Yogic Insights - Faith in Humanity

Could Yoga help you restore your faith in humanity? Have you ever had "one of those days" where everything seemed to go wrong? On one of those days, it may start with one crisis of the moment, and continue onto the next, until we become exhausted by the events of the day.

In the worst of times, we might feel like: "What worse can happen next?" Maybe your faith in humanity is challenged by rude behavior, traffic, or an Email that attempts to steal your identity. You might begin to think: "Whatever happened to courtesy, honesty and compassion?"

There are some points to review, while you are off the Yoga mat. Some Yoga teachers explain the wealth of Yoga, we may know, as "Raja." Some will refer to this as the "Yoga of Patanjali," because he classified many aspects within the Yoga Sutras.

Within the Eight Limbs, mentioned by Maharishi Patanjali, are the Yamas. One of the five Yamas mentioned is, "Satya," which we may roughly translate as "truth." Truth and honesty seem simple enough, but they can become complicated. Are we truthful to ourselves when we get caught up in believing the world has taken a turn for the worst?

There is a quote from Hamlet by Shakespeare, which reads, "This above all: to thine ownself be true." It is so easy to see the weather, friends, family, and our jobs, as not up to our expectations. If we expect anything, it should be with tolerance and compassion. Life is full of surprises. Therefore, expect the unexpected, and do not worry about the worst possible situation.

Worrying about a situation, that never happens, is a waste of energy and will shave years off your life. Worrying, during a bad situation, will not solve the problem. To prepare is wise. To seek a solution, during a crisis, is an example of how Yoga can train your mind to maintain rational thoughts.

The teachings of Yoga allow us to renew our faith in humanity, because our viewpoint of life is what we choose. If I choose to be a member of the "doom club," I can see everything has gone wrong everywhere. This is like Rush Limbaugh's quote, when he stated, "I Hope Obama Fails."

Regardless of our beliefs and differences, as contributing members of this planet, let us never wish for anyone to fail an attempt at a noble cause, especially if the situation affects millions or billions of people.

© Copyright 2009 - 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 - aurawellnesscenter.com aurawellnesscenter.com. He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html.