We’ve been chanting in yoga this week. A chant linking us to the cycle of life. If you struggle to quiet your mind, Japa chanting is a meditative technique where you are orally, aurally and kinaesthetically involved in your meditation, and it’s quite easy to drop into a quiet space.

You can chant a Sanskrit mantra, a beautiful hymn or a prayer. And with Christmas just around the corner, chanting is a lovely way to herald in this gorgeous celebration of life. Where people of every faith and every belief get a chance to drop the current narrative and smile at strangers, connect with family, relax and enjoy this Earth we call home. 

Chanting is considered the meditative choice for the current Vedic astrological age. The Vedic astrological ages of man are called the 4 Yugas: Seasons of the Universe and they measure universal time. In contrast to the Western concept of linear time, the Vedas describe our universe as being created, destroyed, and recreated again in an unending cycle. According to the Vedic teachings, the first Yuga, called Satya, was a time of no war, famine, or conflict among the human race.

It was a time of complete peace on Earth. Unfortunately over this Yuga cycle, peace and spirituality have degenerated and we are now in the 4th Yuga, that of Kali. In Kali Yuga, social order is turned on its head, religious and political leaders, instead of educating and protecting the populace, abandon virtue and became the chief criminals in society. All living beings suffer material hardships as they struggle simply to survive, being deeply afflicted by fear. So true for many societies today.

But the best thing about Vedic theory is that it factors in free will, where a person can choose to turn the situation around and live life according to their principles. One way to counteract fear and combat mass psychosis is to connect with others. Lack of societal bonding breeds fear. So chat to your neighbours, find your tribe, come to yoga and you will feel bolstered by this loving energy around you.

The second condition that undermines society is people experiencing life as meaningless, with widespread anxiety and discontent. Go into nature and start practising gratitude, Mother Earth is so generous. And the climate of fear is supported when people have no connection to the Divine, whatever that might be for you. 

Take inspiration from the greatest of the Christian prophets, Jesus. He went against mass thinking and mass action and advocated compassion and forgiveness for all. He touched the unclean and healed them, he spoke to and defended women, and he protested the economic and political corruption in the temples. Jesus advocated an alternative social vision. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas, and we will be back in class from 17/1/22. 

Margot Wagner
Yoga Under the Bodhi Tree
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