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The essence of the relationship between the Spiritual Guide and the aspirant can never be known only from the outside, because in fact it can never be an object of knowledge for those who are not ready to identify with that ineffable, mysterious state experienced by an aspirant on the spiritual path. It is also necessary to realize that this relationship is not a concept that we can understand only with our mind. Even if we can speak about this relationship between the Spiritual Guide and the aspirant, defining it in different ways (some of them very subtle), all these are only “marks” on the path each of us has to walk in this direction. Basically, all these are just impulses from the mind that appear within the spiritual practice (Sadhana).

Each time when we realize this we must feel the direct and character of&nbsp; the &ldquo;HERE &ldquo;and<br />
&ldquo;NOW&rdquo;. Acting in this way, we&rsquo;ll begin to realize that anywhere we go and in any chronological moment we found ourselves, we are FOREVER HERE AND NOW. Therefore, we&rsquo;ll understand that we have never been anywhere else but HERE and NOW. The clock will continue to tick in the monotone flow of the time, the Earth will continue to rotate around the Sun. With detachment, we let all the aspects of life to pass continuously caught in the torrential whirlpool of the sequential time. We always permanently remain conscious that we exist HERE and NOW.<br />
This represents a simple spiritual exercise, but incredibly effective, which is meant to move us deeper in the eternal present, there where truly EVERYTHING exists.

This meditation is a wonderful way to begin and end your day. As it has a deeply harmonizing and euphoric, relaxing effect, it helps us directly perceive the subjective nature of space and time.<br />
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By practicing this technique for 5-10 minutes daily for 14 days, the positive effects emerging will be the following: an increased feeling or inner welfare, an ocean-like and nuanced state of happiness. At the same time will feel light, imponderable, deeply centered and much balanced. During the higher stages of practice of this technique, the human being may reach the ecstatic state of cosmic consciousness (that yogis call SAMADHI).

I think nothing about yoga could be more sadly misunderstood than the principles of Yama and Niyama. As you may already know, according to an ancient and widely accepted system set down by the yogi Pantanjali, there are 8 &quot;limbs&quot; (astanga) of yoga, which are arranged in an order suggesting that they might be steps towards the ultimate goal of union with God. Considering that the translation of the sanskrit word &quot;yoga&quot; is &quot;union&quot;, that assumption seems reasonable. Problems arise however in the assumption that the beginning limbs/steps of yoga are more easily understood. They are certainly the most familiar concepts to us: the first limb being moral restrictions and the last limb being complete merger with God.

Yama and Niyama are often called &quot;the Ten Commandments of Yoga.&quot; Each one of these Five Don'ts (Yama) and Five Do's (Niyama) is a supporting, liberating Pillar of Yoga. Yama means self-restraint in the sense of self-mastery, or abstention, and consists of five elements. Niyama means observances, of which there are also five. Here is the complete list of these ten Pillars as given in Yoga Sutras 2:30,32: Ahimsa (non-violence, non-injury, harmlessness), Satya (truthfulness, honesty), Asteya (non-stealing, honesty, non-misappropriativeness), Brahmacharya (sexual continence in thought, word and deed as well as control of all the senses), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness, non-greed, non-selfishness, non-acquisitiveness), Shaucha (purity, cleanliness), Santosha (contentment, peacefulness), Tapas (austerity, practical spiritual discipline), Swadhyaya (introspective self-study, spiritual study), Ishwarapranidhana (offering of one's life to God).<br />
All of these deal with the innate powers of the human being-or rather with the abstinence and observance that will develop and release those powers to be used toward our spiritual perfection, to our self-realization and liberation.<br />
These ten restraints (yama) and observances (niyama) are not optional for the aspiring yogi-or for the most advanced yogi, either. Shankara states quite forcefully that &quot;following yama and niyama is the basic qualification to practice yoga.&quot;

Yama and Niyama are the do's and don'ts, or ethical disciplines, which have existed in the human race since the beginning of civilisations.&nbsp; Yama and Niyama are traditional whether one is from the civilisations of the East or the West.&nbsp; By following these traditional precepts, with are closely related in many ways to the Buddhist Eight Fold Path, we work towards individual development of the body, mind, and soul.<br />
Yama is the foundation of yoga.&nbsp; It is the first step in the Eightfold Path of Patanjali.&nbsp; Yama tells us what to avoid doing because ti would do harm to the individual and that of society.&nbsp; The observance of yama disciplines the five organs of action which are the arms, the legs, mouth, the organs of regeneration, and the organs of excretion. <br />
Niyama is religious observance.&nbsp; It is the second step in the path of the Eightfold Path of Patanjali.&nbsp; The five principles of Niyama control the organs of perception, which are the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue and the skin.&nbsp; It consists of purity, both internal and external (Shaucha), contentment (Santosha), the practice of austerity (Tapas), the study and learning of religious books (Svadhyaya), and self-surrender to God (Atamivedana).

The genuine yoga tradition unveils a completely different approach in love and sexuality, highly more positive and plenary, unlike the confused and grotesque vision proper to most of the western people, either intoxicated or improperly educated.<br />
The ancient philosophies acknowledged that the high pleasure shared between the two lovers in continent lovemaking, if wisely refined and controlled is a powerful means of consciousness broadening, bound to enforce spiritual evolution to each of them. The ancient world&rsquo;s Chinese very well knew that and used to practice it just like other eastern peoples, including the Indian Tantra followers as well.<br />
There are countless temples adorned with erotic sculptures of exquisite beauty, in India, China, Japan, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, etc.&nbsp; There are many religious and spiritual symbols in the East bearing an erotic connotation: the famous Shiva Lingam or the statues representing couples in intimate fusion, just to quote the best known.

1. Give yourself occasionally time to pray to God, because this will grant you an invulnerable force on Earth.<br />
2. Give yourself the time to love endlessly because this always grants a superior sense of your existence on Earth.<br />
3. Give yourself the time to be good, both with others and with yourself because this is the regal path which helps you to be happy, because those who do good, find good.<br />
4. Give yourself the time to discover as quickly as possible God in yourself, because this allows you to discover what the ultimate significance of your existence is.<br />
5. Give yourself the time to work full of enthusiasm, because this causes to appear the price of success.<br />
6. Give yourself the time to give to the others all that is good, beautiful and wonderful because the life of everyone amongst us is much too short to live selfishly.<br />
7. Give yourself the time to make yourself true friends, because this is one of the roads that lead to happiness.<br />
8. Give yourself the time to think beneficially and optimistically, because this is the source of all the harmonious actions which are accomplished in unison with the divine law of nature.<br />
9. Give yourself the time to read sacred and divinely inspired works, which form the age-old tradition of wisdom, because this will lead you to the undying spring of wisdom.<br />
10. Give yourself the time to laugh, because alongside the fact that laughing is healthy, it also represents the mysterious music of the soul.<br />
11. Give yourself the time to play just like children full of spontaneity and innocence, because this is one of the secrets of eternal youth.

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SPIRITUAL MESSAGES: A First Timer's Visit to an Ashram - Acting in Gratitude - Dispelling Illusions On the Path - Growing into Light - Healing and Relaxation - Hidden Messages of Hatha Yoga - Hidden Language of the Mountain - Light, Mind &amp; Video - On Health and Healing - The Path to Divine Light - The Power Within - The Practice of Dream Yoga - Sacred Dance - Women and Spiritual Leadership - Yoga, A Way to Make Changes