Stand up for what's right ... Even if you stand alone

Stand up Be strong

Taking Yoga into the world and using all that we have learned on our mat and in our classes is where some of the most valuable life lessons can be learned. In the yoga community it’s called “taking yoga off the mat”which basically means taking what you’ve learned from the wise teachings of Yoga and putting them into practice in the real world.

 

I do admit that I much prefer being in the cozy loving company of yogis where self-awareness is more likely to be the norm. However, the lessons that I encounter in the real world shake up my yogi feathers enough that I am newly inspired to explore yoga further. So I am always grateful for the encounters that teach me who I am, not only as a yogi but as a person on a spiritual path.

Yoga students look for a perfect human being in their teachers as Ramesh Bjonnes explains so well in his article 11 Reasons Why We (Still) Need Great Gurus, Teachers & Yoga Communities.  But it goes without saying that if we have incarnated in a human body we are imperfect and working out karma from past lives, so the search for a perfect guru could be a search in vain because ultimately, we are really searching for our own perfect selves.

When I come across people who are still asleep and have no interest whatsoever in spirituality, I merely have to say one beautiful spiritual phrase or word to bring out the repressed beauty within them. Wise words expressed with gentle love often stops unawakened people in their tracks as it stirs the soul from its deep sleep.

However, reaching that beauty requires putting aside negativity as the ego defends itself from the threat of the soul's awakening. Unfortunately, the negativity is then directed at whomever is presenting the possibility to awaken. I immediately know how asleep a person is by how violent their reaction is towards spiritual thought, yoga, Reiki or any other form of healing work that is based on spirit and not matter. The more violent the reaction, the harder the ego is working to avoid the soul from awakening.

I like to compare spiritual awakening to waking up in the morning. At times we would just rather keep sleeping than waking up to the reality before us which includes working rather than playing. So we hit the alarm clock to shut it off. Spiritual thinkers can take some hits too as they provide others with the opportunity to awaken spiritually.

But the irony is that once you make friends with your alarm clock/spiritual teacher life becomes the most playful and fun existence you will ever have. The hardest part is making the decision to wake up.

Aggression in the real world is often directed at visionaries and lightworkers as they take their bright light into the dark world. They are aggressed mainly because the very essence of light is spirit which threatens the false security of the ego and all it has kept under control. A healthy spirit depends on the knowledge of spirituality whether it’s studied in yoga or elsewhere. If the ego has managed to keep the spirit completely repressed anybody with the ability to stir the soul will appear as a threat- and that includes spiritual practices. The ego is an undercover spy ready and willing to do whatever it takes to keep the spirit at its service. The desire for inner freedom then, is a desire to break free from the tight hold of the ego - which is why yoga and spiritual practices have become so popular. We are all tired of serving the ego and are ready to serve the Light.

I wore a t-shirt with this quote when I was in University.  It was a great reminder to strive to be a great spirit rather than a great achiever.

Every now and then I am gifted with experiences from the world stage that I take back onto my mat to meditate on. Such an experience occurred recently where I realized that unawakened souls depend entirely on their personalities (or ego) to be loved and accepted. 

In Italian the most loved and accepted personality is considered "spiritoso"which describes a light-hearted and funny person. The adjective has the word "spirit" in it but not "spirituality" probably because as it so happens, oftentimes this kind of personality gets people laughing at the expense of others. But the unawakened "spiritosi" I have met tend to shame their own selves by revealing their ignorance and their lack of respect in general. The "spiritoso" thinks it is better to be "spiritoso" (and at at times disrespectful) because at least you won't be judged for being boring. But as we all know this kind of joker is also a sad clown deep down. The personality is not who we are but who we show the world. Spirituality asks you to show the world who you really are even if that means admitting you are scared, vulnerable and searching. But the fear of judgment still keeps many people afraid of exploring spirituality.

Yogi Bhajan, who inspires me greatly as a yoga teacher, has a quote I like for this very reason. The quote is: "Don’t love me, love my teachings. Be ten times greater than me.” He has no need to be loved himself because he knows he is already very much loved by God. So all he asks for as a teacher, is to love what he is teaching, which is how to become so confident yourself that you won't need to have people love you either. You will know you are love and you will know you are love itself.

It's a good reminder not only for yoga teachers but also for those working on themselves and on the mutual goal to bring Light and Love to planet Earth, to not take other people's spiritual awakenings and evolution personally. Interfering in someone else's spiritual path or giving advice where advice is not requested, is not the best way to approach someone who is not ready to hear what you have to say- even if they are suffering or stuck in an old paradigm of thinking that is no longer working for them.

As don Miguel Ruiz says in his book The Four Agreements:

Don’t Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

We are in the year 2012 which, on a spiritual level, means everything will be accelerated which will create great change on the planet. If someone you know is still grappling with this whole baffling new age stuff, the best way to deal with it is to show love as best as you can, be an example of spiritual love and have faith that everything always occurs for a Divine reason - even if not visible or comprehensible to the naked eye.

Buona domenica :-)

Namastè.