Self-Evolution

Sadhana is a conscious, ongoing effort which you make to experience the transformation of your nature. It is not something that you do for one hour. Sadhana is continuous awareness, being in the present moment. One has to become a sadhaka in order to experience the truth, the auspiciousness and the beauty in life. The entire process of yoga is based on the principle of sadhana. Samadhi, which is the aim of yoga, does not mean meditative isolation from the world where you become one with yourself, rather it means a harmonious interaction of the feeling of unity within and without. 

-      Paramhamsa Niranjanananda Saraswati

 

Evolution is more than just a theory.  It is the defining view of our times – the recognition that everything is moving forward at an accelerating, i.e. exponential, rate.  Of course we are not just talking about biological evolution but also the evolution of mind, technology and culture. 

Whereas our ancestors lived in a world that was somewhat static and predictable from generation to generation, we live in a world where things change dramatically within a decade or even a year.  As our technology changes so do we on some level.  We must learn to adapt to survive.

Human beings have survived due to our adaptive abilities.  Now we are adapting to the changes we ourselves have brought about.  Perhaps as some theorists suggest we are becoming transhuman – a hybrid of biology and technology.  Perhaps we’ll attain some form of immortality by uploading ourselves onto computers.

There is a deeper level of evolution that needs to take place.  This is the evolution of consciousness.  It is important not to get too fixated on our devices.  We also need to pay attention to our inner selves.  The twentieth century was a demonstration of how our technological abilities can outstrip our spiritual development.  As Albert Einstein put it, "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." 

Technology which is meant to make life easier actually seems to create more stress.  As a friend confided to me in the 90s, “I used to just send a letter and wait for the reply.  Now I’m running back and forth to the fax machine all day.”  Now we are confronted with the ubiquity of cell phones that interfere with us engaging on a personal level in the actual world. 

Yoga is a means of reconnecting with our inner being and evolving on a conscious level.  Yoga is not just about a set of physical postures but about inner transformation through spiritual devotion, self-inquiry, service and meditation.  Through yoga sadhana we can evolve ourselves as conscious beings and help the world to evolve on a deeper level.  This is inner evolution.

Without inner evolution outer evolution will continue blindly until it annihilates us.  In this sense, yoga is essential for the survival and consciousness evolution of humanity.