A Spiritual Path to Awakening

Corinne Cooke
Written by Corinne Cooke

A shift in consciousness has been happening here on earth at an individual and collective level for some time. This is not an easy transition or path for many and can go on for many years. Recent times are accelerating these shifts as we transition from a lower level and frequency of consciousness to higher dimensional consciousness. 

During this challenging era of “Kali Yug” (or the “dark age”) – as referred to in the ancient Indian texts – that we are presently in, for various reasons, it has caused many of us to question and ponder things more deeply than we may have done previously.  People are questioning their existence, way of life, what they are doing here, and the ways in which they have been living, much more deeply and profoundly than they have before and with good reason.

Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash

One thing this situation has made clear is that the way we were doing things before just wasn’t working.  Now this is the “wake-up” call and in turn leads us to another question – “HOW” do we live differently going forward, not only for ourselves, our families, but also our environment, our planet earth, and future generations to come. And how do we do this so it is beneficial, far reaching and most impactful on all levels – mental, physical and spiritual, and in bringing balance, peace and harmony for all.

Spirituality does not dictate or give us answers directly, it gently fosters and nurtures within us a deeper connection with the Divine (or in other words, our higher selves). In doing this it encourages the seeker of truth to look deeper within themselves and learn and grow from our own experiences. It gives us a heightened sense of awareness and the tools to help us find and remember the answers and hidden truths for and within ourselves.

Yoga

Yoga and the universal, eternal truth that is “Sanatana Dharma” (simply put – a virtuous right way of living – that is in balance, peace and harmony with our truest self and the environment around us) can be adopted as a lifestyle, which when fully integrated into one’s life can bring balance and healing on all levels – mental, physical, spiritual. In turn increasing one’s vibration, immunity and strength, overall health and wellness and bringing true purpose and meaning.

The word yoga means “unity” or “oneness” and is derived from the Sanskrit word “Yug” which means “union”. It works on all aspects of ourselves (from mental, physical, emotional, to the psychological and spiritual), and it is when we bring all these aspects into balance and alignment we eventually come to a constant state of feeling complete bliss, unity and oneness with the world and everything in it.

My yogic background and lineage is a path that does not seek to limit, deny, reject or repress anything. Rather it teaches us to fully embrace every part of us, the darkness, and the light. It recognises that we are so much more than our physical body and mind, yet they still play an important part in our experiences, mission and purpose in this lifetime.

We have been blessed with this physical body and existence on earth for a reason.  It is an instrument for balancing and harmonising our energies and therefore it is to be respected, honoured, accepted, loved, experienced and felt fully in this life. For if we do not do this, and attempt to suppress it, we will never experience the expansion of consciousness and connection with the real self or soul (Atma).  In Ayurveda and Yogic philosophies indeed the body is seen as a Temple – a vehicle for the ascension of the soul in this life. All Ayurvedic and Yogic texts focus on the physical aspect as the foundation – highlighting important practices to help purify, detox and take care of the body and senses in order to allow for deeper spiritual practice and connection to reach our fullest potential.

Yogic Philosophy

Yogic philosophy teaches us that true freedom is not the ability to just get what we want, but the freedom not to need anything external for our internal happiness and well-being. It is a continual process of going within and is about always being self-aware in our actions and motivations so that we do not become bound to various objects and outcomes on the outside.

The spiritual path assists us in living a more conscious path so that we can make decisions with the awareness to follow such experiences and desires which are for our highest good and that of the environment around us.  When we come into alignment with this our life starts to flow more effortlessly, like water in a stream.  And when we do inevitably divert off course, it is easier to navigate back with our ever more finely tuned inner intuitive compass and guidance system.

To learn and grow from all our experiences (“good and bad”) we must understand them on a deeper level -and really embrace the dark shadows as much as the light – as often these are our greatest teachers and accelerate us the most in terms of our spiritual evolution, expansion and ascension. Enabling us to fully feel, experience life and connect with and embody our truest and pure essence.

I generally work with people on a one to one basis, combining my background as a holistic practitioner blending the healing modalities I am trained in with yogic techniques and Ayurveda. I coach and advise on yogic lifestyle and share Raja & Tantra yoga, hatha asana, pranayama, mantra and meditation techniques. As a holistic, and intuitive approach clients are consulted with in depth throughout the journey so that individual needs can be met and to enable a greater sense of balance, peace and harmony to body, mind and spirit.  A path to and journey of remembering the true self to enable one to reach the full and highest potential.

If this resonates, I would love to connect with you.

With love and blessings…