Does world peace seem like a fantasy? What is the number one obstruction to world peace? How can we overcome such a powerful obstruction, with Yoga? Does Yoga meditation give us the answer?
The ego is the largest obstruction to world peace. One person?s ego can affect the collective consciousness of an entire country and the world. Consider history?s most famous conquerors and tyrants; their personal ambitions became an excuse to justify sacrifice, cruelty, and warfare.
What starts out as a personal matter can become a social dilemma, if one person has the influence, and an ego, which is out of control. Each of us has an ego, but we often ask others to put their egos aside before we do. We are right and they are wrong. We imply that they should listen to our side of the debate first.
How is it possible to restrain the ego? How can Yoga help control the Ego?
Yoga is designed to take care of the health of a single person. In many ways, Yoga travels to the core of the human mind, body, and spirit. One method allows an individual?s mind to be isolated through Yoga meditation practice. Yoga meditation allows the mind to withdraw from the ?pains and aches of society.?
What do I mean by the pains and aches of society? Unfortunately, no society is perfect. Speak to any social worker about poverty and injustice. Each social worker receives a ?bird?s eye? view of social injustice. Over the years, I have taught many social workers in my Yoga classes. It is apparent that they came to Yoga class as a sanctuary.
Why would social workers need a Yoga class for sanctuary? Social workers feel empathy, without ego, and they want to make a positive difference in modern society. They clearly see social illness, and inadequacy, on a daily basis.
How else could Yoga meditation overcome the ego? The mind withdraws from society, distractions, and multi-tasking, which forces the mind to look at itself. Yoga meditation is a systematic healing process for the individual and a remedy for society?s short comings.
In a recent conversation with a Yoga teacher, he mentioned how Yoga meditation is considered, by the public, to be ?time spent doing nothing.? He completely understood the deeper value and benefits of meditation, but was concerned about how to reach his Yoga students, with overactive minds. After all, most of them would rather perform asanas than spend time meditating in a Yoga class.
The answer is: We will have to educate them, wait for them to age, or wait for the time, when they can appreciate the meditative aspects of Yoga. If Yoga students were trained to meditate as children, they would appreciate the many benefits of Yoga meditation at this moment. However, we cannot force a person to instantly meditate and ?see the light.?
In order for meditation to take place, the mind must be willing to look at itself. When the collective consciousness of a society meditates on a regular basis, it will be reflected by peaceful behavior.
Yoga Meditation is a wonderful resource for mankind because it can bring the mind to a state of peace with itself. A global society, which has an addiction to multi-tasking, needs time to ?unplug? itself, and Yoga meditation offers realistic solutions.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
