“Give me another term for Samadhi!” I asked my small advanced Yoga class. The answers came fast and furious: “Bliss / Right Knowledge / Peace / Self Awareness / Nirvana / Total Contentment / Illumination, etc / Oneness”.
Keep going”, I said, “There is a particular word I want from you”. Well, we continued until many other words were spoken. But no-one came up with the one I wanted!
“It’s so easy to forget, to lose the vision, to get bogged down in intellect, to not see the wood for the trees…” I said: “The word I am looking for is… YOGA!!!”
Have we forgotten what the word Yoga means or what we are doing with Yoga?
Yoga means “everything” which was said, including Samadhi and more!
Yoga is Chitta Vritti Nirodha according to Patanjali – and so is Samadhi!
I know it’s just a word – and Yoga has become just a four-letter word to some. How many toss the word off so casually!
“I’m off to do my Yoga practice!” we say. Why not say, “I’m off to do my Samadhi!” It may make our practice take on a more subtle tone if we think Yoga is Samadhi!
We must contemplate the words we use, so we may not just give Yoga lip service. Our practice will be more effective, more whole, more subtle!
It falls into the same old syndrome! “I go to church on Sunday, but forget God for the rest of the week… That same thing, it happens in Yoga too!”
All this means simply – Be Aware! (Beware) and avoid the pitfalls on the path.
Originally published in YOGA LIFE July 2008 Vol.39 No.7