On Yoga...

A lot of people think of stretching and the poses and postures of Hatha Yoga when they think of Yoga.  The actual definition of the word "Yoga" translates to "union" or "unity."  Raja Yoga is the Yoga of thought, of the mind.  All the different types of Yoga work together to tune and condition the body, the mind, and the spirit.  The "body" Yoga, Hatha Yoga, helps create a non-distracting and relaxed physical self, which is the ideal platform for accomplishing deep and meaningful meditation, or "Raja Yoga."   If your body is out-of-shape, it could pose a distraction to your ability to relax, and if your body is having trouble relaxing, mental realaxation and meditaion is often more difficult.  As you learn about Yoga and relate it to your life and to world, ultimately you discover that all of this unfolding, all of your progress, all of your regression, and all that you do is Yoga.  The "internal self" in union with and in harmony with, and reflecting, the "external self."  There are many teachers in life, and life itself is a grand lesson.  When the mind is calm and perception is clear, the connectedness of all and and the emptiness of nothing, Nirvana and "The Void," are merely two sides of the same coin.  The ever changing dream of existence and reality is merely a dance that flows from infinity back into itself.  In this, we wake up to discover "the guru," and ironically, "the guru" is everything.