Yogis seems to have this inner light that exudes out of them, filling up a room with serenity and understanding. The atmosphere changes and for a while, you too are changed.
Wouldn’t it be nice to hone some of that inner bliss for yourself? Here are some secrets that yogis do in order to maintain a blissful, enlightened state.1
Feel suffering when it occurs. Not hold onto things. Let go of the past. Compassion for others.
They Share Their Heart And Ignore The Naysayers
A popular Western yogi, Eoin Finn, who lives in the Pacific Northwest of North America is widely followed. He is a soul surfer, a triathlete, and an inspiring yoga teacher. His advice is this, “Follow your bliss.”
Eoin Finn further says, “I listened to Joseph Campbell’s interviews on PBS when I was still in high school and it allowed me to really tap into sharing a life where I shared what my heart wanted to bring into the world and silence all the ‘shoulds’ that society told me I had to live by.”2
They listen to their body and honor what it needs.
They Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
Quotes from one of the most well-known Eastern yogis T. Krishnamacharya teaches us that greed doesn’t bring happiness. Enough money to live should be enough. Krishnamacharya says this, “Why do we need money beyond a point? If we are free of ill health, enmity, and debt, is that not enough? Too much money only leads to less peace.”
They Are Kind To Others Around
Another quote of the great Indian yogi reminds us that dropping negative thoughts and actions can bring the kind of fulfillment we have always been seeking.3
“Rid your body of its impurities, let your speech be true and sweet, feel friendship for the world, and with humility seek wealth and knowledge.”
The deeply respected founder of Iyengar Yoga, Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar says this about giving to others and practicing kindness. “When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.”
They Accept That Life Is Impermanent
Perhaps one of the most destructive things we do as humans is live in fear. It causes us to act in certain ways so we can remain comfortable. Many believe the underlying fear is that we will eventually die. In the East philosophies where yoga resides, they are aware that death is imminent and see it in a different light than we in the West do.
Yogis like Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar teach about how nothing is a permanent fixture. When you really understand that, there is a certain freedom in knowing there is an expiry date for everything. Iyengar says this about accepting life at it’s most primal level, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”
They Are Early Risers
You might not think that waking up early is relevant to a blissful life experience. All yogis do this, so there’s got to be something to it. Perhaps it’s waking up with the sun and being awake when the day is most peaceful. It certainly gives you more time to seize the day so there is less stress to hurry and get things done.
Eion Finn has a morning routine that goes a little like this, “I wake up early usually around 5:30 a.m. I start with my unique concoction of matcha/spirulina tea with toast and almond butter. Then I usually respond to a few emails before enjoying a nice yoga practice that is anywhere from 45-60 minutes long. It’s always a race to fit it in before our two-and-a-half year old wakes up because when he does, it’s 100% playtime. If he wakes up before I finish, a lot of times we do yoga together and I even use him as a yoga prop to get deeper stretches. It’s a joy.”
The Eastern philosophy of yoga teaches that rising early (Brahmamuhurta-between 4 am-6 am) improves your life. It helps to destroy twin demons that exist and has been familiar to yogis as a spiritually elevated time of day. We are believed to be solar powered creatures in the Ayurvedic realm so going to bed early and waking up to greet the sun can change our lives.
They Resign Their Life To Whatever Will Be
In the West, a lot of us tend to fixate on controlling our lives. This may come from the inevitability of our death which we generally don’t want to think about. We plan everything down to the last detail and aim to be the best at whatever we do. When you ask a yogi, “Am I doing it right?”, you probably won’t get the answer you’re looking for. They might say something like, “Yoga is possible for anybody who really wants it. Yoga is universal. But don’t approach yoga with a business mind looking for worldly gain.”
This is a quote from Mysore Ashtanga Yoga Guru, Sri Pattabhi Jois describing what one should consider yoga to be and what it isn’t. Yoga and other activities in life are to honor the body, that the soul resides in.
Geeta Iyengar, daughter of the revered B.K.S. Iyengar says this, “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.”
They Practice Mindfulness
You may not realize but pretty much any problem that arises within you is due to your mind telling you it’s a problem.4 Stop and listen for a moment. Is your inner voice telling you that you can’t, that you’re not good enough? Is your mind working you up so you react to something instead of allowing the moment to be released? The psyche plays tricks on you and controls many of the things you do in your life. Any yogi will tell you that you need to learn to control the monkey mind in order to experience pure bliss and peace in your life.
Sri Aurobindo of Auroville fame says this, “The practice of Yoga brings us face to face with the extraordinary complexity of our own being.”
To be face to face in who you are is what mindfulness about. Who you are isn’t the voice in your mind that is dictating how you’ll deal with situations. Who you are is something much deeper than you know right now. The layers that have piled on to hide your true self can be removed through yoga and meditation. Yogis and gurus know this and it is a large part of why they’re so blissful and seem to illuminate a room.
B.K.S. Iyengar says this about being a truly healthy person in mind, body, and soul, “Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun.”
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