Yoga – the gateway to Stillness and Space
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Yoga – the gateway to Stillness and Space
As known from the studies of the scriptures by Patanjali and other genuine teachers of true yoga, the main noble task of yoga is the yoking or re-binding of the wayward spirit back to Soul, the divine source where the oneness with the all is known and lived. It is only in re-union with Soul that the spirit and hence the human being know and experience a state of being and consequently a way of living that is founded in the stillness and poise of repose, which lays the foundation for any movement, motion and expression thereafter.
In a world that is run by constant motion, the complementary aspect of any true motion – stillness – is unbeknown to most. Even when we take times of rest like when going to sleep, going on a holiday or seeking the quietness and balancing agencies of nature, we rarely experience the depth of a true repose that not only allows for rejuvenation, restoration and settlement to take place, but also provides a deepening into the qualities that only this space of stillness and enrichment offers.
The basic difficulty we may meet on our return to an equilibrium of stillness and motion in our life is the identification with ‘doing‘, i.e. what we do, which includes any action as well as thinking and planning, that gives us a sense of who we are – a self that is defined by its activity of motion. Such self only feels alive and functional as long as motion is maintained; the moment the perpetuation of motion begins to reduce or cease the sense of self becomes wobbly and insecure and therefore tends to reactivate motion through stimulation.
Stimulation is everything that keeps self going without being sourced in any stillness and thus the impulse of the motion or activity from the very start lacks connection to Soul or the quality of union; it is solely self-serving and self-sustaining or simply said, an act of survival of individuality.
Individuality by definition can only exist in separation to others and the whole; it requires apparently unique or special characteristics that allow distinction of oneself from the whole we all are inevitably and equally part of. So when we speak of the wayward spirit that needs to be yoked, it means an out of control aka ‘fallen from harmony‘ character, that seeks to exist in its self-created version of individuality, whatever that individuality may look like and/ or how it will be experienced by the human frame. The spirit-based or spirit-impulsed human being will initially know itself as a mere ephemeral thing that eventually starts to seek something more and beyond its earthly existence, and when it begins the spiritual journey (back) towards its eternal origin it will have to deal with all the illusory false versions that the individuality intoxicated spirit provides, while hindering the personality from reconnecting with the Soul directly.
The point to be made is that this human and spiritual journey is based on time, and time being one of the main factors that creates the separation necessary for individuality to exist and last, as the self only lasts for as long as time continues. And here is the crunch for the being; the moment we allow stillness to reoccur – i.e. we are ready to let go of the drive of doing to such a degree that we can experience stillness again – time stops, and space opens up. In stillness the timeless presence of space or spaciousness is instantly felt again – a continuous state of beingness not defined by time and hence without individuality. Stillness and space constitute the realm in which we know ourselves in connection and union with Soul; we have conscious awareness of our participation in being part of the whole. This brings forth a sense of Self that is not defined by individuality but by at-one-ment. In such a (timeless) moment the spirit has yoked itself to the oneness it belongs to and therefore the human being knows itself beyond any temporal and spiritual confinements.
Esoteric Yoga is also known as The Yoga of Stillness – a very simple, practical and tangible practice and pathway to stillness and space in which the yoking of self and/ or the re-binding to Soul naturally occurs.
The focus on The Gentle Breath Meditation® is equally another way that supports in reconnecting with the quality of stillness. Thus it helps to first have the experience and awareness that becomes a marker to then be applied in the everydayness of things, i.e. to source one’s ‘doing’ or activity in the inner stillness, receiving one’s impulses from that spacious place within and express them forth in a quality of motion that contains and maintains the stillness that gave it birth to start with.
The practice of yoga then becomes a way of living and moving; the union with Soul is continuously being deepened and the balance of stillness and motion advanced while we simply live our life in such an enriched way.
Glossary
Soul – our equal divine fiery essence – divine body of pure love that we can connect to through our physical bodies. The Soul is equally male and female in expression.
Spirit – a fragment of the soul, a body of lesser light due to its own creation and separation from the one soul/source.
Repose – an inward movement of deepening surrender, confirming of stillness and the female aspect of God.
Motion – an outward movement of expansion and the male aspect of God.
Stillness – an energetic vibrational quality of being, naturally within us all.
Patanjali – the great Indian sage and teacher of the truth of Yoga, i.e, union with soul.
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