Dear Yogis,
Swami Vivekananda said, “A drop of water if caught in the hands is pure enough for drinking. But, if it falls in the gutter, its value drops so much that it can’t even be used for washing feet. If it falls on a lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and if it falls on an oyster, becomes a pearl. The drop being the same, its existence based on what it associates with.”
It is the same with us. While yoga tells us that the essential inner consciousness cannot be cut, maimed, killed, or changed by the world we live in- the same cannot be said for our bodies/minds that the consciousness experiences the world through. No matter how intelligent or evolved our mind/body is, it is very much affected by what we associate with.
Studies show if you hang out with smokers, it is likely that you may start smoking yourself. You become like the five people you most closely associate with.
Have you noticed that if you hang out with people who are gossiping all the time, you may find yourself talking behind other people’s backs. If you hang out with people who are constantly angry, you may yourself become angry a lot of the time. If you keep observing the same style of a certain fashion, online or on friends, you may yourself start to wear, style your hair, and create a look that’s similar.
The mind/body experiences this sense of social contagion. Becoming similar to what it imbibes through hearing, seeing, touching, tasting etc. The yogis knew this for thousands of years. It is why in Vedic culture, we are advised to be careful of the environments we are putting our mind/body into. It is just like that drop of water.
On the converse, if you associate with saintly, learned, self regulated and spiritually successful people, (even if it’s just through books, literature or lectures), chances are you will start to mimic and develop those positive characteristics yourself.
We spend a lot of time at Revolution fostering a culture of peace, growth and attempting to uphold the spiritual principles of the Yamas (how to spiritually deal with other people) and the Niyamas (how to spiritually deal with your mind/body and the self).
Don’t get me wrong, this is a practice, not a perfect! We all make mistakes on the path and nobody is perfect, yet there is something truly special about the shelter one can take within a community striving for the same thing: inner peace.
So, I encourage you to come to your mat with us, listen to free discussions on our YouTube channel, get inspired by our social media pages, come in person or tune in from afar, check out books from the sages and swamis from our free lending library, join in our complimentary meditation groups/ moon circles/ healing energy circles or workshops and you’ll find every little step you take towards peace will reap rewards in your current life that will last lifetimes.
Peace and Love,
Amanda and the good folks at Revolution Yoga
Originally shared in our June 2023 newsletter.