Archive for June 20th, 2009

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

You read and hear so much about being consciously aware and spiritual awakening, but what does it all mean? What does Yoga have to do with it? How could Yoga practice cause a practitioner to live with intention and complete mindfulness?

Firstly, let’s talk about being consciously aware. One of my Yoga students is celebrating her 96th birthday this weekend. Her husband died quite young and she raised three children by herself. You might picture someone who is bitter, comes to class with a walker, and barely conscious at all.

She is the polar opposite of that image. She walks with a stride of a healthy woman in her 40’s. She is happy, still drives (quite well), and her mind is as sharp as a tack. She is my student, but I am in deep admiration of her approach to life.

So, I asked her to share her insights on longevity, mindset, worrying, happiness, and consciousness. She mentions to three points, that most of us tend to skim over, but here they are for us to analyze once again.

1. Moderation is a key to life. To eat, drink, and behave with mindfulness and moderation, is a Yogic and Ayurvedic principle. We can put this into practice by reading about, and then applying, the Yamas, Niyamas, and Doshas, to our life.

2. Remember that God walks with you, but he does not work for you. She elaborated on this point for some time, but here it is in a nutshell: Prayer is powerful, but we must take action. We have to get up from the couch and move forward. The power of action, and the power of prayer, combined, is an extremely powerful combination.

3. See the good in all people. It is so easy to forget about the good in humankind. It is natural to see the crimes, wars, cruelty, and scams on the news. Does the news report how many people volunteer for charitable work daily? Have you heard how many people give to good charities, despite their own economic hardships? The world media reports bad news because it sells.

My oldest student is 101 years of age, and she will see her next birthday this summer. She spends most of her average day in a wheel chair, but she had a contribution to make about the mystery around Yoga and spiritual awakening.

She has been practicing Chair Yoga with me for six years and here is what she has to say: “Spiritual awareness is a natural part of our existence. If someone lives long enough, he or she may find it, but Yoga will take you directly to it.”  Furthermore, she stated that goodness is all around us, if we sincerely look for it.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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