A person’s soul is the metaphysical heart, the life-blood or the essence of that person. However you prefer to describe or think of it, there is one common belief. It is that the soul itself is non-quantifiable or intangible but is seen as an essential part of every human being.
If your mind, body and soul are not in perfect harmony, your life is likely to be, or seem to be, in turmoil. Until this imbalance is addressed, a person’s soul is not going to be able to reach the everlasting peace that is its ultimate destiny.
The key to achieving this peace is found through the teachings and disciplines of Yoga. Yoga coaches you through a journey of self-realization and how to unite your mind, body and soul. This is achieved using various postures, reciting mantras and meditation. The meditation focuses the mind and relaxes the body that ultimately enables you to examine your soul. Our eyes are said to be the mirror (or window) to our soul and continued meditation eventually allows us to see into this mirror (or window) and into our soul. We can then work on achieving our mind, body and soul balance by healing our soul. All believers in the existence of a universal soul are trying to achieve this. We are merely small parts of a far bigger universe. This universe has a soul that comprises the souls of all people who have achieved true enlightenment and reached Maha Nirvana. Through yoga you can strive for inner peace and serenity with the ultimate goal of reaching Maha Nirvana.
Maha Nirvana, or enlightenment, is the true salvation where your soul is freed from being subjected to further bodily incarnations and it finally becomes an eternal part of the universal soul. Our bodies are the physical manifestation of this cosmic energy and our minds are its intelligence. We should always use both to ultimately benefit the Universal soul and not to harm it. Our bodies and minds should be kept as healthy as possible through yoga exercises and other beneficial means. This will enable us to concentrate on the cleansing of our souls and reaching Maha Nirvana. Of course, the link between a healthy body and a healthy mind has long been recognized. If you firmly believe that they are intrinsically connected then it is not unreasonable to take that a step further and link the workings of a person’s body and their state of mind with the level of enlightenment that their soul has reached.
Our emotions are often associated with our state of mind. If our souls are to join the Universal soul after achieving Maha Nirvana, then our minds, too, must have reached a certain higher state. This is ultimately to have dispelled any negative thoughts and feelings or doubts that we have about ourselves and our destiny. This may seem a huge undertaking, but the teachings of Yoga, all work towards that goal. You learn to replace hate with love, hurt with healing, ignorance with wisdom and so on, until all your emotions are beneficial for your soul’s quest for Maha Nirvana. Perhaps more easily understandable is the contribution that your body makes. The Yoga exercises and positions all contribute to a more flexible and energetic body.
The philosophy of our souls reaching true enlightenment or Maha Nirvana can be aligned with almost any religious or spiritualist belief. We are all striving for the same goal. We want to be welcomed by the higher being or higher power into eternal happiness. Some religions believe that this road is full of bodily reincarnations with our same soul moving through each one until it has achieved its sense of peace. Others state that each soul only has one bodily incarnation but it is held in a form of limbo until it too reaches the ultimate state where it is allowed to enter into the realm of the higher power. This is why Yoga has such a worldwide appeal as it allows people of all faiths and beliefs to reach a new level of calm and serenity in mind, body and soul.
The journey that a person’s soul undertakes throughout a life is no less rigorous than that of the mind or body. In many ways, it is actually the hardest of all for us to comprehend as we have no means of measuring the distance that our soul has traveled along the path to Maha Nirvana or how far it still has to go. This is only something that we will discover through the teachings and practices of Yoga. We can only be sure that the effort and exertion is effective when we see the positive impact that we have on others. An important part of the teachings is to be compassionate and positive in our dealings with others. That is something that can be measured and has a truly uplifting effect on the soul. This is how your soul power can actually be shown to be having an impact on your life. In effect, by showing love and spreading joy you are not only having a positive effect on the lives of others but you are also moving one step closer to the enlightenment or Maha Nirvana of your own soul.
Now you can understand that you are comprised of three separate parts – mind, body and soul. Your body and mind are instruments for a higher power that your soul is ultimately seeking to join and be free from bodily incarnations. To reach this state of enlightenment or Maha Nirvana takes the union of mind, body and soul. This is achieved through the teachings of Yoga. No matter what your belief system is regarding a higher power or higher being, the path to true enlightenment or Maha Nirvana of your soul is available to you. All you need is the dedication to seek the balance of mind, body and soul and you, too, can free your soul to join the Universal soul.
