| I admit it: I’ve been an asana slacker lately.
So I’ve made a commitment to dedicate more time to my physical practice this summer. Aside from all of its other benefits, a regular asana practice is a great way to wring the stress out of your body. And these are stressful times. Pranayama is also a great stress reliever; conscious breathing is how I get my mind and body in sync before I start my meditation practice. which is a little ironic because meditation is how I do the work of remembering that I’m not my mind or my body; that there’s a distinction between my awareness and the mind and body I’m aware of. My meditation practice is also how I re-dedicate myself to a life of service. No matter what else I may appear to be doing, beneath the surface, it’s always service to someone or something. So the question is never, “will I be of service?” It’s always, “who and what will I serve?” So what’s the best service I can render? What’s the highest purpose I can serve in my life? For me, this passage from the Bhagavad-gita has been the best answer so far: “One who reveals this supreme secret of mine to those who are endowed with devotion will surely come to me, for they are engaged in the greatest offering of love to me.”
Here’s a part of the “supreme secret” of the Bhagavad-gita that I want to reveal to you right now: Participating in the work of moving human society in a direction that supports everyone’s spiritual upliftment and material prosperity is a way to attain complete perfection in your yoga practice. Many of us came to yoga because it offered us inner peace. And we stayed because it worked. But here’s a timely question that isn’t being asked often enough: What if yoga offered us the means to achieve outer peace? What if yoga philosophy offered an alternative to the social disorder that’s causing so much of our stress, confusion, and anxiety? If you’re wondering whether yoga has anything meaningful to say about what’s happening in the world today, or whether the spiritual path has room for political clarity and moral action, I can tell you right now: it does. Yoga wisdom tells us that material prosperity is a natural by-product of spiritual upliftment. The two go hand-in-glove. It may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true: a society that prioritizes spiritual well-being is a society that produces material well-being. Outer peace follows when leaders point society in the direction of inner peace. Yoga was never meant to be just a coping mechanism or a momentary means of escape; it’s meant to transform the quality of our consciousness. And consciousness is never transformed in isolation. Our environment influences our consciousness—and our collective consciousness shapes behavior, society, and culture. That’s why the Bhagavad-gita doesn’t just offer techniques for self-care; it connects the spiritual transformation of consciousness with the spiritual transformation of society into one in which the needs of all living beings are honored and the ultimate goal of life—self-realization—is supported by the structure of society itself. Actively participating in the work of moving society in the direction of truth, justice, compassion, and spiritual awakening—even when it seems like an unattainable goal—is as much a form of yoga practice as postures, pranayama, and meditation. It’s outer work as inner work. And it’s urgently needed right now, every bit as much as it was needed when Krishna spoke these words on the battlefield to his friend, Arjuna: “Act as a matter of duty, without attachment to the results of your actions, for by acting without attachment one surely attains the highest perfection. . . As those who lack vision act with attachment to the results of their actions, the wise may also act, but without such attachment, for the sake of the world’s welfare.” – Bhagavad-gita 3.19 and 3.25
You and I are alike in this way: no matter what else we may appear to be doing, beneath the surface, it’s always service to someone or something. It’s just a question of who, what, or how we will serve. Yoga isn’t just a wellness regimen for personal healing; it’s the expression of a spiritual worldview that offers a radical vision for governance guided by wisdom, commerce driven by sustainability, and functionality endowed with beauty. I’m convinced it’s a realizable vision. At least it can be if we all band together and think of ourselves as servants of that vision. What do you think? Wishing you all good fortune, – Hari-k |