About the modern yogi
Rockstar-Pink Hair, tattoos and rocking a power suit with
sneakers. That’s the girl that commands the board room in a global financial
services company. Building friendships instead of networks, taking time to have
a conversation and help a colleague through a tough time at work or in their
private life, even at the cost of having to work later to meet the rolling
deadlines.
It is only now that I have fully realized that the lens, I
see my entire world view through, is “different”.
The Sanskrit word Yoga, has its root word as Yuj,
meaning to join or unite. From a ancient philosophy perspective, Yoga means a
lifestyle that joins Body, Mind and Intellect with the Soul (Atman). Thus, a
Yogi is one who practices a lifestyle of this union of Body, Mind and Soul.
A yogi is defined, per Merriam-webster as a person who practices yoga, an adherent
of Yoga philosophy or a markedly reflective or mystical person.
The four Yogas or pathways
to Self-Realization according to the ancient wisdom of the Vedas, is:
1. Hatha
Yoga (physical awkward poses and stretches that command your body to hold
discipline and thereby forces your mind to be focused on the moment. This is
the idea of yoga that the Western world has incorrectly characterized to be the
only meaning of Yoga).
2. Karma
Yoga (selfless action)
3. Bhakti
Yoga (Devotion and/or rituals)
4. Jnana
Yoga (The path of Knowledge)
Thus, an adherent of Yoga philosophy would be someone who
lives the above paths, one or all and someone who is reflective and mystical.
Now that I understand the packaging and structure, I
finally found the box I fit into, after all these years of not fitting it,
being a rebel, preferring books and my own company over social circles,
applying all these principles from ancient wisdom. My existential crisis has
been averted, after suffering for all these years.
I am a Yogi.
*
By no means did I wake up one
day, and proclaim myself a Yogi. No brothers and sisters, this was a 20-23-year
journey, that started when I was 7 years old...
My latest blogs
Playing the Game, Dynamically
“Success
is the unintended side-effect of one who dedicates himself to a cause greater
than self” – Viktor Frankl
As we venture into the new year, especially
the work year, with COVID in full force in its second peak (in most parts of
the world), it’s only natural that we are reminded how short life actually is
and prodded to really question how we spend our lives, especially the part that
is involved in work, earning a livelihood and ultimately our contribution to
society.
The Journey
to Yogi-ness (part 1/2)
“Impossible is
just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the
world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration.
It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is
nothing.” – Muhammad Ali
The Journey
to Yogi-ness (part 2/2): The Hamster Wheel
“Know thyself.” – Socrates