Yoga believes that real happiness exists when we get rid of this need to be “special”. Have you ever noticed how nice it is to receive a compliment? And if we do something good, how do we expect others to recognize it? And when that doesn't happen, how frustrated do we feel? You can't stand still waiting for the world to discover all this wonder you are!
But what if you try to get rid of all your roles and get rid of all the judgments that those roles bring you? Your role in your family, in your work, in your core of friendships. Just be your essence, full of love and open to all experiences. There you don't have to be the best at anything, just be, you don't need to prove anything to anyone.
Then you discover that being special is a prison and to achieve freedom, Moksha, just be simple. And to be simple, you have to be present.
Okay, and how do I do that?
We call it Kleshas the forms of suffering that make us live this wheel of Sansara. There are five, and when you are stuck with any of them you cannot reach Moksha, which is the goal of every yogi.
The first is Avidya, ignorance. When the mind dominates, we live in Maya, illusion, failing to distinguish what is permanent and what is transient, bringing all other afflictions to the surface, the other Kleshas.
The second, Asmita, is this ego that I talked about above, an identity that we create, which is always trying to feel special and when that doesn't happen, it gets frustrated. Sometimes we are moved by this ego, that is, by the results of our actions. If we are successful, we become proud, otherwise our life collapses.
The third is called Raga, attachment, the need to possess things in order to obtain pleasure. It can also be linked to a person, a kind of obsession with someone. It's everything that attracts us, distracts us, that we use to protect our individual existence, it can be power, love, security, recognition. The danger is not identifying its transience.
Dvesha, translated as aversion, is the fourth Klesha. When we experience something the result of which is unwanted, our defense is to repel any possibility of reliving it and, thus, we block other opportunities for fear of repeating it. The fact that we do not let go of this past makes it even more present and makes us create prejudices.
The last is the fear of death, Abhinivesha, the attachment to life, which makes us fear the end of it. This topic only spirituality can help, believing that there is a greater purpose, thus, coming out of ignorance, Avidya!
So close your eyes and notice that you are not just this body, not just these thoughts, not just these emotions, get in touch with your essence.
OM day.
