A Yoga Christmas meditation

The practice of yoga and meditation is so simple that we can’t see it, and, therefore, it becomes difficult, and its goal (whatever that is) remains elusive. Yoga is so close that we can’t feel it. Yoga is so near that we can never seem to arrive at it. Yoga is so intimate that we can’t even know it.

If a movie were our thinking mind that believed itself to be “me,” then yoga would be the wide screen upon which the mind projects its images and thoughts. The mind would believe the movie was real and would fear the future when the projector might stop. But the screen...whether the projector of light and shadow was on or off, would still be.

If our mind was a room full of thought funiture that came in one door and left through another, marching like a parade from the past to the future, yoga would be the space in the room that contained these thoughts. Thought (which is about me) would fear that if it stopped parading through the room, it would cease to exist. But the space would always be, whether thought moved or not.

We believe that we are the “thought of me,” with all our personal history and story of what should be. But what thought can never know is the background of consciousness that enlightens our thought. Our mind cannot turn and look at the source of the mind, anymore than the eye can turn and look at itself, or the movie projector can see its own bulb.

We mistakenly believe that the foreground of the mind, the thoughts moving like a train of ants across our consciousness, is who we are. But thoughts are just little patterns of energy that we give our identity to and name “Me.” We are so much larger then ants.

The ego is like a candle believing it is the sun. If the candle could only blow itself out, it would be the sun. But a candle by itself cannot blow itself out. Only grace can provide the breeze that makes the candle flicker.

Yoga is that breeze some call grace, and the practice of meditation is awakening to the knowledge that we are not the candle. Only the sun can realize that it is not the candle, and it is from our own sun that we receive the grace to remember that. Only the sun can awaken to its own light. Only the sun wants to practice yoga. But, oh, how the candle resists going into that light.

The practice of yoga and meditation is allowing our deep still background of consciousness, the formless source of our being, to rise up like the dawn. The practice of meditation is that in-between stage that pauses breathless in the space separating the night from the day, when the moon—our ego thought of me—slowly gives way to the sun.

******************************************
As we move deeper into the holiday season, getting closer and closer to that “silent night,” let us remember that our real movement in yoga is towards the silent night within. Whatever joy and peace we experience during this season rises from that interior holy night, which is the Self that dwells within each of us. Christmas is the awakening of that divine Child, that light of pure consciousness, that only comes to the virgin (meditative) mind.

So as we get wrapped up in all the plans and the party of Christmas, let our remembrance be to never take the packaging too seriously, because the gift we are hoping for will only come from within.

Thank you,
Om Peace
Ed Conley

12/12/06

contact me