KOCHI: In the fast-paced saturated lifestyle we lead today, more and more people are beginning to reflect on deeper questions. Is there something more to life? What is its purpose? What really is success? There are no easy answers and one should not be content even if one finds any. If there were an apt answer, existence as we know it would be very different. These questions form a pathway that one can tread on, again and again, to go deeper within.
The ancient Indian science of yoga has stood the test of time in bringing solace to people from all walks of life. When the Art of Living started 35 years ago, yoga was seen only as a pursuit of the hippies and since then it has come a long way. Today it’s being practised by millions across continents. Yoga has adapted itself very well to the changing preferences of the world. This has helped yoga establish its universal and secular credentials, addressing people from all faiths and beliefs, even in countries that are orthodox.
The wholesome philosophy of yoga revolves around its eight limbs. Unfortunately, people think that they are eight steps, to be done one after another. The limbs are not sequential; they are parts of the whole. The eight limbs are like the four legs of a chair. If one limb is pulled, the chair will become unstable. While asana is important, yoga is not truly what it is without pranayama and meditation. Even an initial introduction to meditation is enough to change one's life.
We have seen this happening in our programmes conducted in prisons. As soon as the inmates get to experience meditation, their whole thought process and behavior pattern changes. They easily drop feelings of revenge or anger and embark on the path of non-violence, wanting to contribute to society constructively. Through yoga, people have found relief from many ills such as stress, anxiety, professional burnout, addiction, and insomnia.
Yoga is thus a powerful tool in a world of constant oneupmanship. So we need teachers who can present it authentically and help shed the baggage of misconception. Yoga in its totality and purest form contains wisdom that can address the root cause of all the troubles of modern life.
One of the biggest issues plaguing the population today is stress. Stress manifests when there is too much to do while there isn't enough time or energy. As it's not feasible to reduce the workload, the only option we left with is to increase the energy level within us. Yoga generates maximum energy in little time. A few minutes of meditation can provide as much rest as a few hours of sleep. With the rejuvenation yoga provides, one becomes dynamic in tackling situations, is sharper and intuitive in decision-making. One is no longer bogged down by problems but is inspired to take on bigger obstacles and solve them for others. Yoga not just as a practice, but a state of consciousness that transcends the plebeian. For the modern world, yoga is a path to realise and harness one’s deepest potentials.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of Art of Living Foundation. (The views expressed by the author are his own)