Wisdom

The basis of all yoga practice is the understanding that ‘I am not my body’ but that ‘I am the spiritual being or the soul and I exist within my body’ made of matter.

When caught up in the bustle of everyday life, we forget our spiritual identity, simply engaging in activities trying to satisfy our senses and the body while neglecting our real and deepest needs.

Here is a story which brings home an important point worth considering in our daily lives…

A wealthy lady once bought a bright yellow canary from a pet-shop.

The bird was lively and playful, and sang beautifully.

But the bird’s cage was very plain, and didn’t suit the décor of the house.

So the lady searched for a most wonderful cage, beautifully handcrafted in gold and dazzling like the sun. with perches made of  ivory. Its sparkling canopy was covered with rubies and sapphires.

The lady became became so enamoured by the beauty of this cage, constantly polishing and decorating it, walking back and forth admiring its beauty, that she even failed to notice the small bird inside.

She was so obsessed with the cage that she even forgot to feed the bird inside. and one morning she saw the bird had died and now the cage just seemed empty and pointless despite its gold and precious jewels. It was then she realised how lively and playful bird was and how sweet was its song.

So the inner person within us is like this bird in a golden cage. No matter how well we look after our bodies, if we neglect the person within, we cannot be truly happy. In fact we may even feel like a dead person walking around.

The spiritual being needs spiritual nourishment. This inner nourishment – food for the living being within the body – will give us far deeper and more lasting satisfaction and we can feel truly alive.

One way to make us feel better, is by the simpl,e enjoyable and effective, ancient  method Yoga Sound Meditation. This can be practiced in several easy ways. For example, ‘kirtan’  or group chanting.  Chaitanya, a very great saint from the 16th cent. India, describes kirtan as follows:

Gems of Wisdom

“Just like a child rests in his mother’s arms and all his fears disappear, we too can take shelter in Yoga Sound Meditation. We never have to be lonely again if we embrace the transcendental sound as our personal companion.”

“Yoga Sound meditation is the waxing moon
that spreads the white lotus flower of
good fortune for all living entities”
(ancient yoga texts)

“A lotus flower rises above the water,
Untouched by its impurities.
Similarly through meditation,
A person can live in this world
Untouched by its anxieties.”

Om Hari Om