How do you know that something is a dream? During the dream, it all feels so very real. You seem to see, hear, taste, touch, feel, speak, move… and yet when you wake up, you realize that none of that actually happened. That whole time, you were asleep in your bed.
Now how’s this for a thought: The ancient masters taught that our waking state is also a dream. We go about our day and seem to sense the world around us; we seem to think, speak and act in this world. And yet, one day we will really wake up and realize that this too is but a dream. What felt so real was a temporary illusion. That whole time, we were asleep, not really doing anything or going anywhere. Hmm… pretty radical, huh?
The many aspects of yoga practice are a path to this kind of “awakening,” a gradual lifting of illusions that allows the truth within to shine through.
Wednesday night classes at Mill Road are now over for the summer. But stay tuned here for more thoughts on yoga – I will aim to post about once a week. Namaste.
***
Asatoma sat gamaya.
Tamasoma jyotir gamaya.
Mrityorma amritam gamaya.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Lead us from illusion to truth,
From darkness to light,
From death to immortality.
Om peace peace peace.
– from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad