The Road Leads Both Ways
I am a JRR Tolkien tragic. I was a teenager the first time I read The Hobbit and have held Bilbo’s walking song close to my heart most of my life. It has given me a positive outlook when facing new experiences:
The Road goes ever on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
Yoga has opened another dimension to my life showing me how the road may lead in two directions, both without and within. Practicing mindfulness has led me toward new experiences and I have playfully made changes to the song which illustrate how yoga has opened new paths for me:
The Road goes ever on
Inward from the door where it began.
Now far within the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager mind,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths each other find,
WilI I meet my Self? I cannot say.
It’s an adventure to explore the Self and follow where that leads. Svadhyaya, or self study, is one of the Niyamas or personal observances of yoga. There are 5 Niyamas which make up one of the eight limbs of yoga; one of the spokes keeping the wheel moving smoothly around the axle.
The 5 Niyamas:
Sauca, cleanliness,
Santosha, contentment
Tapas, hard work, austerity, heat
Svadhyaya, self study, absorption in ancient wisdom.
Ishvara-Pranidhana, literally surrender to lord, also translated as devotion to highest Good.
Who knows where it may lead me….