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The masks we Wear & Who we truly are

On February 26, 2013 in General by Alan Finger

The ego is responsible for forming the different personalities you put on: “smart,” “stupid,” “yogi,” “professional,” “father,” etc. The truth is that none of these things are really you. You are just pure consciousness in the middle. You must move your consciousness to a place that enables you to sit still and feel the essence of who you are. Who are you without all the things you’ve learned in life, everything you’ve felt, and all of the labels you’ve developed that make you who you think you are? If I tried to meditate and sat there thinking, “I am Alan, yogiraj, and master of yoga,” I couldn’t meditate. I have to be nothing to meditate! I have to be able to let go of the ego to feel my own essence.

Using the tools of Tantra and Kriya yoga, you can draw your senses in to feel your fragmented masks merging back into one being. You can feel yourself as who you truly are. When your consciousness moves into the center of the brain, you feel whole — in complete homeostasis — and balance and harmony fill your body. It is from this place of oneness that you can heal. The most amazing things happen when you become one: duality disappears, ego disappears, and you’re able to expand into Samadhi, the state of yoga. You’re able to move beyond your thought — beyond what you think you should be — and simply feel oneness with the intelligence of the universe.

Realize that we are born from a universal intelligence, and that we are less than stardust. There is a whole universe of billions of galaxies, filled with billions upon billions of stars. We live near one little star, and you are one little speck on a planet that orbits that little star. With the ego in play, it’s ridiculous what we make ourselves out to be. What a big deal we are making of ourselves!

Stop for a moment and feel how you are born from the universe, how you are just part of it, and how the universal intelligence is available to you. Just tune to it. It doesn’t come from an Ivy League degree, from material things, or anything having to do with the ego. The intelligence from which we are born is huge, much bigger than our little brains. We can tap into it when we are able to bring the senses inward, to integrate ourselves, and to sit still and meditate. We become inspired when we can tap into the intelligence that is beyond our minds, when we are in that state of experiencing all things at once. When we tune into that state of oneness and then bring that intelligence back into life, it is magic. Having this knowledge and experience creates miracles in life.

By Alan Finger

South African Tantric and Kriya Yoga Master Alan Finger began studying yoga at the age of 16 with his father Mani Finger and renowned swamis of the past century. Alan and Mani created ISHTA Yoga. ISHTA is an acronym for The Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda, and also translates to “That which resonates with the individual spirit” in Sanskrit. The ISHTA style integrates breath-based flow yoga with alignment, meditation and healing bodywork. Before creating a home for ISHTA, Alan co-founded Yoga Zone, Be Yoga and Yoga Works. Alan has co-authored several books including Introduction to Yoga with Al Bingham, and Chakra Yoga and Breathing Space with Katrina Repka. Alan travels the world to share his teachings. He currently lives and teaches in New York City where he co-owns ISHTA Yoga with his wife, Sarah Finger. Learn more about Alan and Ishta Yoga Studio at ishtayoga.com.