Natural Harmony
In ancient times, human beings lived in harmony with nature. Although we do much to dominate, manipulate and transcend her, we can never become detached from our biological foundation.
Nature has cycles and rhythms and our bodies are connected to them, but in today’s age, we hardly notice. This is a great tragedy for the human being and is the cause for much of our sickness, stress and disease.
Today we sit enclosed in concrete boxes, breathing polluted air, drinking water full of chemicals, surrounded by electromagnetic fields, bluetooth, radio and wifi signals. We eat “food” that is manufactured in factories full of artificial additives, from animals who are incarcerated in factories, pumped full of chemicals and hormones, our vegetables are contaminated and genetically modified, our lifestyles, work, leisure activities… everything is denatured. It is a wonder that we still manage to function.
We do function, but it is at great cost to our health and wellbeing - physical and mental. We are a lost species, we no longer know how to function in a wholesome way and we have become mentally sick.
One of the reasons for our sickness is due to the constant mental stimulation we experience. We are always on. We are always consuming something. It is a desperate act to feel whole or at peace.
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Nature has its rhythms. At night time it is dark and we feel inclined to sleep. In daytime it is light and feel inclined to work and play. But there are two intermediate periods - dawn and dusk - where there is a balance in nature. At these times there is a peace and quiet, a reduction of activity.
In the old days, humans were attuned to nature. Around sunrise and sunset, there would be a natural feeling to sit quietly and be with oneself. This communion is required if we want to be healthy. Just as sleep is needed for refreshing the body, our minds also need a moment for introspection.
We know what it is like to go without sleep for a few days. It is a kind of hell. We have gone without this introspection for generations and its impact is severe! We are an unwell society exactly because of this.
Science has understood so much about the external world but hardly a thing about the internal one.
Because we are in such a bad condition, the only way to find our way back to health is through applying some practices or techniques to help calm the mind so that this introspection can take place - these are the techniques of yoga and meditation.
Mankind is desperate to learn this wisdom and apply it. He is lost without.
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Stages of Samadhi
An in Depth Exploration of the Practice of Meditation
As explained in the Yoga Sutra
Sundays at 4-5.45 PM Israel Time - 9-10.45 AM New York Time
This course is given at the studio and online
Register here: https://www.integralashtanga.com/samadhi