Why is yoga called the path of joy? Through the dedicated practice of yoga, one can find expanding, ever-new joy. A yogi turns from pursuing the objects of enjoyment to receiving the inner gift of transcendent, eternal joy. Discover the lasting joy to be found when the pursuit of external objects of enjoyment is abandoned.

Suffering and painful karmas often result when we allow ourselves to be complacent. Complacency weakens our momentum on the spiritual path. The remedy is to invoke the Divine Mother, the dynamic, nurturing energy of Spirit. Discover the strength, power and positive momentum that can come into your life through invoking and honoring Spirit as your Divine Mother.

Since it is not possible to rid oneself of ego, the false sense of self, allow it to be transformed into a devotee or child of God. Cultivate the realization that the ‘I’ within is the power of God manifesting in you. See how becoming aware of Source can bring more balance and ease into your life. Sri Ramakrishna:  Examine the sense of ‘I’ until you discover the true self, the Divine soul within.

We seek to open ourselves to an ongoing awareness of the true nature of reality. As manifested beings, we appear to be separate from our Source but, in reality, we are one. There is only one being, one existence — the ever-blessed, birthless, deathless Self. We are Spirit. Strive to realize this inner light and allow it to shine in your life.

Through dedicated yoga practice, especially wisdom (jnana) yoga, we can gradually discover our spiritual essence. One technique is to release all thoughts and feelings until we arrive at our spiritual core, the soul. Swami Vivekananda’s method of teaching jnana yoga was to start with soul — to focus on the desire to know the source of light and life within. So, how does one become aware of pure being?

In writing about jnana yoga, Swami Vivekananda explains that the Infinite Spirit is manifesting all the universe, including you and me. We are part of the vast Infinite Spirit. Vivekananda:  The Infinite Self is the real nature of every person. We struggle to manifest the Infinite Self in various ways. Ponder his teachings on how to find and manifest the real self. Learn how to release the tyranny of the mind and personality and enjoy absorption in Infinite Spirit.

The heart likes peace and quiet. Excessive excitability scatters the life force and places sudden demands on the heart.  You can help your heart become strong enough to deal with excitement while also allowing it to have peace and harmony. Discover the qigong practice of using color and sound to focus healing energy in the heart.

Qigong practices can help you deal with excessive emotions. Anger weakens the liver, causes the life force (Qi) to intensify, leading to muscular tension and liver problems. Acknowledging excessive emotions and dealing with them reduces our internal friction and resistance. Explore the qigong practice of counteracting anger by focusing life force in the area of the liver.