I AM A YOGA INSTRUCTOR

As Yoga continued to be refined, developed, and studied, it became more diverse in the types and philosophies of the practice. As a result, Yoga developed three and then four main paths of practice: Karma Yoga (selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Raja Yoga (meditation), and Jnana Yoga (self-inquiry).

Jnana (wisdom or knowledge) is considered the most difficult of the four paths of Yoga. Nevertheless, when I consider all the previous paths I have taken, the teachers and teachings I have encountered, and what has always ignited my passion, Jnana Yoga was the only path for me. 

What is Jnana Yoga?

Jnana is Sanskrit for "knowledge or wisdom." Jnana Yoga is the path of attaining knowledge of the true nature of reality through the practice of self-inquiry, contemplation, and meditation.

HOW JNANA YOGA WORKS

The mind is one of the most powerful tools we have. The mind allows us to plan, conceptualize, and extract meaning. The mind gives us incredible power and control in our universe - the James Webb telescope, man on the moon, RNA vaccines, cell phones, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, Starbucks, Amazon – incredible what minds can do.

The predicament, the mind is only designed to think "about" things. So the mind automatically puts you in a relationship of subject to object. An instant duality. A "me" over here and a "you, it or them" over there. But Jnana Yoga transmutes this thinking from subject-object to subject to subject – where you become the subject.

In Jnana Yoga, you use the mind to beat the mind. In Jnana Yoga, the mind inquiries into its intrinsic nature. A consciousness flashlight is shining back on itself, not on something or someone else.

Jnana Yoga uses the mind to go further than the mind has conceived itself to be. And what is it you find when you go beyond the edge of your mind?

You go from the rational mind to the intuitive mind, where the mind knows and understands the true Self. Where higher wisdom lives and spirituality exists. The mind becomes part, not the whole, of you. You have a mind; the mind does not have you. The mind no longer entraps you.

The fundamental goal of Jnana Yoga is to be liberated from self-limiting thoughts and perceptions and to achieve union with your inner Self. And yes, there is an inner Self. The inner Self gets uncovered by Self-inquiry, which leads to unmasked Self-discovery.

In our own Western and linguistic-based version of Jnana Yoga, the Yoga I practice and teach is very much a part of being an elder. Elders become adept at Self-inquiry and learn to tune down and sometimes turn off their default minds.

THE APPLICATION OF JNANA YOGA

For my clients, Jnana Yoga works well for those with a strong scholastic, scientific and professional background, high achievers, quick thinkers, and constant learners.

Professionals who have used their minds to achieve outstanding career success. But their minds as constituted cannot effectively preempt the inevitable issues and suffering of departing from a long and successful professional career and the unavoidable realization they have passed the threshold from middle age to late age.

Successful minds are highly developed to win in their chosen vocation. Strong strategists. Effective tacticians. Rational yet visionary. But regrettably, these minds also have become adept at self-deception and inauthenticity, significant barriers to becoming an elder.

These minds that made them successful are woefully insufficient to deal with the unavoidable stage of a departed career professional and the inevitable oncoming issues of getting older. The inevitable stage of “loss and lost" awaits them around the corner.

• Loss of routine
• Loss of identity
• Loss of relationships
• Loss of their sense of purpose
• Loss of power
• Divorce, Depression, and Decline (physical and mental)
• Fear, Alienation, and Resignation

Applying Jnana Yoga enables clients to use their minds to overcome how their minds deal with late-life's various and invariant issues and the end of the Self as they have always known it to be. 

IN CONCLUSION

So, yes, I can call myself a Yoga instructor because I work with clients in Jnana Yoga to use their minds to beat their minds. It is developing a mind that allows late aging, that last third of life, to be noteworthy, highly productive, fulfilling years.

If you are interested in doing a bit of Jnana Yoga, here's a koan to begin your lesson – "Who am I that getting older is?"

Instructions – Do not rearrange the words in this question. Consider what this question is really asking you to look at.

THE CONTEMPORARY ELDER RETREAT

We will be having all four forms of Yoga delivered at the retreat - Karma Yoga (selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Raja Yoga (meditation), and Jnana Yoga (self-inquiry). 

The combination is strongly synergistic for elder development. Jnana Yoga is more powerful when interwoven with the other forms of Yoga. You can’t get to your higher purpose without all four being present.

Also, Red Mountain Lodge let us know an additional hotel room has opened and can be made available for another retreat participant. It is a time-limited offer that will close on August 11th. If you have an interest in this retreat or know someone who might, please have them go to the Website to check out the Retreat www.requestingwisdom.com

It appears to me that making eldering more available in the world is a worthy mission, for an elder can directly help people solve their difficulties. And today, life is complicated, complex, and very difficult.