A "Peace" of the Puzzle

An army general once had a nine year old son who was quite bright and always asking questions. One evening when the general was busy drawing up plans for war, the son came to him with more new questions. To occupy the child for a while, his father gave him a world map which had been torn into pieces, and asked him to set it right.

Expecting this to take the boy some considerable time, the father was astonished when his son returned in a matter of minutes, the map of the world restored. He asked his son how he had accomplished this so quickly, to which the boy replied, "It was very simple. I found that there was a picture of a person on the other side, and I put his pieces back together." With this, the father realized that when one sets the person right, the world will be all right.

This passage is an excerpt from A.G Mohan's "Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind".  

move with love and devotion

Hanuman: Son of the Wind God, Student of the Sun God, Filled with devotion and gratitude. From Hanuman we learn about the limitless that is within us.

This week's focus: Love and Devotion in all that you do 

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.