Guest guest Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Return to Innocence By Amma (Yogacharini Smt Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani) “Unless ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven,” said the great Yoga Master Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. He also said, “Heaven lies within thee.” Little children do “find heaven in a flower.” Little Yogis, they are totally “in the moment,” fresh, exuberant, bubbling with delight in the very things the jaded adult dismisses as mundane. A bug crawling across the floor is cause for great enjoyment. The full moon afloat in a sea of darkness elicits shrieks of pleasure. Little eyes sparkle, like fireflies in a benevolent Cosmos and baby tongues chirp more sweetly than birds at dawn. Freshness, purity, innocence delight, glee and joy – can any qualities be closer to God than these? Walk the streets of any urban settlement and examine the faces of passers – by. One can see only hard masks, frozen into lines of worry or irritation. Gross ambition and greed cast thin films over the eyes, pass. Dogs eating dogs, rats running races… pity the loss of innocence! Such personalities, petrified in their own calcified thoughts, cannot even smile – their faces would crack, so fragile is the mask of civilized restraint. Does anything please such a being? A tree, perhaps, crooning lullabies in night winds? A flower, audacious, useless red in a dark green leaf frame? The sunlight trickling drop by drop through cracks in leafy canopies? The hard shell of unsatisfied desires needs loud rock music, strobe lights, fast food, alcohol, drugs, adrenaline surges of achievement, adventure sports, violent cinema scenes and pornography to even feel alive. O! Yoga is the return to innocence! The sense of joy in simple things – a hearty laugh, a good plain home cooked meal, shared in the good humoured company of benevolent friends a quiet pre-dawn silent sitting, watching stars fade into a blue, fluffy-cloud-filled sky, Mantras chanted in heart-felt tones with comrades on the path. The gorgeous stretch to the sky in Surya Namaskar, the salute to earth in Ashtanga Bhumi Sparsha. Gathering in the evening quiet for Satsangha: sharing ideas, thinking, exchanging; waking each morning, doing the tasks, which come one’s way. Not yearning for what one has not, content with the gifts of the day. A simple life. The beauty of the ordinary day and its comforting routine. Yogic living is the return to innocence. The Yogi becomes again a child, when the Universe is a mystical, magical place and everything and everyone a source of wonder. Bright eyes gazing in delight at the precious world. A Yogi is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, no body special, just walking the walk, and talking the talk. A childish cheer, a childish glee. A return to innocence is enough for me! Send a seasonal email greeting and help others. Do good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Yes. - Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Bhavanani ; iyfyoga ; bgv_alumni ; jnmc-friends Saturday, December 18, 2004 7:17 PM Return to Innocence by Amma Return to Innocence By Amma (Yogacharini Smt Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani) “Unless ye become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven,” said the great Yoga Master Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. He also said, “Heaven lies within thee.” Little children do “find heaven in a flower.” Little Yogis, they are totally “in the moment,” fresh, exuberant, bubbling with delight in the very things the jaded adult dismisses as mundane. A bug crawling across the floor is cause for great enjoyment. The full moon afloat in a sea of darkness elicits shrieks of pleasure. Little eyes sparkle, like fireflies in a benevolent Cosmos and baby tongues chirp more sweetly than birds at dawn. Freshness, purity, innocence delight, glee and joy – can any qualities be closer to God than these? Walk the streets of any urban settlement and examine the faces of passers – by. One can see only hard masks, frozen into lines of worry or irritation. Gross ambition and greed cast thin films over the eyes, pass. Dogs eating dogs, rats running races… pity the loss of innocence! Such personalities, petrified in their own calcified thoughts, cannot even smile – their faces would crack, so fragile is the mask of civilized restraint. Does anything please such a being? A tree, perhaps, crooning lullabies in night winds? A flower, audacious, useless red in a dark green leaf frame? The sunlight trickling drop by drop through cracks in leafy canopies? The hard shell of unsatisfied desires needs loud rock music, strobe lights, fast food, alcohol, drugs, adrenaline surges of achievement, adventure sports, violent cinema scenes and pornography to even feel alive. O! Yoga is the return to innocence! The sense of joy in simple things – a hearty laugh, a good plain home cooked meal, shared in the good humoured company of benevolent friends a quiet pre-dawn silent sitting, watching stars fade into a blue, fluffy-cloud-filled sky, Mantras chanted in heart-felt tones with comrades on the path. The gorgeous stretch to the sky in Surya Namaskar, the salute to earth in Ashtanga Bhumi Sparsha. Gathering in the evening quiet for Satsangha: sharing ideas, thinking, exchanging; waking each morning, doing the tasks, which come one’s way. Not yearning for what one has not, content with the gifts of the day. A simple life. The beauty of the ordinary day and its comforting routine. Yogic living is the return to innocence. The Yogi becomes again a child, when the Universe is a mystical, magical place and everything and everyone a source of wonder. Bright eyes gazing in delight at the precious world. A Yogi is an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, no body special, just walking the walk, and talking the talk. A childish cheer, a childish glee. A return to innocence is enough for me! Send a seasonal email greeting and help others. Do good. "Health and Happiness are your birthright, claim them through Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga" -Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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