Welcome to Beth’s new yoga story series!
Lately, I was searching for different story materials for my yoga kids so that I can make the kids’ yoga class more fun and exciting, at the same time, inspirational and uplifting for their tender hearts and spirits. Well, then, it dawned on me that, why don’t I share the stories with my grown-up yoga students as well??? Hey, they need fun, excitement also, as well as heart- warming stories for their tired and exhausted souls…!
Yes, in fact, we adults might need much stronger doses of soul food than children. While the young kids’ are easy to laugh and be joyous in spontaneity, many grown-ups lost the ability to feel passionate with life or be enthusiastic in anything at all. Instead they are easy to frown and complain, while so quick to rise to anger and frustrations, even with little, little irritations. Life has become too solemn and serious business for many of us as though the whole world is going to collapse if we don’t keep up with the Jones.
Life needs not be struggle if we know how to put it down in the Now like kids. Everybody adores babies and loves to play with children. Why? Because, they are fully present in the moment, in the Now. Their innocent minds are yet to know what is past or future. Their hearts are pure and free from any worries or fear. Thus they are naturally the masters of Yoga, the science of body, mind and spirit, but, not we, adults. We hold way too much tension in our body and noises in the mind for our innate spirit gets the chance to shine forward. If we can only allow our spirit to reveal its brilliance in natural fashion, then, our life will become so much more vibrant and authentic. We could reclaim our birthright for unconditional happiness and bliss.
In the upcoming Yoga story series, that which I will weave from various sources of tales, teachings, myths as well as my own personal experiences, my sole aim is, to help you ignite the sparks in your hearts, so that, you may rediscover your lost passion and motivations for life, to strive for greater happiness, perfect health and soulful success in whatever you do, wherever you are.
Yoga is from ancient India originated thousands years ago since their Vedic culture. The asana and pranayam practices, as largely known to be synonymous with Yoga, is, Hatha Yoga, one of the most potent forms of practicing yoga in balancing and harmonizing our energy, so that it becomes fit to attain enlightenment.
However, it is just one tiny aspects of yoga in the vastitude of Vedic literatures.
Less well known but not any less important aspects of yoga is, Upanishad and Puranas, that are the collections of inspiring stories and teachings of devas (gods), saints and gurus, told in timeless language in the backdrops of ancient India. In those stories, various encounters, deeds and adventures of gods and goddess are told to improve the quality of our lives and also to help our human souls’ emancipation. They stretch our imagination and ordinary comprehension beyond measure by defying any limitations about time, space, sequence and logics. Their points of tell-tales are not to make sense, but, to remind us time and again, the divine nature we are endowed with, but forgotten along the way of samsara (the endless wheels of births and deaths).
In this fast moving technological and material society we are in, there are less and less chances for actual human contacts in our daily lives. Everything can be done mechanically, automatically, through computer, through internet, through mobiles with just one click on the finger tips. When we hear the ancient stories of Upainishad or Purana, we might have to scratch our head in trying to make sense out of them. But, when, gods were looking down on us, with what we are doing in facebooks, YouTubes, mobiles…they will shake their heads and have really no idea what the he** we all are up to. It is us that who are not making sense, not they.
When I see our kids or people, anywhere, everywhere, sitting, standing, or walking…constantly hooked up with those wires or busy with fingers and eyes and ears… I get worry. Because, the more and more, I see distance and disconnection among us with what is more important in life. With our busy modern life, many people are becoming more like a dead-man-walking. They are well alive, but not breathing nor aware of with what is going on around them. Many are so caught up in their mind, in their virtual world, that, each are like an island unto themselves, isolated and disconnected, with the rest of world, even with close family members who are under the same roof. It seems, the busier we get, the lonelier our lives become. Nothing really matters as much like happy and contented smiles in our heart, because, that is what we are going to take with us when we leave this life.
Do you have a song in your heart? What will make your heart sing? Goodness, virtue, humility, sincerity, selfless devotion…those timeless qualities of divinity make my heart to skip its beat when I hear of them. My heart leaps into joy and ecstasy whenever I see the same divine sparks from ordinary to extra ordinary stories of people who dedicated their life, time, efforts in commitment to the love song in their hearts to give it to life, thus making it larger than life. We are no different than other animals in its physiological and safety needs, except the natural inclination towards the noblest, purest and highest, once our basic needs are met. When we dedicate our life to the calls for divinity, then, we can rise above what holds us back, to the timeless beauty and transcendental mythic land, to sing and dance, and rejoicing together with gods and goddesses.
Thus, I would like to invite you to the Yoga mythic journey to meet the heroes and heroines of whom we could aspire, emulate to become better of ourselves and lives…
