By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Some Yoga teachers say that the goal of practicing Yoga is the attainment of moksha, which is liberation from worldly suffering. It is true that Yoga can help anyone with mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. The ability to be liberated from self-imposed suffering is within your grasp, through the practice of kshama.

When we consider our past mistakes, we tend to go through a figurative exercise of self-mutilation. We may blame the twists and turns of life on ourselves, or others, but we may fail to correct our course in life. We are taught to love others, forgive, and avoid selfishness. These are all great virtues, but how often do we fail to forgive ourselves?

The closest English equivalent to the Sanskrit word “kshama” is forbearance. The practice of kshama relates to acts of forgiveness, tolerance, and patience. Although this is one of the highest virtues, it is also one of the most difficult. Yoga students often inquire as to how, and where, to begin the practice of kshama.

The answer is to start practicing today. You can practice kshama at any time. It is through practice, that we improve in all matters. We will likely not achieve perfection in this lifetime, but we can do our best by practicing daily. Yet, some students will continue to ask, “Where do I begin?”

You can start by practicing kshama within. Forgive yourself first, make corrections, and it will be easier to show others forgiveness, tolerance, and patience. Still, many of us have difficulty letting go of the past. We may have been taught that we are natural born sinners, we are less than perfect, and forgiving ourselves is selfish.

This sounds like a “no-win” situation. After all, who is perfect? Have you met someone who is perfect? Unfortunately, humans are not perfect; and sometimes, we compound problems by denying the truth or blaming others for our mistakes. Blaming others is, historically, popular.

World leaders, and role models, often blame someone else for their scandals and short comings. Throughout history, we have seen dictators and monarchs, who blamed their subjects for failures that occurred, due to their poor leadership skills. We have seen religious leaders, who blame their parishioners for their own failures in leadership.

There is no need to blame anyone else for our mistakes. Forgiveness starts within, and we must face reality by acknowledging and forgiving our past mistakes. Learn from the wrong turns in life, make repairs, correct your course, and move forward. Once you have mastered this, you can free yourself of baggage that you do not need to carry. This set of actions will bring about a new state of consciousness, which makes the higher Yogic principles easier to apply toward daily life.

© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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