How to Use Yoga to Solve Problems, Save Time & Save Money

Yoga has all kinds of esoteric benefits, and everyone knows it can make you more flexible, but did you know that yoga can actually help you save time, money and frustration? Defining the Problem The problem with trying to solve a problem is that we often created the problem in the first place with our own limited view of the world. The ancient saints and sages of yoga would tend to agree with Einstein, “Reality is merely an illusion, although a persistent one.” Most of us, however, can’t solve our problems because we are stuck in a state of mind that persists in judgment and delusion. The Opposite of Samadhi You could say, that as long as you are in a state opposite of Samadhi – the bliss-filled, all-knowing, peaceful state achieved by advanced yoga practitioners after years (or many lifetimes) of practice, then you are as far away from seeing all the possible solutions to your ‘problem’ as humanly possible. Being in a state of Samadhi, means that you are absolutely present in the moment at hand, without an opinion on the situation. You don’t judge one thing as being right and another wrong. You simply see what is without forming an emotional reaction. The veils of your own ignorance are then lifted, and a 1001 ways to change your destiny become apparent. Yogi Bhajan once said, “Real peace is always unshakable. . . Bliss is unchanged by gain or loss”, and while we perceive our ‘problems as some lack or frustration between what we have and what we want to get, a pure yogic state of mind shows us that we already have everything we need, right here, right now. Steps to Take If you think this is just too good to be true, I invite you to try the following tools to get closer to that blissful state of mind where you can see things more clearly: • Define the problem as you currently see it. Know that your ego is currently obstructing the very tools that will help you remove the perceived barriers from your life, but just accept that you are stuck and frustrated. • Find a quiet place where you can sit still and alone for several minutes, and perhaps even an hour. Take a few deep breaths. If you have to, write down the problem on a piece of paper and lay it before you. Sit with just the emotions associated to the issue without judgment – that means no guilt and no denial of any feelings that arise. • Invite your mind to rest in peace with things just as they are – how much resistance is there to that – and what would happen if you let go and just accepted reality as it is now? • Ask your calm, quiet, mind what one thing could you do right now to make a change in your perception in order to change your experience of reality. Try not to judge and let your creative mind offer solutions without letting the critic in you get in the way. Are the Russians Better at Using a Yogic Mind? There is a beautiful example of how hard we tend to make things for ourselves when we face a problem and attack it solely from an intellectual/emotional level. Many years ago NASA was trying to figure out how to help astronauts write in space. Ink won’t flow down with zero gravity the way it does on planet earth. After spending $12 million dollars of tax payer money and hiring Anderson Consulting, they were able to create a pen that writes upside down, in zero gravity, or even when its 300 degrees Celcius. What did our friends in Russia do? They decided to give the Russian astronauts pencils. When you are stuck with a problem, you may be focusing on the issue in a way that will eventually yield you a solution, but only with lots of heart-ache, time and money spent needlessly. Try sitting still for a moment. Use a yogic breath, and find a higher consciousness to solve the challenge. You could be spending $12 million (emotionally, spiritually, monetarily) on $2 problem.