But where is this home? Is it the big house you bought? Is it your wife and your kids? These things, although they generally give you this false illusion of groundedness, can be lost so easily. The mortgage takes your house away, your partner can always choose another one, and the day will come that your kids fly out the family nest. In the biggest moments of your life you are alone. It is like in the movies, in the dramas when in a critical moment the focus is put closely on the main character and all else gets blurred and still around him. The world seems to have stopped. Likewise, in a real life situation, you may experience that, suddenly, that strange space opens around you. You are isolated in your solitude and a deep silence envelops you. You have to be with yourself finally and you need to be self-sufficient. You are on your own.
So the best is if you start building that home inside of you. The sort of “kingdom” that no one can take away. Better invest in building on the territory of your soul.
And yoga helps at this point. Yoga can give you that stable foundation, that framework that you can build your life on. Even in the storms of life you can hold onto the pillars (=dharmas) provided by Yoga. The mind is our great pride but it can become our worst enemy. It causes us so much pain and suffering in the form of negative thoughts, desires, obsessions, uncontrolled feelings, or to take it to the extremities as hysteria or depression. But “yoga chitta vritti nirodha”, i.e. Yoga is the cessation, the calming of the fluctuations or disturbances of the mind. This is the second phrase of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the most general definition of Yoga. Yoga helps you to come back to your foundations, to bring you back to your true nature that is eternal stillness. That is the real awareness.
If you have problems in your life, Yoga is waiting for you to help. If you feel too much tension, you can release all of it through asanas, or breathing. Your mat can be your best psychologist especially if you gained enough experience and knowledge on how the different asanas affect your mental and emotional state. When you know:
- which asana works on which chakra
- how to balance your dosha in excess
- how to relax your special muscle groups
- how to ease into isometric stretch with full focus and stamina.
And when you stilled yourself through the body, you may calm your mind. You can see the reality, as it IS, not through the drama and “subtitles” created by the mind. The position of the witness helps you to go beyond personal bias, and to assess your situation correctly.
When you control yourself this way and come back to your inner structure for support, you use a completely natural method. It is like when someone is shocked. When you are so surprised, that you have no time, strength or wish to make a scene. When you are injured in an accident for example and you are under shock, you will see everything just like happening in a film: not from a personal point of view, not getting involved, but as a witness.
I feel this state lately quite often. Last week, I had a minor car crash. And I remember watching second by second as we approached the car in front of us. I could not shout or anything, I was just watching and perceiving. I was under a sort of shock I guess, but this natural procedure helped me to stay focused. I did not loose my temper. And more fortunately, neither did the driver.
Adopting the viewpoint of the observer is your best natural technique available to keep your head cool in case of danger. This is the natural calming of the fluctuations of the mind, the natural Yoga as it happens to all humans. Just be aware of it, and even in those cases when you are not so shocked that it could emerge naturally, watch yourself consciously. Do some asanas to get rid of your unwanted emotional condition, and then sit and meditate. Use mantra or pranayama.
Be self sufficient and make yoga your home. A home that will always welcome you.
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