The yogis of ancient India that first put these teachings in writing around 6000 years ago (scholars can’t decide) began a cascade of timeless wisdom that describes how to find fulfilment in life.
A Yogi, or Yogini if you are a woman, is more than somebody that has mastered the art of Yoga. They actively engage in self-developmet and learn to master their emotions. More precisely, they maaster the art of life.
To be a yogi/yogini means more than engaging in the physical practice of yoga – the exercise is a means to helping your achieve greater things in life and lead a richer existence with more qualities, both internally and externally.
I am not a fully-fledged yogi, so cannot write this article from an established point-of-view, but I can explain the mantras involved for you to become a yogi. So if you are like me and want to improve the world around you, learn the lessons of the yogi and practice as often as you can.
After one month, I started to notice great changes. Several years later, I am a different person.
A mantra is an affirmation that helps the initiate to concentrate on a particular point of focus – so choose an intent, just one and stick with that until accomplished. It is, therefore, better to start small and start by improving yourself, such as ridding yourself of anger, anxiety or addictions.
The mantra you choose to repeat during meditation should relate to the goal you wish to achieve as if you have already achieved, therefore you speak in the present tense rather than the future tension. For example:
“I am calm and free from anger.”
“Money flows to me from multiple sources. I deserve to be rich. It is good, it is very good.”
“I am confident in myself, and in others and feel empowered every day.”
Your mantra can also be something you want to manifest in your life; either physically such as love or money, or spiritually, such as a better personality trait or a transformation of emotions that make you feel great instead of lethargic.
Some things will take time, so if you do not get immediate results you will probably give up on this entire episode and stop learning. Which will be to your detriment.
Other targets will happen much sooner. For example, identify a weakness in your character and vow to change it. Through mantras and meditation, you should be able to sense a change after three days.
So start by improving your character, because when you improve yourself, you improve your circumstances and your immediate environment.
Your purpose in life is to become master of your thoughts, emotions and actions – the magical triangle of manifestation. Whether you want to believe it or not, your mind has been programmed, usually in a negative way.
Once programmed it is easy to live life passively and carry out the same old habitual duties you have always done because you think that is the natural or right thing to do.
Self-development gives you the power to break out of this cycle. Essentially, you need to reprogram your mind. You can do that by repeating mantras during meditation, but essentially, you have to apply the mantra in real life, Actions change your energy, not mantras.
If you do not know how to meditate, simply repeat the mantra “I am master of myself” every day and dwell upon your thoughts. Just being still and contemplating is meditating.
Remember, the “I” is your awakened higher consciousness and everything that happens to you is a challenge you must overcome. There are lessons to learn at every phase of your life.
Science accepts that we radiate thought patterns that can affect the actions and thoughts of others around you. Think of it as sending and receiving radio signals or small particles of energy. You are probably already familiar with karma – the energy you end is the energy you receive.
Therefore commit this mantra to memory and repeat it daily: “I radiate thought waves of the kind I desire to receive from others.” Eventually, you will train your mind to think mostly positive thoughts and love and light.
Meditating whilst continuously repeating a mantra can strengthen the thought in your mind so that it eventually becomes habitual thinking to you. Mantras also help you recall to mind whatever it is you need to change during your self-development process.
This is a type of self-programming exercise. Therefore in order to strengthen the two exercises above and make your thoughts, actions and emotions stronger and positive, repeat the following mantra whilst meditating:
“Thought is a Living Force. I will use it wisely and well!”
As part of the collective consciousness, you have a responsibility to project positive energy into the world. If you know of anybody that needs positive energy or an injection of pure thought, direct positive thoughts towards them, either by affirming you want to bless them before you begin meditating and visualising them during the exercise.
There is an old yogic saying that goes: “Before the eyes can see, they must be incapable of tears. Before the ears can hear, it must have lost its sensitiveness. Before the voice can speak in the presence of the Masters, it must have lost the power to wound.”
When your eyes of incapable of tears, you lose sense of pride and are not hurt by unkind criticism or abuse, unfriendly gestures or life’s little annoyances and disappointments. Yogis have the power to rise above them.
You also come to appreciate that you should not aim spiteful or malicious abuse at others. However, a man in an advanced state of consciousness will recognise times when it is appropriate to say something to others which will not be pleasant to them. Under such circumstances, you should be empathetic and understand their point of view and feel their pain. Speak to them like a loving brother or sister and offer advice.
The ultimate rule of self-developemnt is to work together with the natural laws of nature. You are energy and energy works in accordance with unchangeable laws so it pays to know what the universal laws are. Until you pass these tests they will continue to repeat themselves and each time we fail the consequences are greater.
By successfully working in harmony with the laws of nature, you will grow emotionally and spiritually. The gift of hindsight enables us to see where we went wrong in the past. Being aware that life is a lesson, the initiate can better address challenges sooner and with a clarity of thought – even if the lesson is confusing at first, you will also work it out once you realise it is a test.
Anceint alchemy explains the art of self-development must include the triangle of manifestation; thoughts, emotions and actions.
Today this process is called it the “Law of Attraction” and whilst the title is not wrong per se, the superficial advice mainstream commentators want you to believe doesn’t always reveal the entire process. Furthermor3e, it seems as though most people use the Lawe of Attraction to accrus material gains rather than for self-development.
Yogis refer to the law of attraction by using the bodily functions that truly manifest things in your life in accordance with natural laws; head, heart, hands.
The heart is the ultimate vehicle of love, but our understanding of love is misguided. The type of love you need is not the basic need for physical love in a passionate or sentimental sense, but an understanding that your sympathy, compassion and kindness is required for the positive evolution of man.
The hand represents actions because without action nothing gets done thus your initial idea will not come to fruition. Sometimes you will be called upon to learn new skills, and the hand must be trained in order to become adept at fulfilling the requirements.
Your body is merely a vehicle for your soul – the “I” – to experience life on Earth. The real “I” is independent of the body, and is therefore capable of leaving the body. During meditation, practice mentally ignoring your body until you can awaken to a sense the “I” and experience the consciousness of your true nature.
To do this find a quiet place where you can silently meditate and empty your mind of all thought. Do not repeat a mantra, and when a thought comes into your head, become aware of the thought and cut it off at the source. Don’t complete the thought, try to not even start the thought.
The eight lessons of self-development mentioned above are not an exhaustive list. Nor should they be confused with the classic eight limbs of a yogi which incorporates all facets of life and have a deeper meaning.
For the purpose of self-development, the list above is a good place to start. At the very least least, learn how to incorporate the basic use of mediation and mantras to start creating a new you! It works.
