WISDOM of the HEART wisdom of the heart A three-part yogic approach to integrating the insights and inspiration from ecstatic experience into your everyday life. by brian james medicinepathyoga.com dedication This booklet is dedicated to the human, plant and animal teachers who awaken the inner teacher in each and every one of us. May our individual awakening be for the benefit of all beings. Gratitude to the first yogis who bravely ventured into the depths and returned to share the gift of yoga with all future generations. OM shanti, shanti, shantihi introduction
Plant medicines like ayahuasca, psilocybin mushrooms and peyote are considered entheogens, a word that means “awaken to the divine within”. From a yogic perspective, they connect us to our spiritual heart, the divine source of wisdom, peace and love within each of us. The earliest yogis used an entheogenic plant medicine called Soma to cultivate health, happiness and connect to the divine source. In their ecstatic experiences the yogi mystics, called rishis (“those who see”), received the insights and inspiration which became the hymns of the Vedas, the source texts of yoga. Over many years of working with Soma, they developed the postures, breathwork, chanting and meditation practices that we now know as hatha yoga. They realized that we can access the same ecstatic states with our own body, breath and mind, which empowers us to continue the process of healing and growth long after the ceremony ends. Because it allows us to access the ecstatic state whenever we want, yoga is an easy and effective way to integrate the entheogenic experience into our every day life. Perhaps most importantly, the yoga offers a simple three-part answer to the critical question of what to do with the insights and inspiration we receive.
[ 1 ] YOGA IS A GIFT FROM THE ANCESTORS THAT ALLOWS US TO CONNECT TO THE SPIRITUAL HEART— THE DIVINE SOURCE OF WISDOM, PEACE & LOVE WITHIN EACH OF US.
[ 2 ] the spiritual heart
In all mystic traditions, the spiritual heart refers not the the physical heart, but to a place in each of us that can’t be located by physical examination but only through a direct felt sense and inner knowing. The spiritual heart is located at the place where you naturally point when you’re speaking about what’s important to you, the place you touch when you’re touched by beauty and sadness. In the yoga tradition, the heart is called hridaya, the location of our connection to the divine source of all things, the atman. The heart is often visualized as a cave or lotus flower, the soul as a tiny flame within. It’s in the spiritual heart that truth and wisdom is intuited, where compassion and love spring forth, where lasting peace can be found. The heart speaks its wisdom softly. It asks us to quiet the chatter in our mind, tune in and listen closely — what the Quakers call “listening to the still, small voice within”. The practices of yoga are designed to quiet the mind so we can tune into the heart and hear what wisdom and guidance it has to offer. The heart becomes our internal GPS system that guides us in living a life of health, happiness, passion and purpose, and lets us know when we’ve strayed off course.
[ 3 ] THE PRIMARY GOAL OF YOGA IS TO QUIET THE MIND AND LISTEN TO THE HEART. THEN, WE CAN BE MORE SKILLFUL IN ALL OUR ACTIONS. YOGA SUTRA & BHAGAVAD GITA
[ 4 ] the yoga of action
There’s a famous prayer written by an American theologist of the last century, Reinhold Niebuhr, that’s been adopted by AA and other 12-step programs to support people looking to make positive changes and find more peace in their lives. It’s called the Serenity Prayer, and the most common version goes like this: God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference. Rather than just pray for serenity, courage and wisdom and hope our wish is granted, what if we could take action to cultivate those qualities in ourselves, every day? For someone looking to make positive changes in their life, the path of kriya yoga is the answer to their prayer. Kriya yoga, the yoga of purposeful action, is a three-part approach to cultivating the serenity, courage and wisdom needed to skillfully and successfully navigate life’s challenges and create a life of health, happiness, passion and purpose. Kriya yoga consists of the integrated practices of tapas, svadhyaya and ishvara pranidhana.
[ 5 ] REDUCE THE CAUSES OF PAIN TO PREVENT FUTURE SUFFERING.
YOGA SUTRA tapas
Tapas literally means “to heat”, and refers to disciplines and practices that purify the body and mind, clearing the path to the heart. Tapas cultivates inner strength & courage (from the French word for heart, cœur).
Ways to Practice Tapas • Committing to a daily yoga practice is a way to keep yourself healthy and clear-headed. A consistent, dedicated practice develops the discipline and willpower you’ll need to turn insight and inspiration into skillful action. • Traditionally, tapas also meant eating in moderation. You can practice this by intermittent fasting; eating a simple, whole food diet; and reducing unhealthy fats, sugars, alcohol and drugs. • In modern times, we could also practice tapas by moderating our information consumption, limiting our time on social media and taking regular internet fasts. For example, limiting our online time to certain hours of the day, or committing to spending one day a week completely offline.
[ 7 ] MEDITATION ON THE HEART REVEALS THE QUALITIES OF THE MIND. YOGA SUTRA svadhyaya
Svadhyaya means “self study”. It’s the practice of listening to the wisdom of the heart, and contemplating the thoughts and behaviours that are in or out of alignment with the heart’s desire. Svadhyaya cultivates wisdom.
Ways to Practice Svadhyaya • After your asana and pranyama practice, when your mind is clear and the channel to the heart is open, ask yourself questions like “what do I really want in life?”, “what behaviours are having a negative consequence on my health and relationships?”, or “what do I want to be remembered for?”. Write down whatever responses come up in a journal. • Traditionally, a method of practicing svadhyaya was reading spiritual texts and reflecting on them. You can use texts from a spiritual tradition, like the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, or inspiring books by contemporary authors like Ram Dass or Jack Kornfield. • Another suggestion from the yoga tradition for practicing svadhyaya is the chanting of sacred mantras. Reciting the sound OM with the intention to connect to our divine source cuts through mental chatter and opens a direct path to the heart.
[ 9 ] OM IS THE BOW; THE SOUL IS THE ARROW; BRAHMAN IS THE TARGET. MUNDAKA UPANISHAD ishvara pranidhana
Ishvara Pranidhana means devotion and surrender to the highest source. It’s the practice of setting a conscious intention to do our best, and accepting that even our best efforts don’t always achieve the desired result. Ishavara Pranidhana cultivates acceptance and peace.
Ways to Practice Ishvara Pranidhana • Dedicate your practice to the well being of all beings. The mantra lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu, om shanti shanti shantihi means “may all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may my thoughts, words and actions contribute to peace everywhere”. • In your meditation, practice acceptance of everything that’s happening in the moment — the thoughts that are arising, the sensations in the body, the sounds outside, etc. • Reflect on the things in your life that you would like to be different but are truly beyond your control to change, like the behaviour of a friend or family member. Practice letting go of the desire to change them, and cultivate a loving attitude of acceptance and compassion for them.
[ 11 ] OPEN to the heart. LISTEN to the heart. TRUST in the heart. ACT from the heart. For more information & practice resources: medicinepathyoga.com
credits Typeset in Whitman, designed by Kent Lew, © 2004 Font Bureau Cover and interior images from Yoga: The Art of Transformation, Smithsonian Institute Image on p. 12 “mi corazon 2017”, by bedelgeuse.tumblr.com text & serpent logo ©2018 brian james / medicine path yoga