Posted By Hargobind on June 6, 2010
I recently had the good fortune of getting to house sit for a friend who was out of town for a few weeks. This has been especially nice since it has given me a sense of “home” for a bit, a place to recharge my batteries and take care of all those minor things that are hard to deal with while traveling so much.
Getting to spend some time alone is great for the soul when you create the intention of using the time to take care of yourself. I’ve spent a lot of quiet time doing yoga and meditating, taking walks in nature, and soaking in nearby hot springs. It’s so easy when traveling to focus your awareness on the outside world and neglect the inner being. So these activities have brought my attention back to the “self” where I’m now getting to feel all the tiny (or large) pains and imbalances in my physical body and stretch or heal them, hear the subtle voice of the heart and give it the attention it needs, and have time to reflect and integrate on all the recent changes (growth) in my life during the last few months of my travels.
Every day I’ve been reading or listening to the Sikh prayer of Japji: The Song of the Soul. This poem was written by Guru Nanak Dev, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, and encompasses his entire philosophy and teachings. More than any other thing that I’ve been doing lately, these daily recitations have brought a deep sense of peace, calm and sweetness to my life, and is perhaps the most significant inspiration for my recent desire to do yoga and meditation again (something I’ve been resisting for a very long time).
Listen to Japji Sahib by Chardhi Kala Jatha (19:47 minutes)
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Japji Sahib opens with a hymn called the Mool Mantra which is said to be the first composition uttered by Guru Nanak Dev upon enlightenment at the age of about 30. This hymn perfectly describes the infinite nature of God which exists beyond time and space and transcends any religious association (or perhaps is universal to all religions). SikhDharma.org has a brief description of the Mool Mantra with a line-by-line translation and various audio recordings, or you can also read a deeply philosophical breakdown of this hymn at SikhiWiki.org.
“Give because God gives to you. Love because that is your purpose in life. Shine because it is important. Share because it is demanded of you. How can you do it? In Japji, Guru Nanak gave you guidance, telling you the way he found liberation, ‘In the ambrosial hour, meditate on the True Identity. Your karma will be covered and you will see the door of liberation.’”
- Yogi Bhajan, May 2, 2000
Category: Journey |
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Tags: Sikh, soul, yoga and meditation
