Jnana Yoga Revealed

During the course of Jnana Yoga study, the practitioner learns to see his or her true self, which we sometimes call the "witness." The witness is not a judge, not your personality, and not your thoughts. The witness is the neutral observer of all the wrong and right you have done in life.

Yet, the witness can handle all of these things and forgive you for your shortcomings. The witness does not have a lot of "hang-ups." The witness has quietly been observing the "monkey mind" within each of us. The witness does not laugh at us, because the witness is far removed from the ego.

So, how do we get in touch with the witness? How can we give this neutral observer a little more authority in crucial situations? Most of us need a non-judging witness to help us with intolerance, anger, worry, stress, envy, and hate, every day. This witness would make a great ally.

Firstly, we need to actually look in the mirror. What do we see? Do we posture ourselves? How much time do we spend, per day, supporting our egos? How many judgment calls are affected by our previous social conditioning?

The answers to most of our problems are within us. The true self is like an onion, with rough outer layers of personality, which the world sees. These outer layers make up our social mask. We have to be careful that the outer layers of ego and conditioning are not in absolute control.

The outer layers of personality carry random thought, and do not always make the best decisions, but they do consider your self-protection first. Random thoughts and self-realization are much different.

Which of the two would you prefer to handle a crisis situation? The self-realized mind has integrity and is not in a rush to make rash decisions or harsh judgments. This is the result of Jnana Yoga practice.

© Copyright 2007 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html