Samadhi

The final limb of the eight limbs of yoga:
Samadhi: Bliss

All roads of the eight limbs lead to this point, the bliss state. Where pure joy and happiness and connection to the Divine happen. Where the ego is left behind with all of its ignorance (avidya) and we are aware of our True nature. The more we engage the practices of the eight limbs the sooner we get here to samadhi and find Self with a capital S.

This to you may seem impossible in this lifetime, with all the suffering we see around us, it is hard not to get caught up in the drama.

The eight limbs guides us to love. When we connect and surrender to the Divine, (isvara pranidhana) our souls awaken to love, everything becomes love, and life becomes joyful perfection rather than a game of survival. Fear, doubt, and uncertainty drop away and challenges become seen as lessons to expand our view.

I often joke, (me joke? 😝) that only a monk would have the time and effort to put into reaching samadhi. When all you have to do each day is meditate, you better be able to reach that state, am I right? But I have met people in my lifetime, average Jo’s who get it. They see everything as Divine, as love, and as a lesson, and they go with the flow when life throws them lemons (yes, even in the year of 2020). That is certainly how I aspire to be. I have a lot of wisdom to tap into in the time I have left on this earth and a lot more practice, that is certain.

So let’s consider how you can expand your love? How can you reflect on this years challenges as opportunities to learn? How can you recognize love abounds in all things and all people? How can you quit fighting ego and ignorance and surrender to the Divine?