Red Lotus Yoga

(This was written November 25th, 2009)

Dear Friends:

I just returned from NYC and while there attended a class taught by Dharma Mitra.

He is a well known yoga teacher and to some a living saint.

His knowledge, breadth of wisdom and chosen lifestyle make him a true yogi and an example to emulate.

So, here's the problem...I go there, I meet this man, read about him, watch his dvd and discourse on yoga ethics and I am totally blown away. He is the real deal. So now I want to be more like him, I want what he seems to have, I want his calm presence, peace of mind, and happiness....

My mind starts racing, I need to do this and I need to get rid of that and if I could just be near the Guru, then all will be well...then the self defeating talk comes in and I realize I'm not moving to NYC and I can't sell my car and walk to work, I can't live in a smaller home etc...

The key is in the regular practice, rather than extreme or radical life shifts.

All that stuff is just my ego playing a game telling me I will never get there and looking for all the obstacles in the way. There are no obstacles. Just choices. Do I need to move to NYC to be near the Guru. NO, I can watch his DVD, listen to his talks online, visit him a few times a year to study. Do I need to throw out all my stuff...NO, I can remove the excess in my life to make things more simple. Do I need to spend all my time trying to make money for the future...NO, I need to be more balanced with my time and spend some time earning money and spend time in meditation and practicing yoga.

Most of us do not need to live in a cave, give away all our possessions, meditate five hours a day and live off the good will of others.

Most of us do have excess we need to get rid of, live more modestly and meditate and do yoga/something physical daily over a long period of time with a good teacher.

True happiness will come to us all when we convince ourselves the ego desires of life are less important and more painful in the end. Ultimate happiness comes from things other than more house, more cars, more money and stuff.

Master Shanti Deva 750 A.D. "All the pain and suffering in the world, comes from trying to make ourselves happy. All the happiness in the world, comes from trying to make other people happy."

We can only see this kind of idea, realize it's power and act upon it when we have let go of many of our attachments and spent time meditating.

One great way to do this, is practice being grateful.

Every morning when you wake up and are still in bed think of three things for which you are grateful. Over time we begin to see the abundance in our lives and we start to need less, give more away and be much more content with what we have. Sometimes we are grateful for the little things, a warm bed, clothes and a roof over our head. It's more than many others have.

Namaste'

Brian