During my youthful years as a student of spiritual training, I lived for ten years in the ashram of the guru, as a full time monk and student of a particular branch of Vedanta or yoga known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Although imported to the West by the Indian guru, who passed on in 1977, before I joined the school of training, still the practice was authentic, traditional and rigorous in its application.

It is recommended that anyone aspiring to attain the goal of life, namely self-realization or wholeness, should ideally train at some point in their youth, under the instruction of qualified teachers in the yoga art and science. While there, I learned that there are two levels upon which one can practice and apply the wisdom teachings. These are “Vaidhi” and “Raganuga”, regulated on the one hand and spontaneous on the other. In youth one should train under strict conditions, in the association of other students, at the ashram of the guru. Training in a group is so much easier, as it is inspiring to be in the company of like-minded people, and you can encourage each other when the discipline required becomes challenging. There is less chance of real progress if your time and company is diluted with action and people who are antagonistic to your training.

This is common sense. Another crucial factor is that one should apply oneself to the spiritual training under the strict guidance of “guru, sadhu and shastra” or under the teacher, in the company of other “sadhus” or spiritual aspirants, and under the direction of the scriptures or original texts on the subject. This is the foundation phase of one’s spiritual path, which may last a few years. Here we follow the rules and regulations as found in the original ancient texts. This is the beginning process on the path of yoga.
The eightfold path, as it is known, or in Sanskrit “ashtanga yoga” (ashta meaning eight) begins with the first two principals of “yama” and “niyama” or “what to do” and “what not to do”. Yoga is a science and an art. Without following the introductory steps of dos and don’ts, one cannot claim to be a true yogi or spiritual aspirant. The regulations which are the absolute minimum are as follows: no meat/fish/eggs in the diet, no intoxication, no illicit sex outside of marriage or procreation, and finally no gambling/speculation. These four principles are the foundation without which your path is on shaky ground.

So in the early stages one should follow the rules that train us up to live a regulated life. Sense gratification may be there, but it is to be regulated. Time, and amount of sense gratification needs to be controlled. Any athlete or top level sports competitor will tell you exactly the same thing. If you want to succeed, you need to train your body and mind and treat them like a machine that needs just the right work and rest to be able to get the top performance out of it. Similarly in the spiritual path of yoga one needs to be equally disciplined in order to bring out the best in consciousness.

After some years of training and cultivation of the rules and regulations, they become second nature, so that when one leaves the ashram or school of ones youth, and enters married life and career, one can internalize the original standards. Even if you can’t always keep the high standards of the ashram, at least you know what the ideal is.

Now there comes a time in later years, where even the most disciplined aspirant, who has absorbed their life in the spiritual quest for heightened consciousness via the techniques of yoga and meditation, may possibly shift form regulated to spontaneous practice. This is where one is now a natural, has imbibed the rules, but is able to creatively stretch the otherwise rigid standards originally imposed. As one’s meditation deepens, one may find his or her personalized flavor or style emerging. This is where the path becomes spontaneous. Real masters will, of course, have internalised the rules and so keep to them, but some may relax them.

Either way, the path becomes a more internal or personal one and spontaneous symptoms may manifest in one’s practice, which may not be appropriate for the neophyte in the early stages of training. An example of this outside of the yoga tradition is to be seen in Bruce Lee, the greatest modern martial artist in recent history. He trained vigorously in a number of traditional forms of martial art, like Kung Fu. But at some point he developed his own unique style and basically “invented” the art of “jeet kun do” a synthesis of the other martial arts along with his own personal insights.

In Kung Fu it was traditionally so orthodox that outsiders, namely westerners, were not allowed to be taught. It was forbidden to take the secrets to the west. But Bruce Lee stood up to the elders and in a sense broke tradition by not only designing a new form but also training foreigners who were sincere and willing to discipline themselves. Similarly in my yoga school, the traditionalists would never have dreamed of leaving India to deal with the ignorant westerners or reveal to them the Vedic Vaishnava training. However, the founder of my school actually broke tradition as an old man in his seventies and came to the west to transplant the Vedic Vaishnava system here, under the advice of his guru.

So in this way on the path, the tradition needs to be imbibed, but at some point after years of internalization and practice, one may find oneself entering the more spontaneous level of practice, which breaks tradition, possibly even alienates you from the old order, but is a natural outcome of your earlier years of practice. This is a controversial understanding, and open to abuse, but nevertheless is recognised and can sometimes occur according the time, place and circumstance in which we find ourselves.

Mindful posts worth celebrating this week

@steemflow wrote a beautiful post about generosity and it's power to bring about innerbliss. He writes:

Generosity and Kindness are two human qualities which prompts people to give. And such true giving comes from the same source inside us which is known as InnerBliss. Rivers do not drink their own water, nor does trees eat their own food. There are many such natural instances where nature teaches us to make a mindful and meaningful life just by sharing and making others happy. There is no greed and expectation attached to such kindness and generosity. Being Generous is the most Natural , outward expression of an inner attitude of "Compassion & Conviction" that whatever excess we have is for the benefit of those who are in need. Sometimes, many people get afraid that by doing such generous work, oryers will take advantages. But in real , by cultivating generosity within us, we only succeed in oppressing our own Greed and Attachment. Here, Giving is not only related to giving money or materiatic things. However, once we make giving our attitude, it can be any form. May be kind word, a simple smile, or appreciating other work.Giving in terms of our Time, Patience, Wisdom, Compassion, Tolerance, and Caring are worth more than anything that Money can buy.

@plantstoplanks in this post wrote about training on the hottest day of the year so far, and the balance meditation has brought to her fast paced days:

I am also sooooo happy and thankful that @bewithbreath is back leading the group meditations in the @naturalmedicine discord. I've tried to cultivate the practice on my own for quite some time, but always seem to fall off the wagon at some point. Having a bit of accountability makes all the difference in the world. Plus the energy is fantastic, no matter how small of a group we have joining. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity to join! A week ago Wednesday was the first session back. I found that 30 minutes so impactful. Like many people, I don't think I realize the daily stress that I carry sometimes. As the meditation focuses so much on the breath, as we started getting into it I realized how shallow and quick my breathing felt. By the time we completed the meditation I could tell a huge difference in how much deeper and more slowly I was breathing. My heart rate went down and I felt much calmer yet also more focused to take on the day. My mind wandered as usual during the practice, so it's not like I went into some deep healing place. It just shows you, though, meditation isn't meant to always be perfect. Just spending the time to slow down and focus on your breathing can be the most beneficial thing you do all day. I truly love the balance between this quiet time and my daily fast-paced other activities!

Both @porters and @artemislives wrote gorgeous nature inspired posts, noticing both funghi and flowers in their natural environments, and the loveliness it brings.

We also really liked this little poetic piece by @tarahel, who writes about the struggle towards enlightenment, but the need to persist.

And even with this awareness, sometimes I am left strained.
I can see the road
And the beautiful sun set.
Yet it sometimes evades my senses, which I do not trust all the time.
I fear and still have insecurities
But, I continue.
My journey towards enlightenment.
And I trust, that when this journey ends,
The ride will have landed me in such a beautiful whole state of mind, with all the ones I love by my side.

We hope you find strength on your personal journeys, generosity of spirit, and beauty in the small things. Thankyou to @julianhorack for his piece this week - as usual, we learn much from your wonderful posts.

And in other news...

Free meditation sessions with @bewithbreath continue in our Discord channel - link below.

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