The Yogi

“You will find me

Sitting

Quietly, forcing myself still

Practicing

Patience as my bones begin to ache

Breathing

Slowing my manic heart,

Calm,

Letting go of the ropes that pulled me

Standing

Feeling my feet, firm on the ground

Crying,

Grateful to have found some peace,

Whispering—

I am here now

Bowing,

Say ‘Namaste’ to

The Yogi!”

If you meet a Yogi, you will know it. 

A Yogi is unidentified, always, living a thousand lives in one. He is not what you see. He is not what he has been. He is not what he has done. He is not what he seems. He himself is ignorant of his vastness, his timeless relation to the universe that resembles his interior self. It is not late until he will come face to face with the godliness that dwells within him.

A Yogi is never the same. Before he knows his true self and the purpose of his life, he exposes himself audaciously to almost everything that is unfolded before him, regardless of the consequences. This is the first identification of a true Yogi. As a child, he exhibits bits of a yogic attitude—sheer devotion to his duty, hunger for expansion, persistent attention to the world around him, cheerfulness, an empathetic heart and rootedness to the earth that shows in the environmental pursuits he enjoys, like gardening and trying to communicate with trees and animals. People adore him and look for reasons to be around him. There is not a human who meets him and shows dislike. Not one. It happens because knowingly or unknowingly, the Yogi develops qualities of a refined human being, obliterating the tamasic (pleasure-seeking) attitudes that every human is born with and carries all through his life. So being pure at heart, he vibrates with the positivity that draws all towards him. 

However, this is not all. A Yogi, being prone to alteration at the outset, might get caught in tamas once in a while. But that is possible only until he is unknown to his true nature. As mentioned earlier, he exposes himself unthinkably to every experience that unfolds regardless of the consequences. So for him, there is nothing as a good deed or a bad one. He simply plunges into it and sees what happens. Fear does not dare to wander around his life. He might get triggered by worldly pursuits of fame, love and carnal pleasures, nothing of which is ever a tough deal for him. With the ease that he obtains it all, the likelihood of being stuck with it increases manifold. To him, it is all a child’s play. And until the Yogi realizes who he is, he is considered a child himself. He remains so till the awareness happens. 

In the material world, the Yogi gets all that he wants. But that does not satisfy him the least bit. At a certain point in time, his worldly accomplishments even take the better of him and he starts living in a constant state of despair. Unlike others, he is unable to live with all of these. They begin to consume him from within, and he keeps wondering what the reason could be. The decline is unfathomable. The godliness within him ceases to grow. And he almost accepts his stagnation with resignation. 

In order to fill the void, he foolishly finds his savior in the reason behind his slow downfall—the worldly pursuits. Unable to find it aligned with his true nature, he welcomes more pain, frustration and agony in his life. His grip loosens and his own self starts slipping away. This is an unbearable pain. Acceptance is what he needs. 

A drug.

Acceptance is what becomes his craving. And he goes on begging people for it. As the time rolls by and his true identity fades away, bringing more distress, he does not even shy away from coming down to the streets. When people look at him, all they can think of is, a beggar is begging on the streets. They may show a moment of pity but soon, forget it, believing that is what he is destined for. Nobody knows who is behind the disguise. It takes a Yogi to identify one. 

The beggar is kicked and crushed by the people who find the good opportunity to express their superiority. And the beggar accepts it—no anger, no resentment, no hurt. 

My destiny, my Karma, he thinks. 

And they exploit him for their good and turn their back.

This is what happens when a Yogi decides to become a bhogi (pleasure-seeker). To his utter ignorance, his life slips downhill and only when he falls into the mud does he realize what he had been up to.

The realization hits him, hard. And regret, shame and self-hatred seize him for what seems forever. But the Yogi does not give up. He is not made to. He cannot live being what he is not. So he gets back up, dusts off and vows to shed all the negative, self-destructive beliefs that have formed a thick layer over his true identity.   

And the journey back home begins. 

When the Yogi takes the road home, the world gets in awe of him. There is something that forces them to. This is his charm, his charisma and the never-ceasing energy flowing through his veins. Ask those who have witnessed his yogic stature. They will tell you what he is capable of. 

The Yogi has no choice in reality. He is born to live for one idea and no matter his liking, he cannot take another road. He is not built for anything else. In the beginning, he opens himself to new experiences since that is his very nature. It makes him aware of the consequences of taking up a bhogi’s path—the path that is totally opposite to his true nature. The world walks that way but he cannot. He must go the other way. The world may be engrossed in worldly pleasures—women, money, fame, company, friendship, love and sex—but to him, it all reduces to nothingness in the end. Unlike others, he cannot engage with the world and be all okay. He has already been face to face with the consequences of choosing that road. He knows if he does, he will become a child again. He knows he will act stupidly. He knows he will hate himself and in turn, be hated by the people. He knows he will forget to laugh and in turn, to make people laugh. He knows he will never be able to find the joy in his duties. He knows he will become the object of ridicule. He knows he will have to expend his precious energy battling his own body and mind. And he knows he will lose himself in the end. 

This is what the Yogi sows when he decides to walk the world’s path.

As he realizes this and starts distinguishing between what he is built for and what not, he determines on always choosing the former. With this begins his sadhana. And then, there is no looking back. 

Say ‘Namaste’ to the Yogi!