The yoga of me and you as one

21st June is celebrated as International Yoga Day. The Sanskrit word “Yoga “ means union. Its relevance seems to be significant in today’s life. 

The first authentic description in “Yoga Sutra”, written by sage Patanjali in 200 B.C. In that book, he wrote about eight essential steps to follow to achieve enlightenment in life. As a flower bud gradually opens its petals to spread its fragrance all around, so too each person has the potential to blossom in many ways in life through the sincere practice of Yoga. 
Those prescribed eight steps are as follows: 1. Yama, practice of social ethics, 2. Niyama, practice of self-discipline, 3. Asana, practice of physical postures, 4. Pranayama, practice of mindful breathing, 5. Pratyahar, the practice of withdrawing the mind from outside stimuli, 6. Dharana, Practice to focus the mind inward, 7. Dhyana develops uninterrupted concentration, 8. In the final stage of Samadhi, one dissolves individual consciousness into Universal consciousness. 

Yoga Science was brought to the West by great saints such as Swami Vivekananda, Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Rama, and many others more than 100 years ago. Western rational mind accepted Yoga only when they saw its miraculous results proved by scientific tests and often with perfect breath control, masters could demonstrate the union of body and mind through meditation, breath control and its manifestation on heart rate, as a starting point . Now Yoga is whole heartedly accepted by all and  many great western Yogis are inspiration for all in today’s world. 

My first encounter with Yoga was through a dramatic performance that lit up a lifelong interest in yoga. As a young girl I went to see a Yoga demonstration by students of the famous yoga Guru Bishtu Ghosh, (his student Manotosh Roy  had become world famous as the first Asian Mr. Universe). In that show, a young student named Reba Rakshit, had an elephant walk over a plank across her chest while she held her breath using pranayama. Also with her powerful concentration, she could pierce a row of balloons hanging a far distance behind her by their reflection in a mirror in front of her.  These are all good, but we must stay focused on the spirit of Yoga and that is to feel oneness with all. That goal is beautifully expressed in these few lines of Tagore’s song, “ I must meet you, not in solitude; you are mine where you are with all. Love spreads like light, and O my beloved, where you belong to every one, there you belong to me “(Geetabitan) .

The superscience of energy

 In the deep silence of night, when we look at the starry sky or sit by the sea, watching the rise and fall of waves in the ocean, our hearts fill with peaceful tranquility, which comes down as blessings from God. Nature always transmits this life-giving energy to all living beings on this earth, helping us live, think, and act in many creative ways.

Throughout the ages, scientists, philosophers, poets, and spiritual masters have tried to understand this mysterious life-giving energy using whatever tools of understanding they had, and to use it in many different ways.

Scientists termed this energy “Electromagnetic energy,” commonly referred to as E.M.E. It was first discovered by a Danish physicist in 1890. Interestingly, in the animal world, sharks have sensors for this energy in their snout, which helps them detect even subtle muscular movements from a long distance and catch their prey easily.

In today’s world, by harnessing this energy, scientists have invented many useful devices that have made life more comfortable in many ways. The list is endless, like smartphones, TVs, microwaves, etc. Even medical diagnostic equipment, like ultrasound, MRI, CT scanners, etc., operates using E.M.E.

All living beings receive this vital energy, free of cost, from nature, like sunlight, pure air, water, earth, and space. that provides this life-giving energy to all living beings on this earth.

Unfortunately, the flow of this vital energy is being disturbed by many faults of our wrong lifestyle. Overpopulation, usage of plastic, emissions of harmful gases, and frequent wars are all causing not only a threat to individuals' existence, but also increasing anxiety and creating vibratory imbalance in the ether and in the whole world.

So time has come to think, how to solve this problem with deeper understanding.

Spiritualist and philosophers suggest that, before trying to change the world, first we must change our own  attitude from negativity to positivity. As each oceanic wave has tremendous unseen power to bring water from mid sea to the shore, like that, every individual, with his positive and constructive thought can bring a significant change all around. We only radiate that energy which we possess. Yogananda righty said, “change your thought if you want to change your circumstances". As a beautiful flowering tree from a tiny hidden seed under the soil, each  positive and constructive thought, energised by Yoga, meditation, and compassion can create wonders around us. Long back, Tagore visualising this disharmony, wrote, “The world today is wild with the delirium of hatred, …crooked are its paths, tangled it’s bonds of greed…, Thou giver of immoral gifts, ..give us the power of renunciation, and claim from us our pride. ..Wipe away all dark stains from the heart of this earth.”(Geetabitan).