Learning to “Just Be”

Has the idea of newness and the illusion of another year passed been enough to move us out of the habits we have built from two, five or thirty years back? Has one minute to midnight and one minute after made any difference yet? Through the philosophy and science of Yoga and Ayurveda we learn that body and mind need to work in unison for real ever lasting change to take place, otherwise one or the other will not function properly and the ‘new change’ will not last past the first hour. In simple terms, if the mind is thinking, “thank god the year is over and I can start over again,” while you are still drinking, eating, talking and thinking in excess, then change might not be real or even have a chance to start.

A few weeks ago, while on a 26-hour train journey from Haridwar to Benares, India, I met a Swami from the Osho foundation. As we attempted to charge our cell phones at the end of the carriage with 50 other people (as you do on an Indian train ride) we got into a conversation about the path of life. After mentioning that I thought Osho was about philosophy, I was promptly informed that Osho teaches us (in the words of the Swami) ‘just to be,’ among other things. I listened to Swami Mundi discuss this subject and other Yogic ideas for about an hour. He posed this question: Why not try to ‘just be’ instead of always trying to be better or worse, religious or political, good or bad? In other words, why pick sides? ‘Don’t be anything, just be.’ It has a nice ring to it, but one could also suggest that anything that sounds so easy or effortless may not be worth doing.

Then on my return to England, I chatted with a friend about what Yogic philosophy teaches us about material and mundane daily living (sex, food, sleep and self preservation). We discussed how most people in their daily life only focus on these denser material actions and thoughts without ever moving on to any higher plane. “This is where Yogic teachings say our troubles start and we get stuck in life,” I shared.

“So why has God put us into a physical body if we are not supposed to eat, sleep and sex our way through life?” My friend interjected. Good point. If the creator of all wanted us to ‘just do it’ all again and again, then why were the Yogis and Gurus from ages passed teaching us to go beyond this denser level? Even after mentioning this conversation about food, sex and sleep in the car ride with my parents, my dad quickly asked, “why is there anything else?” Good thing he’s not anyone’s Guru or we could see a new type of Ashram popping up!

There are many levels of existence beyond the one we experience on a day-to-day basis and the Yogic practices elevate us there voluntarily. If we choose to elevate to a more aware consciousness we are less likely to desire the level of senses and material gratification that are temporary. From a greater conscious intellect we start to control our desires and a genuine feeling of contentment comes over us. A major reason for your unhappiness may be that you rarely experience these other levels of awareness and clarity, which are your natural nature. When we mainly operate from the mind and sense level we are very vulnerable to every little movement of the senses, which are being over stimulated by the outer and our inner environment. This activity keeps our mind focused on outer sense gratifications and not inner awareness.

I first started practicing the Yogic path at the age of 19 by giving up something each year that I considered unhealthy and exchanging it for another healthy habit. Hence two things changed each time and I could manage these two alterations in my busy schedule without having to disrupt my daily life. These were small changes like avoiding fried foods, then seafood, then meat, and finally artificial processed foods from cans and prepackaged foods. Within a few years, I had given up a hand full of different ‘bad’ habits, which gave me the ground work to have the will power and mental strength to tackle more difficult habits. Next came stopping smoking, alcohol, processed sugars as well as not eating late at night, eating only twice a day and only drinking water and herbal teas.

As I practiced more yoga and learned about the ayurvedic daily practices (dinacharya), I built up the discipline to start fasting regularly (once or twice a month), going to bed early, rising early and editing out of my life certain tv shows, entertainment or even people who were a distraction on my healthy path. After beginning this path more than 20 years ago, my lifestyle and habits may on the surface be deemed as extreme and far from how most people live their life, but I have built this up gradually and you can too. Through action and practice on a daily basis ever lasting change manifests and roots.

If pollution, disease, and the abuse of living creatures and land did not exist, people may not contemplate the practice of just ‘being.’ But as we see, feel and are personally affected by suffering on some level or another we can safely conclude that change is necessary on the physical, mental and especially on the spiritual level. The goal of this way of living is not to live longer, but to be able to grow and prosper physically, mentally and spiritually so the body is healthy and flexible, the mind is peaceful and content and the spirit is guiding us along our spiritual path as we work and know our purpose in this life.