Meditation and Yoga are spiritual practices originally discovered in the eastern part of the world thousands of years ago. We use the word 'discovered' versus 'invented' because meditation and yoga inherently is your natural essence. As consciousness continues awakening, both within and collectively, these methods or techniques have migrated to the West - North and South America. The words Meditation and Yoga are very much becoming mainstream vocabulary in the United States of America. However, there is much confusion about what exactly meditation and yoga is; and, how one does them. Part of the fundamental misconception is that humans have been programmed to always be 'doing' something - thereby effectively making meditation and yoga practices an event; an event as something that has a beginning and end - like an exercise routine.

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It is more truthful, and accurate to say: meditation and yoga are what you truly are - not something you do. In reality, our natural essence is meditative and yoga. The most original description of meditation is that it is your true nature, loving peaceful awareness, AND yoga means union, one with all that is. For practical purposes, the word 'practice' has arisen to point to certain (what we will call) techniques and methods used to realize meditation and realize yoga - your natural sense of being.

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Mind, (which is the inherent block), likes to stay distracted by using meditation and yoga practices as a spiritual means to merely calm down and relax; versus their original intended objective which is: Full Self Realization - realization of your truest unconditional eternal nature beyond mind. Therefore, it is more accurate to say that meditation and yoga actually start when you get up from your mat or cushion. That idea, throws a monkey wrench into the gears of mind - if you notice. In other words, saying that meditation and yoga start when you get up from your practice doesn't allow your mind to make your practice an isolated event.

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Like most things in the West, yoga and meditation have become over commercialized, thereby, typically, losing the original intention of Self Realization. Therefore, we see Yoga Practices, for instance, as some type of physical exercise (specifically targeted to balance our physical nature), which decreases anxiety and enhances energetic levels. Of course, this is beautiful, yet mainstream Yoga Practices are not what we deem, Enlightenment Yoga or Spiritual Yoga. One may say, that your intention determines if any Yoga Practice is for Physical Well-being or to Transcend physical limitations. Transcending the limitations of mind is Enlightenment Yoga.

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With respect to Meditation, 'Mindfulness Meditation' is becoming very widespread since it addresses many of the common psychological mind problems associated with our human condition. For example: Mindfulness is wonderful for strengthening one's attention to focus. It also offers great insight into how deeply we are affected by our unconscious thoughts. However, we place mindfulness in the Pre-Enlightenment category; in other words, Mindfulness is to gain clarity and peace of mind. Enlightenment Meditation, however, is more along the lines of Mind-Less-Ness - transcendence of mind, to realize your true nature - beyond mind - beyond self image and mental constructs. Once, again, one's intention primarily determines if any practice is for self realization or merely to feel a little better.

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There is, however, what is deemed 'Meditative Self Inquiry' or 'Self Inquiry' which is not really considered a practice. Self Inquiry is more of an effortless effort to directly experience reality (your ture nature) in the here and now. One may call Self Inquiry a mediation or practice, yet, at the heart, ultimately, no effort is required - much like your true nature as yoga - as meditation - as life itself.