Shiva is the God of Yoga. He once started to introduce the Yoga Lifestyle thousands of years ago in ancient India. He taught us how to liberate ourselves from earthly desires, materialism and egoism so that love can flow into our lives. When we become pure love and compassion we can reach perfect happiness and bliss: we melt into the Higher Energy. That is only possible when we become Him, because only particles of the same can melt into each other. Basically, the goal of our lives is to become pure loving creatures that shine a beautiful light of love, like God. Then we can merge into the Divine greater energy. Shiva destroys all negative, dark energy that becomes part of us during our lives. The anger, the fear, the materialism, the self doubt, the jalousie… everything that is the opposite of pure unconditional love has to leave.
Shiva is the God that is most admired in Hindu tradition. Although Brahma is the creator of everything alive and Vishnu is the protector of it: Shiva is the destroyer and most admired! Why? When you admire Shiva he comes to help you on this path of liberation or Moksha. If you imagine an image of Shiva during your meditation and you ask Him for help during this process, he definitely comes. Though, it is not an easy process. You have to be brutally honest with yourself: what are your negative patterns? Are you too much attached to a person or stuff? Do you have a deep desire? All has to go. You have to let go. Shiva likes that. He described in different Veda’s how we can enter this process with Jnana, Karma and Bhakti Yoga. With Jnana Yoga we become aware of our negative thoughts, patterns and habits. We need to look inside ourselves and look deeply and objectively. Then, when we discover those thoughts and patterns we can overcome them: only when you discover the dirt in your house, you can clean it. That is also the case with our being: we have to identify the negative to be able to shine a light on it.
It really helps to sing the Mahamrityunjaya mantra during the process of letting go of old patterns. You ask the great Shiv Shankar for help. When you broke through all these bad habits, this includes eating habits, you become light. That is why we have to eat light Sattvic food: that way we can become lighter persons. We get rid of all dark energy. Then… little by little, light and love enter your life automatically. And this light starts to clean you even more, this light is Shiva. It is the female loving part of him: the life giving force of Shakti. That is why Shiva and Shakti are often seen in one body: Ardhanariswara.
When light enters your life you start to have good habits and loving acts towards others with a great open heart filled with love and compassion: this is called Karma Yoga. You actually clean your karma by helping others. Bit by bit, your whole life is changing: the power of Shiva enters your life because you shine with the love of Shakti. His job is to let Her shine: he destroys the bad so that love can take over. He likes it when She shines. He gives you all kinds of beautiful things in life: you just have to notice them.
When you understand this and recognizes the power of love, you only want to serve ‘love’ more. That is Bhakti Yoga. You understand that love is binding us and we are all part of a great body of love. We are cells in the body of God like we have small cells in our bodies as well. The ego is killed. You feel that with loving actions God is acting through you. Because He is love. You are not the doer anymore. He is. Then Shiva’s job is done: you are part of God. You are God. You are.
This is yoga.
YOGA LIFESTYLE 