This text was written for the Booklet of the Yoga Congress of the EUY in Zinal 2025
Abhyāsa vairāgya bhyāṃ tan nirodhāḥ
By Isabelle Chatel
The practice of yoga is an invitation, a silent expectation on the part of the soul, which by its very nature, serene, calm and free of all attachments, gently urges us to encounter our true nature, the all too often forgotten or rejected dimension of living free of all attachments, of being at every moment the divine incarnate in matter.
To live not in expectation of others, of society, but as an accomplished, realised Being, a Human-Being, both: Being, its spiritual dimension and Human from humus: the earth, an earthling. Not an Earthling in distress, but a fully awakened Earthling. For this approach to be possible, embarking on the path is the first step towards the co-discovery of oneself and the eventual encounter with the Self immersed in the depths of our home.
The yogi, like a pilgrim, goes on a journey towards Who am I now? Who am I not at the very moment when I ask myself the question Who am I?
It’s a real process that requires you to observe and dare to see, to listen and dare to hear, to feel and let yourself feel, to taste and dare to savour, to touch and let yourself be touched, without expectation, without judgement, without apprehension, just in a relationship with yourself.
And it’s not so easy to let go of the masks that are superimposed year after year, to fit in with society’s expectations, to let go of the armour and choose to live naked, to welcome the unknown, to dare to be a Woman, a Man.
An approach such as this requires us to be present at all times, to pursue the path of resilience with joy, with respect for the ‘I’, with confidence and commitment, to recognise that no-one but ourselves can take this path, to descend into the depths of the flesh, into the divine cellular memory that is no longer caught up in the outside world but, through the realisation of its true nature, finds the treasure that lies dormant in each of us, the Self.
The yogin will pursue this path in the world of matter to maintain this state of realisation over and over again. He will use all the tools borrowed from yoga and will go off to join the light, leaving the shadows of the past far behind.
