Do Yoga to avoid Bad Politics
The Universe, as “a field of intelligence”, with a Creation and Creator, easily becomes quite complicated and muddled in attempt to grasp exactly what it is, how it came about, and where it is going to. “In the gaze of Yoga” we can more easily understand life, philosophically, and find meaning or purpose:
Yoga as an information technology. During yoga practice, in a state of meditation, a clear picture of individual, global and universal being emerges. With its BodyMind awareness of breath, there frequently appears a serenity and clarity that provides yogi’s a glimpse of meaningful balance – in the state of Yoga an awareness of inner peace is revealed. It important to note that this peace is already there, it pre-exists under the layers of turmoil, busyness, unconsciousness or denial of inner processes.
The Philosophy of Yoga is simple and practical: it calls everything “All That Is”. Yoga pre-dates, by 1 000’s of years, much of what is currently know as quantum physics, and the type of self-help affirmations that suggest that the universe is an integrated vibrational field. Brahma, of the Vedas, ancient yogic wisdom-lore, is the Life Force that some may call “God”. For me it is suffice to know the intelligence that “is me” is Creation and Creator, forever One. Non-dual Awareness.
Such a Zen of Yoga sharply contrasts with the dualistic nature of politics. While there is much goodness on the planet, it is the politics of power that appears to rule. As with other matters of state and commerce, the rule of man, i.e. people, by people, is mired in misery.
The discerning and open modern mind may easily cut across time and space, by not asking where it, the mind comes from, or where the body is going, but just by sitting still, in the moment, in the now, exist. Which is why I prefer to keep away from ultimate religions or scientific explanations of a Universe that is infinitely more mysterious than the bit we are aware of.
Ignorance prevails where there is “no Yoga”. Because “doing yoga”, is a universal physics, the practice of yoga brings its practitioner to a state of One-ness – Union with All That Is – a state of awareness. In the Vedic Yoga this is the “intelligence that is Brahma”, the Life Force Intelligence.
When we think of nature as a tree growing, a childbirth, clouds forming, all the expressions of nature, we realise there is no commerce in nature. Love too, pure love, is in principle non-transactional. It just is.
Because of ego and self will, materialism and godless-ness (the opposite of One-ness) is the power currency prevalent on the planet. Fairness, peace and democracy amongst humans, is a dim light in the systems of the world.
Doing yoga is a natural antidote to bad politics.
Simple as that. Ignorance of, or unwillingness to bow to the larger/bigger force on the planet – Life Itself – leads to the rise of self will – which is all about “Me, Mine and I”. Self will corrupts, distorts the reality that there is a greater force in play.
Conscious co-creation suggests a Way of Being that is in Union with the Universal Forces. The selfish greed of grabbing recourses are dissolved in simple awareness of All That Is. The ego of self will dissolves when there is Surrender to Divine Will. This may “sound like spirituality”, but whatever the spirit of the universe is named, or however it is conceptualised, it cannot be bought or sold. In Yoga it is the purpose of the seeker to connect into the Overself or Soul. Such Higher Being awareness is the channel of elevation, to connect into Divine Being, and not do-eat-dog politicking.
This is a straight forward message of meditation and mindfulness. Be here, now, and the awareness of such being-ness reveal itself.
Co-create Future Self. So where does this leave the world today, between oligarchy and seemingly failed attempts at fair election and representation? Can a 2020 humanity, in crisis, morally, economically and ecologically, evolve fast enough to produce a functional co-creation? Yoga practice influences individual and communal way of being. That is the most powerful positive state one may contribute.
Does history teach us anything? Bad politics is the result of corruption of power. What we can also historically see is that there is has been ongoing disasters, but also a desire for fair rule. We can always learn from both. Earth, democracy and the Universe is a schoolhouse. No point to get upset about how it has been, or is. We are not to judge, we are to forgive and move on, with guidance from Higher Self.
The Greek origin of democracy as we are influenced, from pre AD, favoured aristocratic rule. They thought the masses would produce average policy, while the best of their philosophical men and warriors would produce the best policy. The Spartans, Socrates, Xenophon, Plato and Aristotle considered Aristocracy as inherently better than democracy, the ideal form of rule by the many. However – they also acknowledged that a corrupted aristocracy is worse than corrupted democracy, although both are a form of mob rule.
As the Greeks realised, it is indeed the best of men that are required to fathom and rule democratically. Perhaps this is why the Greeks discovered that rule by the best qualified citizens contrasted favourably with monarchy (rule by self-appointed individuals). Never the less, when aristocracy came to mean “rule by a privileged group, a.k.a. an aristocratic class”, which is, in a sense also monarchy, and therefore undemocratic, has been prevalent.
Nearly all modern governments have aspects of aristocracy and democracy, with their parliamentary form of government. There are no pure democracies in the world today, nor have there been since the fall of the “ancient” Athens BC. There are some governments with elements of democracy, but governments from the Spartan, Roman, British, Swiss, German, French and American, all had or have elements of aristocracy and monarchy mixed in. They are meant to be kept honest and fair with a system of checks and balances, to balance the conservative or excesses of power.
The office of the Dalai Lama, and the countless philanthropical individuals and organisations are a force to be reckoned with. But there is hardly any significant yogic rule active in the world culture, from corporations to institutions.
Yoga Training for Self-realisation
The “original” Yoga came about as a system of Union – of self, with Self, and All That Is. Such Yoga begins in self awareness, of (higher) Self, and All That Is – the Yoga of Union.Universal co-creation, Being Human and Universal Being, is the intention of the Teacher training with me.The intention of my Teacher Training (or Yoga Training) is to help activate the peace and prosperity that is innate in human beings. Yoga is a philosophical system with physical practices for healing, a wellness of being. This “original” holistic purpose of Yoga brings tangible, practical benefits to every sphere of life, while exploring True Human Potential. In essence Yoga means Universal Co-creation – to become aware, or conscious, of Self, is the Soul. This requires Surrender to Divine Will.
Yoga Teacher Training with me adheres to the standard content of international 200 hour programs, but with emphasis on the Vedic and holistic wisdom of the ancient traditions as shared in the tradition of Swami Sivananda and his Divine Life Society. See more information about the Cape Town Sivananda centre here.
Johann Kotze,
Cape Town.
16 January 2020.
Love and light saves us from the abyss of extinction.
