The Yoga Sutras were compiled about 2,000 years ago by the sage Patanjali from an oral tradition reaching back into unknowable antiquity. He gives us the essential wisdom for the practice of yoga and meditation to know, first hand, the essence of our true Self-the conscious indweller that enlivens this body. Experiencing the fully conscious state shows us the essential transcendent nature of the universe to bring us a state of undisturbed joyous tranquillity. Traditionally, this wisdom has been handed down from master to student as a transmission of the means to liberation. Patanjali tells us that the pure blissful inner Self is already attained and all that is required is to lose interest in that which is not the Self. This is pretty straight forward, and we learn all we need to know in the first three sutras. Presuming we will not get it the first time, he goes on to detail the nature of the Self, the practices that will awaken us, the attainments that arise from the practices and then explains about the state of final liberation. Throughout the book we are reminded of two fundamental practices that lead to the final state, kaivalya. One practice is vairagya (dispassion, non-attachment) and the other is viveka (discrimination). In the practice of viveka, we learn to discriminate between the mind and the watcher of the mind (consciousness itself). When we can rest in the state of consciousness knowing itself; we answer the question, "Who am I?"

"Spiritual Health and Healing" means using spiritual concepts of different traditions to reveal the true purpose of life. As human beings, we live in the world with a sense of duty and responsibility to society, and at the same time we experience the ultimate spiritual beings within our physical bodies. When we are in harmony with the mother earth, father sky, and the entire cosmos, we experience the right relationship with all that exists in the universe and we then reside in peace, joy, love and compassion. There is no more suffering or struggle. Even when suffering or struggles do exist, they solely serve to remind us that we are human beings with a purpose to live and experience the beauty and love beyond everyday experiences.Spiritual healing is nothing magical or superficial. It is rooted in our everyday lives and an everyday, living philosophy. In life we experience suffering in many different ways. Spiritual healing teaches us the ways to connect to the cosmos and divinity through our body and experiences. These connecting agents serve the same function, and they are neither superior nor inferior to one another. The lessons in "Spiritual Health and Healing" are derived from different traditions and serve to bring us harmony within the human race, as well as to bring peace to everyone and to every place.

Why do we do what we do? Isn't everything we do, ultimately, to bring us happiness? Think about it. All our planning, all our actions, all our manipulations, all our accumulations, are so that we can just be happy. When we get what we want, really, how long does it last? Is there a way that we can be happy all the time? The drive to fulfill our desires, in practice, does not bring us lasting happiness; so, what can we do?
There is one practice that is most essential in revealing the bliss of the Self-and that is meditation. This is the fundamental practice of mystics in all cultures that shows us the happiness that lies just behind the mind and shines its joyous radiance when the mind is at peace. If we will just spend some time every day in this sublime equanimity, we will get everything.
The traditional path to the inner yoga of happiness, which is taught in yoga philosophy (Advaita Vedanta), is simply the practice of meditation. In this practice, we distill the inner caprice of thought down to simple stillness. As we get longer stretches of this stillness, we become acquainted with the fullness of our essential being. In this fullness arises spontaneous joy, contentment, and wisdom. This is the happiness that is always there in every moment.
This book is a journal of clues along the way in the pursuit of enduring inner happiness, independent of outer circumstances.
Also available from this author: Yoga Sutras: The Means to Liberation

The Yoga Sutras were compiled about 2,000 years ago by the sage Patanjali from an oral tradition reaching back into unknowable antiquity. He gives us the essential wisdom for the practice of yoga and meditation to know, first hand, the essence of our true Self-the conscious indweller that enlivens this body. Experiencing the fully conscious state shows us the essential transcendent nature of the universe to bring us a state of undisturbed joyous tranquillity. Traditionally, this wisdom has been handed down from master to student as a transmission of the means to liberation. Patanjali tells us that the pure blissful inner Self is already attained and all that is required is to lose interest in that which is not the Self. This is pretty straight forward, and we learn all we need to know in the first three sutras. Presuming we will not get it the first time, he goes on to detail the nature of the Self, the practices that will awaken us, the attainments that arise from the practices and then explains about the state of final liberation. Throughout the book we are reminded of two fundamental practices that lead to the final state, kaivalya. One practice is vairagya (dispassion, non-attachment) and the other is viveka (discrimination). In the practice of viveka, we learn to discriminate between the mind and the watcher of the mind (consciousness itself). When we can rest in the state of consciousness knowing itself; we answer the question, "Who am I?"