Yoga is likely one of the oldest mystical practices in the world.  Western culture gives credit for its creation to the Great Sage Patanjali, aka: Yogindra.   Yogindra is credited as he was the first to put the teachings into written form even though what had been taught to him was from his teachers, and they had also been taught from their teachers, who had been taught by theirs and so on, dating as far back as 10,000 years before Christ.  

The principles within the full depth of Yoga is huge and includes such aspects as self-study, mind control, devotion, selfless service, purification by fire, surrendering self, Union with Pure Consciousness on many ascending levels and even eventually with the Godhead.  It is a complex journey along a path toward the Ultimate Union.  Western society's understanding of Yoga has separated some of these holy practices into smaller parts, the most popular being a form of exercise and meditation which misses the incredible depth of the true Yoga entirely.

From the book; Heavens and Hells of the Mind, by Imre Vallyon, 
          "There is a profound Mystery concerning Man, the human species     
           on this planet. The Spirit becomes veiled by the Soul, the Soul 
           becomes veiled by the personality, and the personality becomes 
           veiled by the physical body.  Thus it is that you, in your bodily self,  
           are not even a fragment of a fragment of Yourself."  
Vallyon explains the basics of Yoga, a highly complex and extensive practice, which has been dismantled over the centuries by misunderstanding societies.  By accepting only a small piece of the whole, such as the physical exercise aspect, serves to break apart the profound purpose of the entire practice which ultmately is Ascension.

Our true self, once fully realized is what I call a "Point of Light", a concentrated ray from the "Light of the Universe" existing here on this plane, complete with the ability to move, create, reason, procreate, choose, live and die.  We are always therefore connected to, and filled with, the Universal Light, call this God, Spirit or soul or whatever you like.  It is our experience here on this planet which maintains the distraction that keeps us away from this powerful gift and keeps us searching endlessly for something to fill the void we all feel inside.  

Sometimes we even think we know what the reason for the void is such as unworthiness, lack of confidence, lack or loss of love, failure, bits and pieces that are missing from our material world, and so on.  And what it really is, and always has been, is our disconnection to The Source Energy ...Spirit.  We disconnect by being distracted by life and by altering our vibration with negative and habitual patterns of personality that eventually we can no longer connect because our vibration is all wrong.

Yoga has always been there to help humans connect and reconnect with the Life-Giving Energy of The Source; Spirit.   And it was never intended to be "just an exercise or meditation program."  Understanding that ancients from over 10,000 years ago practiced Ascension is hope for the future as we now experience the Dawning of a New Age where our Spirits will evolve quickly and surely for the first time in human history.

Welcome aboard!  

Religion, God, Spirit and the like has been around since the beginning.  And it is fraught with an accumulation of jargon, doctrine, dogma, interpretation and most certainly fear.  How could such a wonderful concept as Spirit (aka God) become so heavy with such negative ideas?

Way back when...

Somehow we have always known we are more than just what we perceive; that there is a greater intelligence at work, a Higher Self or Consciousness, a God, if you will.  Wherever the ancients got this idea, the Source likely hasn't changed much from miracles, messages, supernatural phenomena, coincidence and even universal laws we don't quite under-stand yet.  Even so, there is one thing we seem to know for sure; the Source is real and has always been there.

What also has never changed is that humankind likes to study, categorize and interpret things we don't fully understand yet or that we want to understand more.  We love to pick something apart to see how it works, and also to learn how manipulate something so it works the way we want it to.  

Way back in human history, when the Bible was canonized for the Christian church, it was done more to "control the peasants" than to exemplify faith.  It is said that the church Clergy needed a powerful way to command respect and to create laws of for their society.  The leaders of the largest church, at that time Catholicism, began setting into play a doctrine that still stands today, well over 2,000 years later.  This doctrine included edicts about only men being allowed in the priesthood, women being banned from church on their menses in that it was an unholy time, to the ever-changing identity of Mary Magdalene who has risen from prostitute to saint over the centuries.

The church protected this doctrine with some very clear directives in that to change God's Word or what God (supposedly) had set into the Bible was not only a sin but in England until 1525, it was a crime.  Still the books of the Bible were translated many times and into many languages over the centuries, some with and some without the eyes or permission of the church.  Here is a brief history from Wikipedia:

1)  1400 BC came the Ten Commandments
2)  500 BC came the 39 Books of the Old Testament in Hebrew
3)  1st Century AD came the first Greek Bible with 27 Books of the New   
     Testament
4)  315 AD the first Canonized New Testament containing 27 Books by
      Bishop Alexandria, a Catholic Priest
5)  By 500 AD the Bible had been translated into over 500 languages
6)  995 AD was the first English translation
7)  1384 AD, John Wycliffe completed the first handwritten copy of all 80
      books.  He was an Oxford Professor, scholar & theologian

As you can see, there are many opportunities for a wide variety of perspectives, and the very act of translation itself was able to shape the text we have today.  More importantly however, the stories in the Bible had been written many times "before" the Bible was even produced (Lesson #2).  This raises the question about whether or not the stories in the Bible actually happened as many seem to believe, or if it's even necessary that they did in order for people to be able to find and connect with The Source, which is likely the true reason for the Bible in the first place.    

My journey has always been to question what society seems to accept so easily, and as a result, I have come to a new understanding of what Faith really is.  Hopefully the lessons herein will assist you in deciding for yourself about what is true for you. 

Many of us are blessed with a pet.  Macy Mae is mine.  Everyday she reminds me to "live in the moment" as she spends her day posing and prancing, rubbing against my leg to remind me it's time to eat or just climbing up on my lap to enjoy some time together.  She is an inspiration and a joy...all at once.

And she has taught me animals are as close to Spirit we can get in our busy lives.  Pets center us, keep us connected to the moment and remind us every minute that there's really nothing so important that we can't take time for them.

I have come to learn that life itself is the single biggest distraction that steals us away from Spirit.  We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, I believe, which creates the perfect environment for life to distract us from what I believe we've come here to remember: Spirit.

So, when you're uptight, angry, sad, worried, lonely, hurting or just plain sick and tired of being sick and tired, try connecting with an animal.  Watch their eyes, feel their tender little spirits as they respond to you honestly and without question.  Through their innocence and dedication to Spirit, let them help you reconnect too.  I believe they are here, all around us, to remind us just how simply close Spirit truly is.