Excellence Reporter: Jyoti, what is the meaning of life?

Jyoti Subramanian: In the quest to look for a “meaning” for existence, we are constantly engaging with external stimulus. Depending on our idea of what will take us towards this ideal way of living to make us whole and wholesome, we engage, we acquire, we hoard or jettison acquisitions and relationships. For me true gnosis comes only when we make the turnaround towards inner introspection. A difficult and often painful enterprise of self discovery. 

Imagine yourself as a rough spiked metal ball rolling through fibreglass or wool, who feels the icky stickiness of the clinging material. We live our lives like this, our living driven by inhibitions and bias imposed upon us by external forces, we become slaves of our conditioning. Proudly claiming to have got out of one rut of drinking and smoking to find we have tied ourselves to yoga and health food. Yes one important step to self discovery is to know when a habit, even if positive, has become a crutch and learn to let go of it. 

To constantly peel off the inhibitions and habits imposed by society, family, our own mindset, is a prerequisite for liberated living. To understand and accept that we are the product of our circumstances and like in a beautifully cut gemstone our flaws inflicted by life and fashioned in its crucible of fire are what makes us unique. 

Dissolving all limitations and attachments that define us to radiate love, peace and joy unconditionally is an effort worth taking. Then having filed and smoothed the rough spikes through self effort we move through life acting, not reacting. The feeling of joy at this freedom of being cannot be explained in words. 

The path to achieve this are many and one may find the one most suitable to ones temperament but ‘uncondition’ ourselves we must, to truly live in sacred freedom. 

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~Jyoti Subramanian, author and senior teacher of Siddhanath Yoga.
www.ayu.yoga
www.livefree.yoga

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