I speak a lot about discomfort, but I think suffering has value. For many, suffering drives their search for answers and Truth. Paradoxically, our suffering goes away proportionally to our alignment with Truth.
What about pleasure? The Tantric Yoga tradition teaches that when one pursues their highest nature or Yoga, you get Bhoga, or pleasure, as a result. However, when one pursues pleasure, one gets physical and mental maladies or Rogha.
In a world where more and more money is being spent on “health care” and yet our health continues to worsen, we may want to revisit these ancient ideas about the value of putting aside our short-term pleasure (bhoga) for the longer-term goal of freedom from suffering (yoga).
-Douglas Johnson E-RYT 500, YACEP, OM, Certified KI Facilitator
