My yoga teacher says that the whole yoga class can be distilled into one position: downward dog. Equally, my gym instructor says that all the benefits of a core workout can be achieved just by holding low plank, or prone position. This is good to know. We don’t have to feel bad when we can’t make it to the yoga studio or to the gym, we can get most of the advantages of our practice wherever we are.
Commitment to an exercise regimen takes persistence and dedication and can sometimes require more than we have to give. Similarly, dedication to a spiritual path can seem just as daunting. So much to learn, so many books to read, too many emotional, mental or philosophical obstacles to be surmounted, tempting us to abandon the path because it all seems too hard. But there is a spiritual equivalent to downward dog or prone position that takes us most of the way.
The constant practice of non-judgement is the spiritual path condensed into one thought process. The ability to observe people and things without criticism or judgment, allowing the natural course of events to occur without agenda or attachment, secure in the understanding that we will receive all the inspiration and assistance we need to realize our dreams, is the key to progress on the spiritual path.
Even if we don’t do all the things the spiritual path customarily seems to entail - meditation, prayer, attending places of worship, reading spiritual texts - maintaining a continual state of non-judgment, which is really just another word for unconditional love - the essential and elemental nature of our soul - we will find our progress up to higher views of ourself and our life quickened and unimpeded.
Whilst downward dog and prone position are relatively simple to learn, and even master, it requires focused effort and attention to hold them for prolonged periods of time, and it is particularly difficult if we are fatigued or physically depleted. The same is true for non-judgment. Even when we are committed to non-judgment, the difficulty arises when we feel afraid, stressed, angry or anxious. But like everything, the more we practice, the more skilled we become.
We are approaching an age where we no longer need church, mosque or temple. We are slowly coming to the understanding that we have everything we need within us to navigate the path to greater spiritual mastery without priest, pastor or guru. Non-judgment is the perfect kick-start that will get us well on the way.
