AS WITHIN SO WITHOUT
Have you ever wondered about the zenith of human development? Lot of folks would promptly respond and aptly so, 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 an achievement enough to earn the bragging rights to being the hallmark of the peak of human development. We, Indians, although only chosen few, having already achieved that, and that too many centuries ago, have the added benefit of the published works and commentaries enumerating in detail the knowhow of the laws, philosophies and shared experiences, yet very few of us, across nationalities, in today’s world, are managing to achieve it and suffering from mental health issues, such as, distractions, attention deficit disorders, depression, burnouts, like never before.
I remember the time, back in September 2019, when I was feeling 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. Finally, having exhausted every possible solution at hand, I resorted to trying out Yoga.
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.
The first lesson that I learnt from the Yogic practices was to live in the present moment, stay calm and access my inner bliss, which is anchored, somewhere deeper and beyond the mind. This realization slipped into me, as I continued with the daily practice of deep abdominal breathing, that helped me to mentally slow down, giving me a sense of calmness and peace within….and in the first week, itself, I started feeling 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 how effectively are you able to look at the diverse perspectives, listen, see the possibilities and solution and measure impact?
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/activity is, if the activity chosen is the right one, no matter how insignificant it appears to be, and applied with focus, integration and synergy of head, heart and hands, day after day, in a consistent manner, the impact can be huge and significant.
Point of introspection: What is that one thing that you do consistently that will bring about a huge impact and the desired transformation?
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, led 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 attitudes and beliefs are shaped by following a specific lifestyle. The habits followed daily and consistently not only grounds you but ignites enthusiasm and joy in your daily life, and is responsible for eventually bringing 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 to feel like a Leader 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 centered around bringing a sense of internal balance in my behavior, my eating habits, my mindset as well as heart-set and external balance as reflected in my interactions and in the way, I managed my work, roles and different aspects of my life. I realized instinctively how balance can help me attain happiness and clarity.
Point of introspection: How balanced are your day-to-day activities? How is your work-life balance? How balanced is your state of mind while dealing with crisis? Is your progress well rounded in all areas of your life or is it skewed? Is your progress enhancing your well-being and happiness?
Without constant awareness and introspection, witnessing and seeing things as they are, 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 concentration and meditation that helped me increase the quality of my awareness, of being in the present moment. That in fact was my next learning; to attain and be conscious of awareness of the present moment.
Point of Introspection: How enhancing self-awareness can allow 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?
Apart from the Raja Yoga, which is the yoga of the mind, there is Karma Yoga that advocates focus on the action and not the fruits of the action as it otherwise takes you way from the present, hence dissipating your energies; Bhakti Yoga that advocates the power of love and faith that helps you go beyond your goal and achieve various possibilities. The essence of Yoga lies in gaining control over the mind and that is achieved when you realize the impermanent nature of the world outside and anchor yourself within to the abode of infinite bliss, which lies way deeper and beyond the mind.