The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind

the ego function of the mind might turn any practice, tradition, or great starting point into an escape, a distraction, or even a political agenda. A sincere yoga practice can save us from this.

Our very own body, which is immediately available to us, becomes a laboratory of consciousness, a field of exploration into the truth of our own existence so that, figuratively speaking, our body becomes a temple for open awareness.

Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is. We are allowing other people to be what they are, and we are sanctioning our own bodies and our own minds to fully manifest. Yoga also begins in the present moment.

the practice is both an observation of what is arising and then a letting go of the frame we were looking through.

whether your yoga practice consists exclusively of sitting meditation, chanting, āsana, or prāṇāyāma, you find that the body itself is the medium through which you can discover interconnected avenues of awareness that lead to a direct experience of insight.

If we allow ourselves to merge into the sensations that chanting can awaken within the body, then we can begin our yoga and meditation practices within a context of intelligence and kindness.

The true practice of yoga cannot occur until all aspects of experience throughout the day and night are attended to with singular intention and devotion.

Yoga reveals itself when we allow our senses, our intelligence, and our bodies to unfold free of a self-image or any sort of goal or motivation.

Dissolving in this way into the heart of yoga is an act of honesty. It is the art of humility and of genuine awe and appreciation for the life process as it is.