integrity

                                    

integrity is the most important aspect

As someone whose Path is yoga, and who is a yoga teacher, I know that integrity is the most important attribute to have. If we have integrity, even when we make mistakes, it is way easier to deal with the after effects, and to be able to sleep with ourselves at night.

As a yoga teacher, over many years, I have seen some yoga teachers scrambling for fame and fortune, promoting truth and peace, yet ignoring integrity in their words and actions. Then, invariably, there is an outcome at some stage, whereby things just stop working out. Students leave, other yoga teachers keep away. It is so sad to see, as yoga is not supposed to be about fame, power, money.

sometimes we just have to 'let go' when things aren't right

Although I always knew that it was not good to base one’s life as a yoga teacher on these, it was not until I decided to keep away from dodgy “yogis”, stop doing public classes, disassociate myself from bad organisations, it was not until then that I, paradoxically, began to actually make decent money teaching yoga. So strange, as I had also decided to go back to my firm conviction that being a spiritual yoga teacher (which I am), is not about money, and I already knew that being a spiritual yoga teacher is not all about oneself. 

It was a big decision, as yoga was my livelihood. It still is. It was just amazing how, that big decision of integrity within teaching, changed my circumstances. I had always been conscientious about integrity, but that bit was clearly missing. And I was resolute about my decision. Ever since, I have constantly been turning down requests for me to take public classes and seminars for yoga groups. And it feels right to do so. I have “done my time” there with public classes and teaching seminars at this and that yoga gathering.

a turning point in my spirituality

Many years ago, when I was living in an Ashram, training and working hard, the spiritual energy was building up inside of myself, when I made a momentous conscious decision of integrity. I have never, ever, forgotten the exact moment, the exact time, exactly what was happening, when I made the best decision of my spiritual life: I decided to never, ever, go after power, nor to use it to get my own way nor to get what I wanted, nor to use it to benefit me in any way. NEVER!! EVER!! And I have resolutely stuck to this. (Luckily I wasn’t after power, fame, nor fortune, either)

Rather than talking “truths”, concepts, observances and conduct, rather than promoting peace, love (actually I write about all of these, so this is ironic!!!), to live with integrity is far more powerful spiritually. I know that when we live with integrity it is far more rewarding than fame, power, money. It feels better, Intuitively it feels better. It also feels better in our mind, in our heart, in our gut. These three aspects: mind, heart, gut, are so important for our psyche, and in yoga, we are dealing with our whole psyche. It is worthwhile to remember this.

integrity is the fast track

Integrity also accelerates our spirituality. It’s quite simple really: there is just more space for the spiritual energy to move around in and grow in intensity, and there are less mental/emotional blockages clogging our mental/emotional realm of our psyche, so our consciousness also has more room to grow and expand.

Food for thought.