The essence of Yoga, as an understanding, is the recognition of the true nature of life as a timeless, inseparable, infinite, immersion in Consciousness. In this recognition, one sees the divine infused in every aspect of the universe, in every person, mountain, creature, and galaxy; every experience, season, generation and age. By this recognition, there is a natural outpouring of reverence and gratitude for all aspects of life. The lived expression of Yoga is at once prayerful and devotional and an absolute celebration of the Mystery of life.

In my exploration of spiritual practices, I have been compelled to investigate not just the blessings of the practices, but also the shadows. One aspect of the shadow side of Yoga, of this recognition, may include an attitude that hears the truth of this realization but then falls into lethargy about it. Years ago, a dear friend of mine who was also a spiritual seeker adopted the philosophy “I’m already divine, already enlightened, so what does it matter if I smoke, drink, eat candy bars, sleep the day away and so on.” While it’s true that we are already divine and that that divinity can not be diminished by the tragedies or mistakes of your(delete) life, nor does it need to be amplified by your achievements, insights and successes, using this truth to justify laziness, apathy or addiction, or to write off the behavior of others, is a sad and misinterpreted understanding of Yoga.

On the one hand, many people are relieved to accept a truth that lets them off the hook of doing deeper personal investigation. If everything made manifest in the universe is divine, after all, then, like my friend, aren’t you liberated from personal responsibility? No. In fact, your sense of responsibility increases. Consider that when we really see the actualization of Yoga, when we see that we, and all of life, are an expression of that immense and sacred force that we may call Consciousness, God, the Mystery, the Divine, there is a sudden and palpable sense of intimacy with the world. We actually become much more sensitive and responsible to all of our thoughts and actions.

On the other hand, for some people there is great anxiety in hearing Yoga tell us that we are already immersed in the immediacy of God, that we are whole and divine just as we are here and now. How can this be true, after all, when there is so much unskillful action in the world? The fear that arises for some springs from a deep-seated belief that one is not now whole, has not yet made oneself holy, can not yet be enlightened because angry thoughts still arise, can not be at the pinnacle of Yoga because they are not living in blissful glee every moment. The trouble here is that there is always something else that has to be done on the long list of To Do’s for self-improvement. (Couldn’t we all floss more, eat more Brussels sprouts and practice more meditation?) Every one of these To Do’s becomes a postponement of living in Yoga here and now.

When we come to understand ourselves as manifestations of God, as waves in the immense ocean of divinity, then we can ride the currents of our personal work with much greater affection, skillfulness and perspective. Then, when a wave of angry thoughts arises, we don?t have to exile ourselves from God, from the sacred; instead we can use the vastness of our innate Divinity to compassionately handle the storms that rise and pass through the ocean. After all, an angry current is much easier to work with in the vastness of the ocean than the smallness of our bathtub!

Fortunately for the part of our minds that are tempted to hijack the truth for co-opting to fit our habits and agendas, the path of Yoga comes with a tool kit! As a practice, Yoga is the art of finely tuned awareness. The tools of the practice include the ‘eight limbs’ of yoga, the yamas and niyamas (codes of conduct), asana (physical poses), pranayama (breath practice), pratyahara (inward turning of the senses), dhyana (concentration), dharana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption). It is a practice of discipline (tapas), self-study (svhadyaya) and surrender (isvari-pranidhana). These tools and practices are used to keep the instrument of our awareness in tune, as any musical instrument needs subtle tuning from time to time. These tools do not make the divine more divine. But they make it easier to sustain awareness of the divine and easier to hear its music playing through the instrument of your life.

The ‘art of finely tuned awareness’ becomes a loving internal guidance, like the silver of the flute through which the music is played. The more sensitive our awareness becomes, the more skillful we will be in recognizing our habitual fears, postponements and behaviors disguising themselves as the truth.

Just when I decide that I haven’t done enough backbends, (or I am applauding myself for three-dozen backbends!), the blessing of santosa says, ‘Be content! More backbends will not make you more divine.’ And when my hormone-driven chocolate cravings ask for ‘just one more!’ chocolate chip cookie (chocolate is divine, isn’t it?!), the loving guidance of tapas steps in. And when frustration surfaces during e-mail marathons, svhadyaya asks me to reflect, again, on my work habits. Are they really balanced?

In my own life, Yoga is the foundational awareness from which all of my thoughts, actions and inspirations spring forth. It shows up as moments of faith, fresh perspective and continual remembrance. It is the touchstone for my monkey mind and the clear reflectivity of my heart. It is also the time I spend on the mat practicing asana and fine-tuning my sensitivity and awareness to the world within and around me.