A Yogini’s Heart – The Nature of Life is living in Sync with Love
By Nicole Yong Y.Y.
A moment of transcendence:
If you say that you are a Yogi, there will always be a sincere happy smile on your face and you will be able to spread vibrations of love where ever you go. These are the real signs of yoga practices. Yoga is not just about asanas (postures) to improve flexibility; it is beyond all that.
After years of practising Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga, I have gained deep understanding of the idea called ‘love’. The understanding came naturally and subtly as my lenses of perception changed. Love began to make my life blossom. Whenever I teach and serve with love, be it at the studio, in schools, at the universities or at the homes, I find myself receiving more love than I have ever expected. As a sadhika, I have come to realise that the Universe not only loves but heals me in a transcendent way. It responds to the vibrations of love that I spread. I must say that this is a life-long practice.
Ahimsa - to Love
The nature of life is related to the mechanism of the whole Universe. The Earth spins on its axis 24 hours with respect to the Sun. That is why we see sunrise and sunset every day. We feel cool and warm. As the Earth rotates, the moon’s gravity causes the oceans to rise and fall. The rain water dampens the soil and the plants grow. We obtain energy from the plants. The plants or herbs heal our body. This connected existence is what we call vibrations of love.
The Sun, Moon, and Earth are held together by the love of the Universe. Similarly, all the cells in our body are linked together as they love each other. Parents, siblings and children love each other and that is why they are together and they live in harmony. There also exists a connection between teachers and students because of love. Breath by breath, in every service that I conduct mindfully and through the reflection of my actions, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga allow my heart to appreciate that – it is the “Love that moves the whole world”.
In the practice of Raja Yoga, we learn the concept of Ahimsa, i.e. non-harming but to love. The word “love” here refers to the three levels:
Individual Experience of Love
Most people think of love as an emotion which also involves the feeling of romance. Some people tend to project their feelings of love that comes from within onto others. However, when thoughts and emotions veil an individual’s true-self, feelings of love begin to fluctuate. On the other hand, there are some who can only feel love for certain people close to them such as, parents, spouse, siblings and children. This is conditional love.
When our mind is dominated by senses and ego, we express love with different flavours, such as, romantic love, sexual love, parental love and genuine love for special people in our lives.
We also express love for hobbies, travels, movies and the list goes on. The love exhibited may involve attachment, control, mood swings, and, likes and dislikes. People fear they may run out of love; they want recognition. However, every object in the world has an expiry date including the human body. When individual love is linked to attachments, it brings nothing but misery.
Hence, the practice of meditation acts as a filter; it helps us overcome our ego and selfishness that obstruct us from understanding the meaning of love. By meditating, we get to polish our lenses of perception and cleanse our inner selves and unveil our true self to love.
Universal Love
Universal love refers to the great love that exist in nature, the Universe. The yoga scriptures describe the Supreme Consciousness (Brahman) and Absolute Reality as “Satchitananda”. Sat means existence, everything and everywhere; chit means infinite consciousness; ananda means bliss, divine love and joy. Thus, Universal love is Satchitananda.
The karma yoga practices have brought me closer to Universal Love. When the Universal love hits us unveiled, it changes our lives. The Universal love is an ever expanding vibration of life force that makes up all living things, including our existence. We are beautiful as we are a part of the Universe. When we expand our consciousness, we will realise love as it relates to all beings. We spread our love vibrations unconditionally. Irrespective of the situation, the feelings of happiness and calmness are established in us.
Let me share some beautiful extracts from the book entitled “Secret of Karma Yoga”, by Swami Sivananda:
“The practice of Karma Yoga does not demand you to possess enormous wealth.
You can serve with your mind and body.”
“If anyone is suffering from pain in any part of the body, at once shampoo the part. As you do this, repeat your mantra, or any other name of the Lord. Also pray from the bottom of your heart.
Feel that it is the energy from the cosmic source.
The more you give, the more you will get. You will be in tune with the cosmic energy. This is the divine law.”
“Karma Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of the light of knowledge. It expands the heart and breaks all barriers that stand in the way of unity or oneness.
Karma Yoga is the effective method or sadhana for chitta suddhi (purification of the mind).”
Love for Sadhana (practice)
Love the practice as we bring our thoughts and attitudes in harmony with our daily life actions. We may not always feel good about ourselves, but we learn to slow down our breathing; we learn to meditate to heal ourselves, we spread the vibrations of love, and we express gratitude instead of showing anger and dislike to people around us. It is not easy, but we need to remind ourselves that we want to fully explore and dive into the vibrations of love. In that process, we get healed and we get to heal others as well. When we serve the community, we do it whole-heartedly with no expectations in return.
Take the Next Step - Guided Meditation
The Anahata chakra, located at the centre of the chest, is the seat of love. It is symbolically represented as a six-pointed star in a circle surrounded by twelve blue petals. A person with a balanced anahata chakra is loving, kind, compassionate, generous and forgiving.
Try this simple meditation practice to balance the Anahata Chakra.
- Sit in a comfortable position in a clean and quiet place.
- As you close your eyes, allow yourself to relax into the flow of the moment. Observe your breathing as you breathe in and out slowly. Let go of any thoughts that arise.
- Bring your awareness to the chest centre. Repeat the following statements 3 times:
- I am loving and compassionate.
- I receive and radiate love to everyone around.
- I am kind to myself and everyone around.
- I forgive and let go.
- My Heart Chakra is balanced.
- May there be peace, harmony and happiness in me.
- May there be peace in the world.
- Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
- Feeling calm, bring your awareness back to the room. Move your fingers and toes.
- Once you are ready, you may open your eyes.
Conclusion
The nature of life is love. Love is not just a feeling. We cannot force love to happen, but we can cultivate thoughts of love. When we bring our thoughts into action and plant vibrations of love, it will blossom. Love brings self-realisation. Love heals and makes the world a better place. Om. Om. Om.