Beware of Maya

Maya is a Hindu Goddess -- but mostly she is referred to as "illusion" -- all the illusions that prevent us from connecting with our true Selves. The work of a yogi is to clear away all illusions so that we can see our own Truth -- who we really are, and how we fit into the Divine Cosmic Universe.

What is illusion ? All the things that you think you are that separates you from others -- I am smarter,dumber, better, more attractive/uglier than "them".... I have a great job, a great car and that makes me more important -- I am rich, I am poor, I am different, I will never be in that terrible situation ..... I am better at yoga than that guy.....

When you embark on the yogic path, many think it is so "relaxing" -- but the reality is that when you start yoga, that is when your problems begin. Everything you fear most will come forward in your mind again and again until you face it and deal with it.

Yoga is confrontational -- it brings up all the stuff you didnt want to look at -- the bad marriage you're stuck in but do nothing about, the stagnant job you hold onto, the passive acceptance of your own indecision etc etc... But when you finally face it, you wake up and take control of your life. Everything that is an illusion drops away and you can see your True Self calmly, courageously and with a peaceful heart. Yoga helps you shed all the armour, all the illusions -- and be at peace with yourself. You conquer Maya through letting go -- and when you conquer Maya, you can think with your heart instead of your head. Then you will always know the Truth.

Don't be afraid of change because you are changing all the time !

This is taken from a newsletter from Dr. Deepak Chopra. I believe it is extracted from his book
"The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" (one of my favorite books, by the way)

I find Dr. Chopra explains change, and our fear of it, so well.
See if you like it too ....

"...change comes in each moment. You are not the same person you were when you began to read this. Those few sentences above are now part of your make-up. Every interaction, conversation, meal, thought, and activity you engage in today will shift your physiology and your emotional state. We’re often not aware of these subtle shifts because they happen so incrementally. Yet by tomorrow, you will be changed – even if only a bit.

Transformation is a magnificent process that takes you from one state of existence into the next. One of the reasons we fear this change is that we think that once we change , we will be stuck there – doomed for eternity to suffer the scenario you feared most. But what if you could embrace the fact that your transformation never stops. That wherever you are in your mind will change and wherever you end up, that too will change. The person you will be tomorrow will transform again into the person of the next day and the next.

Now you are able to see not just the static aspects of yourself but the ever growing, ever re-birthing, ever-evolving aspect of you. And there’s a bonus…each time you transform…you open yourself to an abundance of possibilities which means you have the ability to be reborn in each moment.

In every moment we have a choice. Whatever we choose, we are opening ourselves to transformation and the abundance of possibilities it offers us. This Namaste recommends embracing the transformation of our body, mind, and soul and smiling with the knowledge that you will be reborn in every moment, every day, in every year of your life. "