Cultivate inner clarity, be at peace

Nowadays, especially in the West, this self-confidence business has become a big fad. Everybody wants to know how to be confident. Everybody tells you "believe in yourself." Slowly, this has seeped into the Indian coast also. When people believed in God, they did enough horrible things on the planet. Now they believe in themselves; this is going to produce far more horrible things!

Confidence is not a solution to life. If you did not have confidence, you would gently feel your way through the world. But the combination of stupidity and confidence makes one walk blatantly on this planet. The whole of humanity is walking very blatantly on this planet - with terrible confidence. A man can work in many dimensions in this world. One is by using his body and mind, and the other is by using his inner clarity. It is only through clarity that one can gain ultimate strength.

One way, one can cultivate this space of inner clarity and balance, is through the practice of yoga. The word yoga itself means "union". The ultimate goal of yoga is to become one with everything.
If we balance the energy system, we will find that the body, mind and emotions will function perfectly well. Through yogic practices, one's energy attains a state of balance that naturally becomes tuned with the body and the mind, allowing one to reach a state of inner clarity.

Even simple practices can go a long way in creating this. Every day when you wake up in the morning, sit up on your bed, sit cross-legged, sit with your hands open, eyes closed and just look at everything you are not. Appreciate all that you have gathered - your home, your family, your relationships, your qualifications, your body, your clothes, everything, be thankful for that.

At the same time, identify everything that is not you as "this is what I have gathered" and mentally keep it aside. What you gather can be yours, but it can never be you. Spend ten minutes in the morning, ten minutes in the night every day; this will bring clarity.

If one is properly initiated by a Guru, this particular process can take on a new dimension. But till such an opportunity comes in your life, you can do this by yourself. It will definitely have a big impact upon your inner clarity.

Sadguru, founder of Isha Foundation is a yogi, mystic and spiritual master with a difference.