Om Shanti.
Practicing stillness and silence is to develop faith in that practice,
Because when you practice being silent,
Still,
Calm,
Peaceful,
You're actually touching your own original energy,
Yourself.
And to begin to have faith in that energy.
That energy will give you everything.
So to have faith in that energy that is you,
Because everything you've ever wished for,
Everything you ever dream of,
Is possible through your own energy.
We live in this world and we become incredibly used to our identity as a human being.
We're very,
Very attached and we credit the outside world to be our saviors and something that will give us everything.
Whatever we get from out there,
It's very temporary.
And it's full of ups and downs.
One minute you're high and everybody thinks you're wonderful,
The next minute it's like,
So what happened?
There's so much competition,
But also we're looking at physical energy.
We're looking at the energy of the physical body and we know the physical body is not forever.
And the physical body gets weak,
Gets tired,
Becomes sick,
Grows old,
Gets sad,
Gets lonely.
It doesn't last forever.
And in Raja Yoga we say you take rebirth.
So you have a new birth and you start the process again.
So to begin with you may feel quite bright-eyed and full of energy and bushy-tailed.
However,
You have to practice and learn all your skills again for your new life.
But there's no guarantees in the physical world.
But actually there are guarantees about your own energy.
Your own energy is you,
It is real,
It is forever.
The first step in Raja Yoga meditation we practice being calm,
Being peaceful,
Being silent.
And that actually gives us an energy in front of our brain that's radiant.
It's the energy of peace and it's the energy of who I am.
And we're encouraged when we practice meditation to explore more.
What does it mean to be peaceful?
Is that it?
Is there more?
Peace is the foundation.
When you build a house you build a foundation.
You have to have a good foundation,
A strong foundation.
It takes a long time to lay the foundation.
I know because I helped to build a room for a house.
And I had to do all the cement and things and getting all the gravel and the bricks and things like that.
It's amazing how long it took to build the foundation.
And once the foundation is built you then can build something.
You have a design,
You do things,
What are you going to do with this?
What's the purpose of what you're building?
And then once it's built you then decorate it.
How will it look?
What will I do?
I'll just go and buy this and buy that and I'll make it.
What color will I make it?
How will I do this?
What's the latest things I can add to it to make it comfortable?
So it's the same with your energy.
Peace is your foundation.
Peace isn't the whole story.
Because if I get my foundation to be strong and I'm certain that I can be calm and steady and peaceful,
Relaxed.
If I practice this,
Which is the meditation part,
Then I find that I have a lightness,
A spirit.
Maybe more energy.
Maybe happier.
Maybe more courage.
Maybe more determined.
So these are all the strengths that go into the building.
And then the decoration of friendliness,
Happiness,
Cheerfulness,
Kindness.
So peace is your foundation.
And after that,
What am I going to do with that peace?
Because everything you ever wish to be is in your peace.
Your peace has all your qualities.
All your strength.
All your kindness.
All your hopes.
All your creativity.
All your skills of decoration.
But we're looking at decorating your character.
Making your character attractive,
Beautiful,
Sensible,
Stable,
Happy,
Resourceful,
Kindly,
Inclusive,
Helpful,
Cooperative.
That's Ras Yoga.
So first of all,
You can't go very far.
You can't build your building without your foundation.
It wouldn't work.
You could have as many ideas as you like,
But it wouldn't hold up without a strong foundation.
And when you have the strong foundation,
You'll start to feel like you're a master.
Like you're beginning to understand.
Like you know that you have those qualities.
Now you can really,
Really relax,
Practice,
Test it,
Look at,
Check out what you have.
Peaceful.
I am silence.
I am loving.
Cooperative.
Determined.
And I have courage.
And in our energy patterns,
We have great beauty.
Which means we can decorate to a high level of great beauty.
A soul.
Shanti.
Allow your breathing to settle into a gentle rhythm.
And now,
Let's take our awareness inside.
I become aware of my space inside.
Every atom is filled with space.
And yet at the heart is light.
And for a few moments,
I imagine that this body is a body of light and space.
I am a living light that illuminates this body.
The light of I the soul creates a body of light and space.
At my essence,
I am the purest essence of light.
A gentle light that is peaceful.
