I feel we may all agree that a subtle yet profound event has occurred when we find ourselves at a yoga class. Before we even unroll the mat our inner knowing holds this to be true.

Why is this?
I believe that in choosing yoga rather than squash or marathon running, we are communicating a need, for not just an improved physical fitness, but for self-healing and self-empowerment.
We are clearly stating that we want to function better, feel better and be a compassionate human being both unto ourselves and others and are now taking actions that are in alignment with this.

It also highlights the important step of “acknowledgement”. We acknowledged that there was something not quite working for us. Perhaps we had been feeling underwhelmed or overwhelmed by life. Overly stressed and anxious or depressed and lethargic, or perhaps that “niggling” feeling was inwardly etching away a feeling of “there has to be something more…”

By then practicing Yoga we have chosen to do something that will empower us, something which will enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.  We are at the very least going to give it a chance, experience it for ourselves and see.

“You have to grow, from the inside out. No one can teach you. No one can show you the way. There is no teacher but your own inner consciousness. A teacher can awaken only that which is already inside of you, and a teacher spoils everything if he thinks he is teaching.”
Yogi Bhajan

Yoga is about “union” and we live lives which are so disparate.  Is it any wonder we are seeking a way or means to pull all these parts of ourselves back together.  Yes we are whole, complete and perfect but right now in these crazy days this is not a match for the lives we lead and the many and varied roles we play each day. With an honest and committed yogic practice we can integrate all these facets of our psyche. This is how we can heal and restore ourselves.

As we sit on our mat, our little life raft, we close our eyes and tune in, and it’s around about this time that we notice what the inner radio is playing.
Our monkey minds are running wild, but we have nothing to distract us… doubts arise and we cry “I have committed to 75 minutes of this??!”
Fantastic! This is where the fun begins, we can now navigate our minds, chart the unseen territories and take ourSelves on, or not, the choice is yours!  But resistance is futile. It may not always be pleasant, but it is always effective.  We gain great insight into ourselves when we  “go in” and observe.

We spend a large proportion of our days, running around in the hustle and bustle of it all – being stressed, tired, busy, hard working, hard playing. Overloading.  Operating on top of this can make us less than balanced.

This is how we can lose our vitality and compromise our wellbeing. We need to be responsible for ourselves and take the time to tune in to and check out what “station” we are listening to and therein operating from. Is it an old worn out reel of dis-empowerment or an elevating promoting one? This is where our yoga practice comes into it.  In that space we can cultivate the habit of quiet time, for there is great value in the exploration of our inner spirit. We must learn how to listen to it and nurture it.

When we afford ourselves the opportunity to go inwards, to check in with our true selves we give rise to the possibility of doing some of the real work, sometimes it is an oil check, other times a complete engine overhaul.  Kundalini yoga offers us our personal tool kit to deal with maintenance, repair work and breakdowns.

Through the use of breath, movement, sound and stillness we allow ourselves to be. We sit with, move with and engage with ourselves in our entirety. Our happiness and hurts, our joys and tears, our hopes and fears. Its very essence is both gracefully subtle and wildly powerful.  As a precision technology, yoga triggers deep trans-formative healing.  You may not know how or why but simply that it does and that was the experience you were seeking.  It is a wild and wonderful journey to our own souls! Wahe Guru!

Sat Nam
Siri Kartar