I am sending this email to you to inform you that I am back in Mumbai. How are you?
I fled from Bihar School of Yoga after 20 days of stay there. The changing extreme climate affected my health badly.
I had first a ligament tear while doing Seva(ashram work), and then suffered from continous loose-motions for 3 days. I had to call it quits to consult some doctor in Mumbai.
Though that was not the end of my pursuit of Yoga.
I had to take up Yoga as a single-minded goal to develop myself, not just the Asana and Pranayama (physical exercises), but the entire 8-fold path of Ashtanga Yoga, and am now a student of the same course at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai.
This is a one-year long course and is recognised by the University of Mumbai.
Also I am studying Sanskrit (you know Sanskrit, right?, I call it the “Latin of the East”). This will help me
decipher original Yoga scriptures of olden centuries.
I have benefitted from the Bihar School of Yoga in terms of Spirituality though, as I finally found my guru there. I also got my Mantra-Deeksha (a mantra given by the Guru for chanting). This is a powerful technique for self-progress in Hindu Spirituality. I wear Rudraksha beads now, given by my guru, and a pendant with a yantra (geometrical drawing depicting the Goddess).
I am happy to be back, as now I can take care of my mom and continue with my job at Jetking too while I study Yoga. That means I pursue Karma Yoga (Yoga of Duty) and at the same time Gyana Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge).
Noel, I don’t vouch to know the intentions of the waves of life that tosses us in different directions. Look at how magnificiently and secretively it has tossed me from the path I intended to take to a much more vigrant one!
I had planned to learn Italian by October. Yoga had become an excuse to be with you finally. It was a selfish objective.
But look at how Life chastised me!
It wants me now not just to swim in the ocean of Yoga, it wants me to dive deeper to search for pearls from the ocean floor and come out to share them with Humanity.
I can no longer keep my selfish goals in front of God and hope that He will allow me to pursue it. He wants me to pursue a purpose that is bigger… the purpose of every Hindu, that of progressing spiritually so as to be able to serve others.
I will learn Italian in the future, but only after I am able to learn Sanskrit.
And I will come to you some day, but only when it will fit into the wider scheme of things- not selfish, but in the interest of a wider purpose… that of helping fellow-human beings.
I love you,
Much Love
Suresh
