Moving toward truth

Here’s a truth about yoga:

Half the folks came thinking this was a physical practice. Often, they’re hoping for something ‘accessible’, ‘holistic’, or ‘peaceful’. Once they are in, though, they realize their mistake: rather than being a perfect physical practice, these folks start having what we’ll just call Spiritual Awakenings or Startlements. And yoga isn’t very good exercise, turns out. And it isn’t what you’d dare call ‘peaceful’, either. These people suddenly find themselves faced with their Soul.

The other half of the folks came in thinking of their spiritual needs or mental health. Much like the first crowd, they quick realize their mistake: yoga isn’t heaven! We don’t get enlightenment! Problems still exist! Exactly like the first half of folks, who at first blush seem these folk’s polar opposite, the Seekers find themselves tripping over something unexpected. What this crowd trips on could be called reality.

Alas and alack, all of the humans turn out to be not so different after all. And once we’ve realized our mistake, we’ve got a question to ask ourselves.

Are we in it for the truth?

I mean by that, of course, the juncture of soul and real life.

Next funny truth: this same dichotomy seems to happen to what we’d call yoga teachers. Half of ‘em are wracked by questions of ‘should I teach yoga?!’ and doubt. The other half of what we’re calling yoga teachers are overconfident and not really teaching yoga, but some gimmick spun out of their own ego. They call it yoga, but….

Same question we need to ask ourselves: are we prepared for the truth?

These are just my mulls as I prep to teach three collected sūktams beginning in November. Śraddhā sūktam is a hymn toward/prayer about what is often called faith, but I hate that translation. Śraddhā is not ‘faith’ like a catachesim, I believe in this god who has these attributes and therefore I hold this identity. No is śraddhā faith as in I trust everything’s gonna be alright in the end, I’ll just thoughts and prayers and sankalpa my way threw life. My teacher says we shouldn’t translate śraddhā at all, just use the word itself. But people inevitably start wondering about their own meanings. I have a philosopher friend who translates it as the opposite of ‘faith’; he calls it self-confidence or conviction. I think there’s value in that, but I’d dig a little more. Some aspect of śraddhā has to do with admitting we don’t know, feeling the intensity of our curiosity, stoking the embers of our hunger. All understandings of it have to do with Truth. And how that sets you off on a path…

Agni sūktam follows. Agni is fire, tapas or commitment, will power. Again, there’s a lot to explore here. We have free will (don’t we?) but mostly we get in our own way. Motivation, dedication, action are more a sigh and pissing away than a lived experience of agency and empowerment. What is that about? How can we screw up less and feel better?

And finally Medhā is generally translated as ‘intellect’, ‘memory’, or some aspect of learned by heart Saraswati. It is all of those things. But for my subversive purposes here, I’m going to tell you that Medhā is the outcome of being in it for the truth. It’s grace. It’s a combination of honey and dhi, which word shows up in Samādhi (enlightenment, self-transcendence), buddhi (awake consciousness, our buddha nature), and dhyāṇa (meditation).

It’s rather lovely to teach these three together. It’s quite traditional to do so. In fact it’s quite traditional to say these are the prerequisites, the first things folks should learn, the seed that carries everything else in it and foundation without which you’re probably going to be confused, if not wholly lost.

It’s also lovely that these three are exquisitely simple. They are beginner friendly. Anybody can learn them. Doesn’t matter what you believe, or how old you are, or if you can sing. It doesn’t matter what caste you belong to or gender you are. It doesn’t matter whether you are fascinated by spirituality and deeply committed already or have no idea what to think about it all.

Anyway, the course is up. I’ll start November 4 and go all the way to the end of January 2026. You can sign up or read more about it. I’ll tell you more a couple of times between then and now.

For today, just sit with the feeling.

Peace.

K