Soul Exercises

It has been an incredible six weeks. Lofted in the cradle of the green covered mountains of the Nilgiris, the serene setting of the Ayurveda Yoga Retreat gave us the time we needed to learn, reflect and Soul search – and also plenty of reasons to stay away from the computer and hence no more postings until now. We spent the six weeks pursuing our Soulful education in the finer points of Patanjali’s Astanga yoga – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi – or Social Discipline, Self-Discipline, Postures, Breath Control, Sense Control, Concentration, Meditation and Self-Realization.

I can reflect now on the process that we went through in the six week duration, coming in tired, confused and a bit lost on a worldly path. The first week was recovery, and fascination at the clairvoyant truths that rang out from our learnings; the second, frustration and confusion as to the seemingly immovable rules and regulations that we had once again run up against; the third, resignation to our task of completing our education with excellence; the fourth, more exhaustion as the tests to the body, mind and Soul intensified; the fifth, restlessness as we wait to launch the next part of our journey; the sixth, release into the successful completion and recognition of the beauty of the gift we have been given.

As time passes from our departure from the misty green mountain serenity, the epiphanies have returned with the same vigor and valor of times gone by – when life was more about learning for meaning than for progress. As we indulge in a couple of forbidden goods of our education – such as coffee, beer and wine – we hang on warmly to the fruits of our labor as a renewed guide. What the yoga has been able to do for us is to reignite the desire for Soulful understanding that we had lost to our more daily pursuits of patient care and business plans, which began to lose their value as we lost sight of our value in ourselves. And now as we regain our Souls’ grounding the joy of the moment shines through and the next day’s direction becomes more apparent.

In a time when our lifestyles are falling apart, yoga provides a framework for declaring a new way of living ~ in essence, the goal of Soul Entreprise as it continues to materialize – providing elements for a holistic way of living.

In conclusion for this post from Pondicherry, let this be the beginning of our conversation about the needs of the world moving forward – what are our challenges, where are we going, and what can we do to redefine the basis from which value is derived in our worlds. To everyone that we have met so far on our travels, and anyone who may chance upon this record in their metaphysical meanderings, please join us in this conversation for change.

Entrepreneurs of the Soul – Lynn & Amie