Pausing and breathing to allow a sense of peace to arise in a quiet moment is a beautiful step toward liberation.  Bringing more compassion into an interaction in line at the store or in heavy traffic is a genuine stride in spiritual growth.   Taking the time to be fully present and experience the joy of playing with children or listening deeply to a friend who needs to talk are enlightened choices.  These are examples of how spiritual realization is pursued in each moment that we act while holding in our hearts a clear vision of what matters most to us.

We’ve all heard of enlightenment or God realization and we may have some vague idea of what that means – some state of perfection that arises from deep meditation.  I think it can be more relevant to us as an active response to life, as a way embodying the qualities we associate with our spiritual nature:  compassion, peace, joy, etc. The process of awakening is not something that happens in isolation for us, meditating in a cave.  It takes place as a product of both our Yoga practice and our conscious choices in relationship to each other and our environment.