Chapter 20

The spiritual heart is always pure. There is a seat of sacredness deep within you that cannot be defiled by any action. Grace and beauty are within you. There is not one soul that lacks the spark of brilliance. But there are those who turn away from the light within. There are those of us who believe the lies told to us by our weakness and our doubt, that we are unworthy of love, that something we have done is unforgivable, that we have forever marred the innocence of spirit with the profanity of our experience. None of that is true. The innermost temple remains forever untouched. Turn towards the light and with a small step into the strength of who you truly are you will build the faith to complete the journey. The purity of your spirit is all the grace you need. You are cherished, so much more than you know. Peace and tranquility are yours. Miracles are happening all around you. Wake up to the truth of who you are and let that set you free. You don't need to struggle and try to be someone else. You have nothing to hide. You don't need to add anything to yourself. You just need to turn up and be 100% yourself. 

There is a reason why so many of us have a hesitancy to use the word "God" to describe the sense of the sacred in our lives. Linguistic form is always linked to culture, history, context. There are no words that can rightfully describe that which supersedes and precedes all language. All names are shorthand, sign posts. You're right when you feel that there is no name that can ever contain, express or fully communicate the grandness, purity, love, power and peace of God. According to traditional yoga philosophy only the holy sound OM comes remotely close. Yoga Sutra 1:27 says Tasya Vacakah Pranavah, OM is the sacred symbol for God, the truest name of God that we have. Think back to your first yoga class and remember the vibration of OM that touched your heart beyond thoughts and concepts. OM is the vibration of stillness that rings out from silence, the sound that echoes to the depths of the universe. The purity of its vibration can bring you into an experience of divine greatness. Your mind stills. Your heart opens. Your spirit sings. And the resonance opens a channel in to the direct experience of God. 

The only lasting thing in this world is the love we share. Love is a passage to an inner truth, a level of peace and being that is as close to the purity of spirit as you can be. Let love be your guiding principle in every moment. You might have to start with yourself. Love yourself enough to trust your value. Find your inner sanctuary and root your sense of identity deep down in the seat of imperturbable peace within.

Sometimes when I think about the amount of things that I normally do in a typical day at home it's kind of overwhelming. Here my biggest concern is where to go for breakfast, whether to have another chai, what time to wake up to get to practice in time. Getting caught up in drama is a waste of time wherever you are. Searching outside of yourself for something to fill up your heart is a dead end. Sometimes doing nothing brings you face to face with all the ways that you seek to fill up the emptiness inside of yourself. But that emptiness cannot ever be filled with anything you can find in this world. The only lasting thing in this world is the love we share. Love is a passage to an inner truth, a level of peace and being that is as close to the purity of spirit as you can be. Let love be your guiding principle in every moment. You might have to start with yourself. Love yourself enough to trust your value. Find your inner sanctuary and root your sense of identity deep down in the seat of imperturbable peace within. 

You are here for a reason. That reason may not always be evident to you, but trust that you are exactly where you need to be at this moment in time. We are all destined for greatness in our own ways. But maybe our greatness is more simple than we think it needs to be. Maybe our greatness is contained in a hug, a smile, a random act of kindness, a generous spirit and a forgiving heart. Maybe life is really all about love. Every moment is a chance to turn towards the light of life. This moment is here now and gone the next. This day is fleeting. Happiness is only temporary. Be vigilant against the voice that says it will always be here. Take nothing for granted. Every moment spent in love is grace. 

Goodness is action. Your heart is always evident in your actions. What you do, what you spend your time on show what you truly care about. There is a simple honesty in action. Activities are chosen based on priorities, conscious or subconscious. You can say you value something but it is how you truly spend your time that tells the story of what you value. Devote yourself to the thing you love the most. Let your actions tell the story of your heart's commitment.