Yoga as Observed in the Natural World

In the very beginning of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali says, "Ata Yoga Nusananum" or "Now is the yoga as I have observed it in the natural world.

Yoga is happening all around us all of the time and it has always been that way. If we can see this level of existence, we must have mental imprints that allow our minds to see it. Our mental imprints come from our karma. Karma is the cause to the effect that we see. We think the world is happening outside of us but really we are creating our own world by the actions that we take.

I love to use the metaphor of the NFL to illustrate the effects of karma. The Steelers are my favorite team but it's not because I lived in Pittsburgh for a long period of time. It's because their mental imprints match my mental imprints. I'm attracted to something that I call "Steeler Diplomacy". The Steelers treat other people and teams well. They are nice and humble but also intelligent and skilled. Their collective mental imprints have flowered into wins over their last three opponents: the Patriots, the Cowboys, and the Ravens. Some of these teams contain players with more skill than the Steelers but, karmically, the Steelers' generous actions are seen in the physical world as amazing wins in the most unusual of situations.

During the Patriots game the ball slipped out of the Patriot's hands but not out of the Steelers' hands. The rain was the same for both teams, but the difference was their diligence and humbleness in the face of the Patriots' rudeness and nastiness from over the past 11 meetings. Divine Mother allowed the Steelers to have the weather conditions as a gift but the Divine Mother allowed the weather conditions to act as a learning experience for the Patriots.

In the games with the Cowboys and the Ravens, yoga of the natural world came in again to aid the Steelers, giving them wins with no time left on the clock for the opposing teams to counter their efforts. The natural element of time aided the Steelers and the element of time hindered the Cowboys and the Ravens. This is all due to karma, causation from our past actions.

All generosity , hard work, and love between members of the Steelers have reached a certain level of karmic maturity and have flowered into wins at times when statistics say that they can't win. "Facts" like having never beaten the Patriots in 11 meetings or having never beaten the Ravens at Baltimore since 2002, don't matter. The past does not matter because we create our futures by our actions in the present. At some future time, the imprints of our actions will flower and produce great fruits.

This is understanding the way of karma: to give first what you would like to receive at some future time. Not taking first but giving first. Now.

This is yoga as observed in the natural world.