On satsang and inquiry

Yoga does not ask us to be anything we are not, but invites us on an unrelenting journey deeper into the heart of who we really are. This journey takes courage, honesty and an ongoing interrogation of our presuppositions, a willingness to explore how our perspectives are tinted and veiled by our particular experiences. When we gather with others in a confidential satsang - one in which we can explore honestly in confidence, without being shackled by fear of ostracisation or hasty condemnation - this is one of the most potent ways to accelerate the yogic process of looking in ways that reach beyond our habitual ways of looking. During this episode, I suggest how terminology often gets laden with associations that can exacerbate feelings of distance and otherness. I give a couple of examples of how the same term can come with vastly different associations for different people, associations that might usher people away from the reality that they actually share a lot of common ground. I also talk about how even our small and humble efforts may make more difference than we might ever know, and share a story that reminds us to never give up.