The Yogic Way Of Living

"Satsang of Swami Amar Jyoti"

YOGA IS A WAY OF LIFE. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says: "Yogah karmasu kaushalam "- "Yoga is the tactful or skillful way of action." When you are living a yogic life, work is play; life is relaxing, rejuvenating and regenerating. There is a process within our body metabolism by which the cells become purified rather than producing toxins. In Sanskrit, yoga means union: becoming one with God, the Cosmos, Pure Consciousness. Yoga also means the process to attain union. The yogic way of living is being in tune, as much as you can, with the Divine, God, your Spirit. You work, eat, sleep, enjoy, relate and participate in life in a conscious way rather than an egotistical way.

Everyone is God in principle and reality, inherently, intrinsically. However, in the three-dimensional reality in which we live, you have to behave as is apparent, as you hear and see and feel and touch and smell. This is call "yathartha" in Sanskrit, realism, as we perceive with our senses. We have to behave and deal with others as we perceive, and at the same time believe and have faith that everyone is God, everyone is divine. This is the yogic way. Normally we get identified with people and situations in such a way that we lose touch with the inner principle. That is why we get tired, hectic, tense and worried - we lose that pivotal point, our succor, our origin: that God is "all". This false identification is the root cause of every problem; otherwise there are no problems.

For example, let's say someone did something that invites your response or reaction. In that situation, one to one, you become so identified with the person or relationship that your inner Spirit or Light is forgotten right away - not gradually but instantly. You become one with that particular phenomenon, positive or negative, in such a way that you experience pleasure or pain, you suffer or enjoy, however the situation may be.

Now let's take the yogic way: the same person under the same circumstances has invited your response but you are not losing your touch with the Divine and your faith that this person is also divine. Then however you choose to relate to him or her, you will not become identified. You may deal outwardly in the very same way with that person or situation but your inner experience will be completely different. Even though you may not be realized and actually see God or Divine Mother in that person, you will not be the experiencer. You will simply be observing. You still deal in your own practical, realistic way but at the same time you are not affected. That is the yogic way of living.

Here also lies the difference between conditioned and unconditional love, "eros" and "agape". In conditioned love you have lost touch and identification with your God, Consciousness, your Soul. Then whatever the nature of the other person, you love what you see, perceive or sensually experience. The person's nature and yours become identified in such a way that you enjoy or suffer, give or receive accordingly. You get locked into that experience of good or bad, pleasure or pain. In "unconditional" love you are not losing touch with your Spirit or God or Consciousness within. You love the person in the same way but you remain conscious of the center of your Being. Your love is selfless. You may still express as you did when you were identified, but inside you are released of any burden or tension. And you can also see in the other person that she is God too, she is divine too, even if she is not aware of it. In this way of relating, you respond to the situation without making judgments. That is the beauty of the yogic way of life: you can still do what you want to do realistically, but it is releasing.

If you live realistically you will never have problems or suffering. You accept as it is, not as you want or don't want. What matters is what you "are", not what you do and say. Being what you are will make you blissful. That is the difference between a human being and a human doing. What you do and accomplish brings its own results. Everyday reality is symbolic of the inner Reality. If you live consciously in this yogic way, you will know how to live in the world and relate with others under all conditions and circumstances.

Source: religion-events.blogspot.com