Non participation yoga

The yogas have been classified as general paths to the same goal of enlightenment or freedom. They denote spiritual work on oneself through time to that goal. But yoga has also denoted a lifestyle or way to smooth the mental and physical states to create balance in the mind and heart of the practitioner. Sometimes in certain texts yoga has been presented as a way to cheat nature with warnings that those with impure intentions can cause great harm to themselves or others, this spiritual sense of purity comes with the possibility of self righteousness. 

The simplest and most available yogas are devotion or love, knowledge, and practice or meditation. They are available to everyone, and are described in various texts that are prevalent everywhere. It is interesting that the yogas may turn out to be stages that a practitioner goes through on a spiritual path once one decides to start to undertake one. For some it is a leap to even begin to explore the mind and heart, and for others they are compelled in spite of themselves to follow the intonations of spirit. Most however, are compelled to look within to a greater or lesser degree, and simplicity seems the most desirable way to proceed.

The natural breath in meditation can be observed to focus the attention on temporarily, but often the breath is over emphasized and it becomes a distraction to a more simplistic way. Simple natural breathing and relaxation is a good place to start and then almost immediately to drop. Perhaps sitting can then just be simply sitting, simply walking. Then drop the simply and one can then, perhaps, just be. 

The idea that people are given that they need to become something other than what they are is a never ending story. Society teaches this, but many instinctually don’t agree. To return to that original idea of simple being doesn’t mean you’re lazy or not normal. If we as adults remembered that feeling in our youth, that it isn’t necessary to participate, or that it isn’t meaningful for me, perhaps then, people would be more happy. Maybe it’s ok to remember how we felt when we were young and we didn’t want anything to do with the world, maybe that was a correct feeling. I wonder how it would be if we followed that intuition, that original primary feeling before we were forced to fit in to a world with which we disagree.

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