Swami Ji, Kirtan, and the spiritual nature of yoga… a review
Every now and then, we meet someone that inspires us.
We have a conversation that speaks to our intellect, our heart or even more exceptionally our soul… we connect with someone in a way that seems profound, sacred and even life-changing. Amidst the myriad of feelings that surface as a result of this encounter, we experience relief, inspiration, joy, humility, excitement, reconnection (with our Self and Another), gratitude, and sometimes even awe. We feel someone is on the same wavelength or, even more inspiringly, we realise that we have much to learn from their deeper understanding and knowledge. We feel that someone understands our search for those bigger questions, those questions that formed us even before we became consciously aware of them and now that we are conscious of them, those questions that guide our life’s searching and our soul’s longing. If we then find ourselves in the privileged position of being in the presence of a true Teacher, of one who has dedicated his/ her life to their own quest for this understanding and henceforth, to answering the seeking of others and to sharing their knowledge of Life’s great mysteries, we realise that we are in the totally fortunate position of being in the presence of someone whose life’s work is that we may live more mindfully and more joyously. That is where I found myself this afternoon as I sat in Breathing Space in front of Swami Govindananda as he introduced himself and his ‘yoga philosophy beyond the mat.’
Swami Govindananda is the creator of Ji Living and as such is also known as Swami Ji. His philosophy picks up where the practice of physical yoga naturally leads us to: self inquiry; the desire to meditate; the gateway of yoga’s spiritual origins and the immeasurable benefits that we all seek… increased self awareness, positivity, happiness and health.
Swami Ji’s introduction was as understated in tone as it was reverent to his own teacher, one of only 5 of India’s great Spiritual masters, Jagadguru (literally, Spiritual Master for the Whole world in Sanskrit) Shri Kripaluji Maharaj. His style was relaxed, authentic and articulate, doted with modern paradigms and Sanskrit ‘sutras’ (verses), as he quoted from the ancient texts in fluid Sanskrit and translated for all of us, their significance to our spiritual quest and development.
He addressed key questions, such as:
- Who are all things done for? For our self.
- What does the self want? Love, happiness, bliss.
- Who am I? Not the body, but the Soul.
- What are the three illusions that ‘mess us up’? Taking that to be permanent which is impermanent; thinking ourselves to be the body instead of the soul and looking for love, happiness and bliss, where they are not!
- What should the power of the mind be used for? To be happy and to seek that happiness within, based on the understanding that we are the soul.
- Why do we have a soul? Because it is a part of the Supersoul (Paratman) – God and as such, it must serve its life force, God. This being the union – the ‘yug’, the root of yoga.
- Where does our happiness lie? Within.
- What happens after Death comes? The mind, the intellect, the sense organs and the soul all leave the body.
- What makes us different to the 8.4 million other bodies that have a soul in this cosmos? That the human being, because it has the mind, is the only life form that can do fruit-yielding actions that determine where we will go after this lifetime.
Swami Ji flowed in and out of the ancient texts, the teachings of his teacher and his own understanding and life journey with charisma, humour, insight and honesty. Modern parables and simple explanations showed each one of us there the importance of honouring our spiritual path as well as looking after our physical body. He spoke of the impact that our mind and our thoughts have on our life, of our mind being the driver of our life’s car and ultimately of how, when we wake up and give equal importance to nurturing our spiritual nature as well as our physical body, our attitude and lives will transform.
And so we sat there, being reminded once more, as all good teachers remind us, to nurture ourselves, to watch our reactions and to live mindfully. To study, and reflect on these questions, to meditate and to consciously manage the process of the fertilizing of our life. That there is no room for complacency; that self study, reflection and conscious action are fundamental to our happiness; that we need to know what we are doing with our mind and that we need to do the Work. That this is the essence of spirituality – a conscious life in thought, deed and action that leads us to self discovery.
And the ultimate reason and impetus for all that we do and we all that we strive for? Ananda = love, happiness, bliss.
“The wise man knows that love is inside. We own nothing but the right to love.”
These were his teachings and I felt blessed to receive them, and once more, be reminded of why we are on the yoga mat… when we are on it AND when we are not.
Hopefully we will be able to have him come back. Then everyone can meet and listen to a wise man, a generous soul and a gifted Teacher.
Written by Christina Pateras: Edited by Denby Sheather.
Workshop held on Saturday May 8th, 2010.
(*Editor’s note: Swami Govindananda’s visit was truly a blessing and I encourage anyone and everyone even remotely interested in yoga, to come along to his next teaching at the Space in the near future. He is not to be missed twice! Heartfelt thanks again to Swami Ji, and also to his luminous assistant Carmen for lending her energy and leading us in Kirtan… such a wonderful tonic for the soul…)
