Let us say he takes a different course of action. He spends the little
money he has saved on an evening course to improve his skills. Ethi
cally he strives to improve his relationship with his wife and children,
recognizing that whether the fault is his or not, the solution is in his
hands. This is a purifying process and one involving sustained personal
effort and sacrifice. He asks God from a humble heart to help him find
a better job and endure better the one he has. Nothing happens. Time
passes, the economy improves. His new skills are noticed as well as his
new maturity at work. He is promoted and has prospects. The strain
at horne is relieved at every level. This is not a fairy tale. Our man has
made valid connections, and he has shown patience and perseverance
(tapas), physical prowess (sakti), study (svadhyaya), intellectual skills
(yukti), and devotion (bhakti) in the chosen path. His outward change
of fortune expresses a powerful inner change. He has brought Nature
and Soul into closer harmony, and the result is what we call success
and happiness.
You may be surprised that I use such mundane examples in the
sarnadhi chapter, but do not forget that it is all the eight petals of yoga
that form the flower. Perhaps for the man above, his sarnadhi was a
worthwhile career and happy horne life. Equally, the highest practi
tioner who abandons the two petals of the ethical base will fall. So
many people approach spiritual growth as if it were a lottery. They
hope that some new book or new method, some new insight or teacher
will be the lottery ticket that allows them to experience enlightenment.
Yoga says no, the knowledge and the effort are all within you. It is as
simple and as difficult as learning to discipline our own minds and
hearts, our bodies and breath.
Sarnadhi is ultimately a gift from the divine, but how do we make
ourselves worthy to receive this gift? We must return to the subtle, but
also to the all-pervasive cosmic energy, breath, (prana). I have men
tioned that it is the first form to evolve from cosmic intelligence. The
term breath is inadequate to express its scope, its ability to act as the
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