You already are.

“Education then is the art of doing this very thing, this turning around, the knowledge of how the soul can most easily and most effectively be turned around; it is not the art of putting the capacity of sight into the soul; the soul posses that already but it is not turned the right way or looking where it should. This is what education has to deal with”.   

– Plato, The Repbulic 

Everything you want to know, everything you want to be, you already are…

... You just need to find it! 

Integration: Lust or Love?

“The deepest state within us is always one of integration”

-       A.G Mohan

Integration. It is what the whole practice of Yoga is working us towards.  “Integration” is already in us, but a distracted mind does not notice it.

When the mind is “un-integrated” it is un-healthy, confused, and judgmental- leading to mistakes and distractions. An “integrated” mind is balanced and can navigate the path of peace, joy, and freedom.

This path is different for everyone because we all perceive the world differently. Therefore, you are the only one who can integrate yourself, and YOU must do the work.

The physical practice of yoga clears the dust from the mind by building strength and flexibility in the body. When you can control they body you can control the mind.

Balance and integration can come from many other places as well. It is your environment, habits, senses, breath, personal disciplines, diet, social interactions, and health. (yamas and niyamas) Looking at all aspects of your life there are many distractions to be had.

It’s a process of Learning to Know yourSelf. Knowing yourSelf allows you to know your true wants, needs, and desires. 

As special yoga teacher from my past recently reminded me: integration “… lies at the deepest root of love that is so often disguised as something that “looks” very different from love”.  (thank you Paula!)

An integrated mind will not be swayed by the distractions it is faced with because it knows itSelf and most importantly LOVES itSelf.

Don’t mistake LUST for LOVE. 

Satisfaction Guaranteed

 When the tranquil mind achieves purity equal to that of the Self, there is Absoluteness.

-YS 3.56

Set your goals high. There is something great waiting for all of us; we just have to find it. It is easy to be distracted by the small things on the path to the big goal, since they often disguise themselves as what you are looking for. With a pure (yogic) mind, we can see through the illusions. When the mind itself is distracted, the illusions appear real.

Do not settle. Keep going until you are totally satisfied.  

When You Can Endure

When

The words stop

And you can endure the silence

That reveals your heart’s

Pain

Of emptiness

Or that great wrenching-sweet longing,

That is the time to try and listen

To what the Beloved’s

Eyes

Most want

To

Say.

-Hafiz