Darren Main

The great paradox of life is that to fully live, we must let a piece of ourselves die.

Once we understand cause and effect, we can stop complaining about the effects of our choices. We can start making more mindful decisions about the thoughts we entertain, the actions we perform, the people with whom weassociate, and the quality of life we want to live.

Attachment is the act of trying to control, manipulate, or sculpt the outside world in such a way that we lose sight of our true nature. Nonjudgmental observation allows a yogi to experience the external world as a mirror reflecting back one__ true nature.

The law of karma is like the wind__lowing on all. Whether you are good or evil, bright or dim, kind or unkind, there is no escaping the effects of your thoughts and the actions that arise from those thoughts. In fact, the onlydifference between the wise and the ignorant is that an illuminated mind erects windmills while the ignorant mind builds weather vanes.

The practice of meditation helps us to organize our thoughts and structure ourideas. Through the practice of meditation, we can open to the creative flow that is waiting to pour through us, infusing inspiration with passion. Meditation puts the mind in order and brings it under control, opening the door to receive this free flow of perfect energy. The unfocused mind is like a sledgehammer. The focused mind is like a sharp axe. Both tools can be used to take down a tree, but the axe is going to be much more efficient. Moreover, using the axe will allow you to work more swiftly, thereby saving much energy to get more done.

When we practice a yoga posture designed to challenge our balance, the use of a gazing point or drishti is a most effective way to maintain physical equanimity. The act of gazing without judgment or attachment is easily the most effective way to bring stability and balance to the pose. Likewise, whenthe poses of life rob us of our equanimity, gazing at the situation without attachment__ithout judgment__s the most effective tool we have to restore the mind to harmony.

Apathy is the bushel basket under which the ego hides its fear of being powerless. It is easier to become apathetic when there are no words or actions sufficient to comfort a wounded body, a grieving heart, or ashattered community. And so we look away and avoid awkward conversations under the guise that we don__ want to upset others. Yet, the most powerful posture for a healer to take is that of the witness. To stand andwitness a person or community devastated by suffering, and to let them know that while they suffer they have a hand to hold, offers the most potent medicine of all__ompassion.

Meditation alone cannot heal the world, but it can and does speed up the healing process.

The windmill doesn__ try to control the wind or demand that it blow in another direction. It simply surrenders to the wind, and in so doing becomes a source of immense power. The water wheel doesn__ attempt to change the course of the river; it simply surrenders to the flow and allows the power of the river tobe expressed through it. Most see surrender as a form of weakness, when in reality, surrender is the source of all true power.

Although you could open a can of soup with a hammer, a stone, or even your teeth if you didn__ mind making a mess or chipping a tooth, a much wiser approach would be to use a can opener. The breath is like a can opener for the soul. Can you explore the depths of your being without conscious breathing? Sure. The more relevant question is, why would you want to?

Why do we call yoga a practice? The yoga poses of life__he grief, the fear,the uncertainty__arely offer us the option of coming to child pose or modifying the posture. The yoga mat offers us a safe and controlled environment in which we can witness our challenges, embrace our discomfort, and hold space for our struggles. A yoga practice doesn__ prevent the storms of life, but it does teach us to weather those storms more gracefully.

What I can tell you is that yoga is about removing the muck by shining the light of awareness on it. That is why yoga is so hard. None of us wants to look at the muck, but looking at it is the only way to dissolve it. Thus, there are many times that a yogi may feel filled with darkness. It__ not that the darknessarrived because of yoga; it__ that yoga made you aware of all the things that were holding you back. The good news is that with this awareness, you have the opportunity to dissolve the muck once and for all. However great the doubt, however deep the despair, you can take comfort in knowing that youare feeling these things because your yoga is doing exactly what it was designed to do. You can also take refuge in the knowledge that whatever you are feeling__hether high or low__ill pass, because it always does.

When infused with compassion, even the most useless snake oils have the power to heal broken hearts and shattered souls.

Guilt is like tarnish on a piece of silver. It effectively obscures beauty and radiance, but can never lessen its true value. Just as the true beauty and value of silver is revealed with a little bit of polish, your true worth will shine with regular spiritual practice.

Most people spend years trying to feng shui their lives__o decorate and reorganize life in such a way that order and peace will finally arrive. One can decorate and redecorate for years, but a fresh coat of paint is not going to patch the cracks in your foundation__he only way to do this is through the practice of non-attachment.

Instead of asking, __ow can I ease my suffering?_ yoga would have us ask,__ow can I better serve my brothers and sisters?_ Because only in answering the latter can we hope to answer the former.

Jesus wisely counseled his followers to search for the kingdom of heaven within themselves; but to go within, one needs a door, a key, and the courage to turn the knob. Spiritual practice gives you all three.

Many look at the blessings in their lives__oney, talent, love, abundance, and so on__nd say, __ must be one of the chosen ones.__ut the blessings in your life were not bestowed upon you to help you live a life of ease, but rather a life of service. You were chosen__hosen to serve.