Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Many people view Yoga and meditation as practices that are directly at odds with achievement and success. Our cultural imagery of the hermetic guru who lives in obscurity no doubt feeds this misconception. In truth, meditation itself can lead to manifestation not only on a purely spiritual level, but also on the level of material form.

When individuals successfully engage in meditation, regardless of the form, they go deeper and deeper into themselves. When they reach the deepest place, the place beyond the ego, surface, and chattering thoughts of the mind, the true source is all that's left. The source is deep and pure, and every human has the source within themselves. This is where our life energy comes from and we can freely access this energy whenever the mind becomes still. This is not a trance and the consciousness is still fully aware and intensely present.

This is where many people stop. In this state, one could just disappear within themselves never to return to the world of material forms and be perfectly happy. However, this is not essential. One may feel free to return to the realm of form and matter while still maintaining the connection to the source.

How can one hope to bring the inner source into the external reality? The answer is, you can't. The source is already present in the outside world. As within, so without.

The source is all that is and all that isn't. It is infinite potential. The unmanifested is vast and without end; a good which has no opposite. The source is that which allows everything else to be, to exist. Without the source, there would be nothing else.

When an individual becomes aware of the source within themselves, they bring an awareness of the source into the external world and this awareness can lead to manifestations of the most radical variety. Sometimes this manifestation is in the form of material wealth, other times it's in the form of circumstances which lead to profoundly good life circumstances. In any case, no matter what happens, it's all good.

How many times have we heard the story of someone who in our perception had everything going for them but were miserably unhappy? These individuals had manifested a reality that was appealing, often including wealth or fame, but inside they were lacking the only thing that can give real joy and happiness: a connection to something bigger and greater than ourselves. These are the people who have gained the world, but lost their souls, as Jesus put it.

When manifestation occurs out of being deeply rooted in the source, it's all good, no matter what happens in the physical world. With such a firm foundation, how could one fail to succeed? They have succeeded already.

Dig in deep and practice yogic meditate daily to become more deeply rooted within; the rewards on both the physical plane and the spiritual are very worthwhile.