your organization and how much trust are you inspiring as a Leader?
With this milestone, we progressed and moved on to practicing the balancing asanas. Along with it, came the advice of how one hour yoga on the mat needs to be followed by 23 hours of yoga off the mat to attain true well-being. This led to my getting into practicing not only the balancing asanas on the mat but bringing about a sense of balance in my work and life for the remaining 23 hours.
My fourth learning centred around bringing a sense of balance in my behaviour, my eating habits, my interactions, in my work and in my roles. I realized instinctively how balance can help me attain clarity, independent thinking and understanding the significance of interdependence.
Point of introspection: How balanced are you from within? How can calmness, consciousness and focus help you achieve balance? How is your work-life balance? How balanced is your state of mind while dealing with a crisis or in your daily life?
Without constant awareness and introspection, this monitoring would have been next to impossible, and that was my fifth learning. Having incorporated consciousness or awareness into my daily regime, I, then realized the importance of witnessing, practicing, observing, concentrating and meditating that helped me increase my Self Awareness.
Point of Introspection: How enhancing self-awareness allows you to uncover your hidden potential and remove blockages that hold you back? How aware are you of your inner self talk, judgements, fear, anger, greed and motivations and how do they block you from seeing things as they are?
I learnt that apart from Hatha Yoga that I was practicing, there is Raja Yoga, which is the yoga of the mind, Karma Yoga that advocates focus on the action and not the fruits of the action as it keeps you focussed on the present moment and finally Bhakti Yoga that advocates the power of compassion and faith that helps you go beyond your goals and open to possibilities.
The essence of Yoga lies in gaining control over the mind and that is achieved when you realize the impermanence of the world outside and anchor yourself within to the abode of infinite bliss, which lies way deeper and beyond the mind.
– SHALINI SAREEN