Obstacles in our Path to greatness

When faced with questions over the years, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika has been an excellent resource to help answer some of those questions for me and in the process also raise a few questions for further contemplation, these are a few:

Using the Power for Good (Chapter 1, Verse 2)

“Your body shape is changing” I was told one day, by a friend. Always lovely to hear as a new Yoga student, but honestly I didn't start out doing Yoga classes for physical appearances. I was finding the sheer joy in the class and a great break from a stressful career. However as I continued to practice, I was also learning about the power of the ego, so I tried to not get too taken up by this short lived flattery!For all of us, with further dedicated practice it is possible to go beyond these simple by-products of a slimmer line, healthy glow and a more positive attitude, and realise one’s higher physical and mental potential. We should keep in mind that these “siddhis”, perfections or psychic abilities that come to us are still not the end goal, and to use these abilities wisely, for good. They are the gifts along the path to enlightenment and ultimately not to be distracted by them. “The goal of all yogic sadhana is to discover and experience the universal spirit within…” (Swami Muktibodhananda, 2009, HYP p28)

Many Paths, One Goal (Chapter 1, Verse 3)

“The highest state of raja yoga is unknown due to misconceptions (darkness) created by varying ideas and concepts.” (Chapter 1, Verse 3)Although I’ve tried many different practices and systems, I always come back to the original, what my Guru has taught me. I look back now and wonder if there was any need to spend so much time trying different ways, its taken time to come to that realisation! “Many sages, many opinions”, a proverb reminds us to have faith on the guru, to follow the same path, to dig the same well of knowledge deeper and deeper…

The Grace of the Guru (chapter 1, Verse 1 & 14, chapter 4, Verses 8 & 9)

My Teacher (pictured right, Nirmal Raj Gyawali, Nepalese Yogi) had often said to me “with the grace of your guru you can enlighten” which I often wondered about, as I thought I was the one doing ALL the work. Why did it need to depend on someone else I used to think.Then as I began to discover more, I came to realise that the guru was actually within me. I had called forth this external, living guru, to give me the lessons and knowledge that I needed (my soul needed) to progress along my path. “…..yoga should be practiced in the way instructed by the guru.” (Chapter 1, verse 14). Your guru can guide you along your path, so a deep sense of love and devotion should be respected toward your guru. “He reflects the brilliance of your spirit and what you see in him is actually your own self” (Swami Muktibodhananda, 2009 HYP p48)

Resist the 6 Obstacles to Hatha Yoga (Chapter 1, Verse 15)

It is regarded that there are six obstacles to Yoga, yoga being the union of the pranic and mental energy flowing in the body. To achieve this one “… must avoid all activities which waste energy and distract the mind.” (Swami Muktibodhananda, 2009 HYP p51)These include overeating, over exertion of the mind or body, talkativeness, adhering to rules, being in the company of common people and finally unsteadiness. Overeating is seen as a major obstacle, as it makes the mind and body sluggish and one’s energy goes towards processing and removing the toxins rather than to progressing in your practice.Around this annual festive period, it is important to be mindful of where our precious energy goes. The consumption and processing of not only food, but also being overworked, over exercised, over stimulated and over conversed, can limit our potential to rise to higher spiritual thinking and being, when we need it the most!

Success in Yoga (Chapter 1, Verse 16i)

I wanted to be successful at Yoga, and felt that if I could do Padmasana (Lotus Pose), then that would be a great achievement. So as a new student I asked my teacher "How long before I can sit in Padmasana? " he answered “…if you practice Badhakonasana (Butterfly Pose) every day for three months you should be able to do it.” So I practiced for a few weeks along with my other morning routine poses for Yoga Teacher Training, however I saw little progress, lost hope, focus, was lazy, I'm not sure, but I didn't continue.

My initial enthusiasm had waned, the gains were not coming quickly enough for me when I realised that I had to put more effort into it and persevere. I was holding myself back. “Courage, perseverance and faith go hand in hand…” (Swami Muktibodhananda, 2009 HYP p55)This was one of my first lessons in respecting that Yoga is a journey, it can take a whole life time and I learnt to develop a positive attitude, to persevere and to have an unshakeable faith on my practice that I was going in the right direction. I quickly learnt to have greater discrimination over the company I kept, as well as (to the best of my ability) in all my daily activities – eating, talking, material possessions. It’s still a daily work in progress.

Everyone is Looking for Enlightenment (Chapter 4, Verse 2)

“…samadhi …eliminates death and takes one to the greatest bliss of Brahma”. I often wondered that if Samadhi is such an amazing experience, why then are we not all dedicated sadhakas or students, doing our sadhana or practice with such dedication and determination? Why do many of us start and not continue our practice? Only each of us can answer that. Maybe because we haven’t seen how being in that state of Bliss could add value to our lives, to the point that we rethink our daily activities and priorities.It requires qualities that we may be still developing: determination, dedication, correct practice, time, among many other qualities. “…there are many ways of reaching the goal as there are individuals in the world. “(Swami Muktibodhananda, 2009 HYP p29)

But from what I see, maybe we can take the perspective that we are all continuing on the process of raising our consciousness by all the things we do each day, all the opportunities that are presented to us to be better people. To be kind and compassionate to others as we commute to our daily activities, to be patient with our families and co-workers etc. To have compassion for ourselves as well. To live mindfully is a stepping-stone to discovering that greatest bliss within us. This is living our Yoga.

BeBliss, gabrielle    

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