Monthly Archives: September 2013

Obstacles to Spiritual Awakening (Self-realization)

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“Now that is the wisdom of a man, in every instance of his labor, to hitch his wagon to a star, and see his chore done by the gods themselves.” is a famous Ralph Waldo Emerson quote urging everyone to aim high and have lofty aspirations. But suppose we actually raise the level of our aspirations even higher and aim for the very highest achievement possible in life, and “Hitch our wagon to infinity!”

Before all the non-duality “pundits” start questioning if “purpose” is really necessary let’s just consider the notion that if there is any purpose at all to life, then it is Self-realization, awakening to the eternal Self (aka Atman – pure consciousness), or to put it another way for those of a religious disposition, it is to find God within. Compared to this everything else seems immature.

So, we should make the most of this opportunity. It really doesn’t matter if you believe in reincarnation or not, this particular life holds a golden opportunity for us to achieve the highest possible purpose of human life.  For all those who do believe reincarnation is real, it is apparent how very precious and rare human birth is, and for all those who believe there is only one “go ‘round,” Then it would surely be a injustice to yourself to waste this opportunity. But, either way, since we’re here anyway, why not set our sights for highest high.

Here is a list and description of 5 major obstacles that commonly prevent us from fulfilling our great journey to Self (or God) Realization.

Major Obstacles to Spiritual Awakening (Self-realization):

1. Ignorance:

Spiritually, what is meant by ignorance is that most people are simply not aware that they actually have an infinite, divine aspect which can be recognized and then fully abided in. There are many who will be surprised that there are sages living today who have awakened to their Infinite nature and lived life from that realization. If you are one of these people, what you need to consider is that there is this possibility, and then explore your inner blockages and obstacles in order to discover if there is any truth to this assertion.

If we outright reject this claim that this aspect of our being exists, it doesn’t matter to life or anyone else, it only means we’ll miss the whole purpose and meaning of our birth. By waking up, or attaining the state of Self-realization, we will finally be free from delusion, and able to fully express our true self and live the life we were inherently destined to live.

2. Compromise:

There are times in life when compromise is the fair thing to do, but spiritually how we approach compromise in our lives means taking a closer look at Divine (or universal) laws. They dictate we don’t settle for less. When we compromise ourselves spiritually we are not using our spiritual gifts to the fullest. Sometimes it means we’re squandering those gifts, and not compromising can sometimes be really hard, but nobody ever said that doing the right thing spiritually would always be easy; although, ironically everything seems to fall into its rightful place when Self-realization is the underlying theme of our lives. So, let this great work begin, lighting your way forward to the truth.

3. Confusion:

It’s hard to say which is worse, the ignorant or the confused, but most likely it’s the confused. They are the ones who have good health, they are aware that Self-realization is the true purpose of life, they have the right necessities (food, clothing and shelter), but they find excuses to chase after other things (mostly material) endlessly. This begs the question, what is wrong? At least the ignorant were clueless; they simply did not know any better.

At some point or another we are all bound make this mistake, and oftentimes repeatedly. And perhaps we even ask ourselves, what the hell am I doing? So confusion means we lose sight of the fact that the true purpose of life is Self-realization, awakening, and enlightenment.  This needs to be the guiding force of our life.

4. Laziness:

Being lazy is just pathetic. Those who are ignorant don’t know any better, the confused are trying to build castles in the sand, but what in the world are lazy folks doing?

They know what is at stake, have plenty of idle time plus good health, but are just mindlessly wasting their limited opportunities. There are endless forms of mindless, distracting entertainment to keep them drugged and serving the purpose that secular society demands. From this the lazy must break free in order to be free.  Make some effort, show a bit of willpower, turn off the TV, stop browsing the web, following the mainstream media nonsense, and then infuse some balance into this life. If the lazy will only begin to gather momentum and break the cycle of inertia, they will be unstoppable.

5. Impatience:

Achieving the highest goals in life is not going to be easily accomplished overnight. We currently exist in an instant gratification society, are being subliminally trained to become quite an impatient lot. This can be easily seen not only in the use of medical drugs for muscle building, weight loss, pain relief, etc., but also in our love relationships, when intimacy and romance are bypassed in favor of sex.

This impatient attitude has seeped into the spiritual arena as well, and we need to realize there are no shortcuts to Self-realization; we will have to stay on the path for as long as it takes. Without losing sight of the goal, we may still enjoy the journey.

Summary:

Two valuable keys to awakening are meditation and yoga. And again it is stressed that this awakening is the real reason for human birth. Even though enlightenment has absolutely no material value, without it, life itself has no true value. If (or when) we decide we don’t want to have lived such a meaningless life, we need to wake up and claim our inherent birthright of knowing that we and the divine are “One.” This is union, and this union alone is the true and real purpose of yoga.

*Rae Indigo is ERYT500 

Measuring Spiritual Growth

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Could you be a Saint, a Guru, a Yogi or a Zen Master?  Or maybe you’re just an ordinary decent, moral human being. How would you know for sure? Are there qualifications, or maybe some tests you can take to determine your spiritual growth?  Well, yes there are!  And “Life” is constantly giving you plenty of ways to test your spiritual development and plenty of circumstances to assist you in evaluating yourself, which will help you evolve spiritually.

Human beings are extremely complex, as is life, but with the right spiritual attitude, the right perspective, you can cut deep into your psyche and reveal those conditions under which you are currently operating.  This will help evaluate some aspects of your being that you may not presently be aware of, and that’s where the real test begins; at this point you must be cautious not to judge yourself or the world too harshly. Measuring one’s spiritual nature can be a tricky business. When it comes to internal processes, like accessing the growth of the mind or the spirit for example, there are no fancy growth charts to tack up on the wall.

But, there are also many ways to assess your spiritual maturity proactively. One of these ways is to observe how much time we actually spend serving others in comparison to the time focused on getting results in our own life. You may be seeing the world in an ego-centric way, full of separate people, instead of seeing the world in a non-dual light with all of creation being “one” and having nothing but an interconnected, unified Divine Nature.

Yogi Bhajan once said; “If you don’t see God in all, you don’t see God at all.” So, if we want to grow spiritually, the questions we must ask ourselves are, “Am I serving others?”, and if so, “How am I serving?” Serving begins with ourselves, extends to our immediate surroundings with family and at home and then spreads out to all around us. We realize that we live where we live for a reason and a purpose, to serve others and we need to start serving right there. We then realize just how much we have been blessed, not just for ourselves, but for our opportunity to serve others. When we serve the least, the last, the lost, and everyone in between, we realize that we actually are inherently one with the Divine.

Another way to measure your spiritual maturity is to take some time to determine what you are really passionate about. Are your passions based on the secular/materialistic world or the spiritual world? In today’s “worldly” society there is too much competition for a limited number of rewards, and this competition all too often breeds conflict. But enlightenment has no limits, and just because someone else appears to be enlightened, doesn’t mean you can’t be also.  We all have the innate ability recognize ourselves as enlightened beings and this is one of those things you can realize on your own, without worrying about having to wrestle it away from anyone else. So relax, there’s no need to compete, spiritual enlightenment is an infinite, inexhaustible resource. Beware of getting distracted and running around all over the place chasing useless, stupid things. Redirect yourself and get back to the business of pursuing that which is holds the highest purpose for mankind.

Summary: It’s apparent our world is presently being plagued by a number of problems. These problems are varied and can range personal types, such as drug/alcohol addictions and marital disharmony, to problems that society, countries and even international communities are faced with, such as urban violence, wars and man-made disasters. This reflects a state of the world that is primarily due to the fact that both the people and their leaders are predominantly at a lower spiritual level. It would naturally follow that the current state of the world can only be corrected if the average spiritual level of mankind is elevated, and this can only happen if people begin the process of spiritual assessment and practice on a regular basis.

Without evaluating our progress (or lack of it), and without making periodic and honest assessments of our spiritual progress it is unlikely that any real progress will be made. You will know you are advancing spiritually when you begin to see all others as connected to your own Self, and your sense of identity expands to include everything. This may be the best sign that one is maturing (or evolving) spiritually.

*Rae Indigo is ERYT500 

Yoga Helps Manage IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

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Let’s start with what irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) actually is and what causes it?

Contrary to common opinion IBS is not a disease; it is a group of symptoms that occur together. Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder, meaning it is a problem caused by changes in how the GI tract works. The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain or discomfort, often reported as cramping, along with diarrhea, constipation, or both. In the past, IBS was called colitis, mucous colitis, spastic colon, nervous colon, and spastic bowel. The name was changed to reflect the understanding that the disorder has both physical and mental causes and is not a product of a person’s imagination.

Anxiety may be primarily a mental health issue, but it is much more than that, anxiety and associated stress has a very real effect on your body chemistry. The stress from IBS changes your hormone production, alters your immune system, and for many, it upsets their digestive tract, which in turn causes more anxiety and stress; a vicious cycle that needs to be broken.

So it should come as little surprise that anxiety is now being recognized as a contributing factor to the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as a chronic condition. The symptoms of which include; bloating, gastrointestinal discomforts, erratic bowel movements, chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.

IBS is diagnosed when symptoms such as bloating, gastrointestinal discomforts, erratic bowel movements, chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation are present without a medical cause, and while scientists believe that there are likely a number of factors that go into IBS, most gastroenterologists agree that anxiety and stress are major contributors to its development.

Yoga to the rescue

For those who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, yoga helps greatly to alleviate symptoms and keep stress in check. We all, at one time or another, have eaten something that “just doesn’t quite sit right.” But for the more than 30 million adults in the United States who suffer from IBS (two-thirds of whom are women) those awful symptoms are an ongoing struggle, not a temporary discomfort.

Of course, there are times when a particular food or an allergy triggers an episode, but generally no one factor can held responsible. IBS has frequently been dismissed as psychosomatic, but recently it has been redefined as “a disorder with variable symptoms having possible neurological, immunological, or psycho-emotional roots,” to quote Gary Kraftsow, the founder and wellness instructor of American Viniyoga Institute and author of Yoga for Transformation.

Because there is no known organic cause (or cure) for IBS, treatment generally focuses on symptom relief. Medications such as antidiarrheals, antispasmodics, or tricyclic antidepressants have been found to be helpful when symptoms become overwhelming. Yet research studies have shown that lifestyle modifications can be an effective drug-free method of dealing with the symptoms and easing the pain. A Mayo Clinic study in the reported in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (February, 1998) showed that exercise, diet, and stress management reduced IBS symptoms.

This is reason many experts recommend regular stress reduction exercise like yoga as a more effective way to prevent recurrences over the long run. “With IBS the goal is to reduce symptoms and restore efficient functioning to the system,” says Kraftsow. “And certain yoga postures may be restorative no matter where on the spectrum your symptoms lie.”

Abdominal breathing in particular has proven to be helpful in IBS sufferers and deep inhalations and exhalations may benefit those who tend to breathe shallowly when stressed or those who swallow air while eating and/or talking, which traps air in the stomach.

Most IBS sufferers often battle irregular bowel habits that are painful and unpredictable. During one of these flare-ups, Kraftsow recommends engaging postures that provide a soothing effect, suggesting forward bends and simple abdominal twists like Jathara Parivrtti (abdominal twist) and Apanasana (knees-to-chest pose); both of which may work to help soothe a hyperactive bowel or stimulate a sluggish one.

For those who suffer irregularity and constipation, digestion can be stimulated by working the abdominal area a bit more strongly with Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) or Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose); simple move into the postures with the stomach remaining held in after an exhalation.

Although yoga is one effective way to combat IBS, when symptoms recur, experts recommend a care plan that incorporates a diet that eliminates “aggravating foods” (especially fatty meats and dairy) and includes plenty of nutritionally balanced foods as well as probiotics (The best foods for IBS health are those that are gentle on the digestive system and encourage “smooth passage” through the intestines)…as Kraftsow says, “treatment that respects the whole person.”

Summary: In particular, yoga is an excellent (and enjoyable!) way to manage IBS and relieve it’s symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea etc. Yoga also helps stabilize the digestive process. Yoga is also tremendously beneficial for preventing or minimizing menstrual cramping, which often aggravates IBS.

For those people with IBS, yoga is perhaps the most helpful for its ability to reduce the stress, anxiety, and pain of this chronic illness. Regular practice will indisputably improve your physical and mental fitness, promoting relaxation, and giving you a sense of control over your overall health and well-being. As with other stress management techniques, the more you practice, the greater your improvement will be.

*Rae Indigo is ERYT500