Mark Andrew Harley

Do you ever stop and wonder at the deep, unfathomable Intelligence that pervades our Universe? We see it in the dazzling, interconnected splendour of Nature: the vast scope and grandeur of the Cosmos; and in the intricate workings of our own extraordinary bodies.

Science has done much to explain the mechanics of creation but falls short on revealing a clear motive. Religious beliefs and philosophical arguments compete to try and fill the gap.

Everything has its place within the grand scheme of things and everything seems to know exactly what to do. Everything that is, apart from us human beings!

Ironically, the one thing in our Universe that is, perhaps uniquely, capable of unintelligent behaviour is the human mind.

We humans have the freedom to think, speak and act at any point between sublime and ridiculous. While plants and animals just seem to know exactly how to be plants and animals, we humans have been gifted with the double-edged sword of free will. We can override Intelligence!

This presents us with a big challenge! What to do? What not to do? What is right? What is wrong? How best to live our lives? And crucially, can we align ourselves with Intelligence? How do we live purposeful harmonious lives that flow with Intelligence?

There are lots of answers competing for our attention: principles, guidelines and directives abound within religious, spiritual and philosophical traditions. None are the exclusive preserve of any particular group. In this age of information everything is out there. The esoteric has become exoteric! Today’s challenge is one of discrimination. In this vast cloud of information (and disinformation) how do we identify that which has personal value? And how do we create enough freedom and space in our lives to do what feels right for us as individuals?

I shall use the word Yoga to describe any path of deliberate action and intent that reunites us with Intelligence.

Yoga is more than a philosophy, an exercise class or a meditation technique. For me, it is everything that I do in a vital and passionate search to find an authentic Intelligent self.

For over 40 years I have been gathering, testing, adapting and adopting a whole raft of activities to clean and strengthen my thinking, feeling and acting bodies. I would like to introduce, share and inspire you with some of my thoughts, feelings and insights from the things that I do and call Yoga. My main objective here is to encourage you perhaps to review your own relationship with life, wellness and Intelligence.

These two questions nagged at me from an early age. Attempting to answer them has become my life’s work. It became clear early on that no one "out there" could satisfactorily answer my two burning questions.

Even if I were to meet somebody willing and able to provide truthful answers all I would be capable of doing is believing them .. or not! Personally, belief has never been good enough.

Belief has caused so much confusion, division and conflict within humanity. Belief is clearly the poor cousin of Truth.

Further big questions emerge. “How do we discriminate Truth for ourselves?’ Is it humanly possible? And if it is, how is it done?

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At school I hurt myself quite badly doing sport. A bone in my leg simply snapped from over-training. My body had been telling me that I should stop training but I had been programmed to follow external instructions. Those around me in authority would cite the sporting adage “No pain. No gain!”. This injury and my subsequent recovery brought with them a valuable lesson. The experience defined a watershed in my life.

As an adult I have tried to listen very carefully to the profound wisdom “built in” to every system, structure and cell of my body.

I do still listen to the thoughts and opinions of those around me but my body always has the final say. This change has brought me to a place of wellness, a wellness that goes far beyond fitness or even health.

This change has brought me to a place of wellness, a wellness that goes far beyond fitness or even health. A place, perhaps, where I can start to grasp at greater truths and finally answer those burning questions for myself.

As human beings we experience duality: hot and cold; rich and poor; you and me. We are all simultaneously aware of a consensus outer world and a private inner world.

The world outside appears vast, unstable and ultimately out of our control. Our inner world may also appear vast and unstable, but crucially, it is a world that we can learn to bring under our control. The way that we respond on the inside to events on the outside is always down to us. That may not be where you are right now but it is an understandable and achievable goal.

Mastery of the inner world has repercussions for the outer world. A revolution on the outside must begin with a revolution on the inside. Herein lies humanity’s greatest challenge and greatest hope.

We need not feel helpless in a vast, unstable outer world. We can instead become empowered by focusing on our inner world and reassessing our responses to what goes on around us.

Let us listen carefully to our bodies and observe how they respond to the events of our lives. Whenever we suffer pain, illness or injury we can try to understand why and make changes. All that has gone before has brought us to where we are now. Consciously choosing to do things differently cannot fail to take us to a new place.

Let us listen attentively to our thoughts and watch them from the perspective of a passive observer. How much of what we think is inspired and original? How much of what we think is judgemental and repetitive? What is the impact of our thinking on our feelings? We can only think one thought at a time. So, if we deliberately choose new and uplifting thoughts we cannot then be thinking old and limiting ones.

Let us become more aware of the silence behind the mind. If you persist through the veil of boredom there is an extraordinary aliveness and Intelligence to be found in this silence. It can become a loud, inexhaustible flow of inspiration, guidance and healing. It is a connection to something greater than our small limited selves.

Let us acknowledge our feeling responses to the outer world. Childhood education has emphasised thinking over feeling for many of us. The resulting imbalance needs to be redressed. Our search for Truth must surely require an equal development and expression of both the thinking and feeling centres within us.

Behind the chattering frightened mind, and integral to the intricate workings of our bodies, we find a deep Intelligence ceaselessly present and at work.

With patience and persistence we can learn to listen, trust and act on this Intelligence.

Foster a deep trust in the wisdom of the flow of the Universe. Relaxing and surrendering in this way recovers lost energy and brings a stronger sense of peace, joy and freedom. Trying to fight, control and protect ourselves from the vast and complex world outside is futility on a grand scale. We are tiny dots in an infinite dynamic Universe, blown about by forces well beyond our control or understanding.

Reflecting on past events with the wisdom of hindsight it is possible to reflect, accept and better understand what caused us suffering. Although certain things might never be fully understood between birth and death, adopting a more accepting relationship with the Universe and learning to trust that “all will be well” in the grand scheme of things can dramatically enhance our experience of the present moment. And it is in the present moment that we find ourselves eternally stuck.

Humans have a physical body designed for action.

Listening carefully we receive inspiration which demands creative action. It is clear that being well involves taking action, passionately and persistently, through all tests and obstacles until our goals, aspirations and dreams are realised out there in the consensus world that we all share.