I just emerged from another 10-day meditation retreat – my 9th one. As always, time spent turning inwards helps me see clearly "what matters" and what is simply selfishness disguised as "what matters".
It is difficult for me to describe the insights gained, simply because the concepts and terminology are fairly "in the weeds". Buddhist and yogic philosophy goes deep, so fully appreciating the breakthroughs requires quite a lot of background knowledge. If this type of language creates confusion or annoyance, feel free to roll your eyes and skip it 🙂
I truly grasp what enlightenment means now. "I" do not attain it – it attains me. There is no forcing it or working towards it. It is an automatic process that occurs within and to all souls. It is not something to be proud of or want; it is natural and out of control. It is unknowing. It is freedom from "I am". It is not.
I better understand how one's "sense of self" or "beingness" arises. It is a thin layer of distortion that rests on top of all sensations, feelings, perceptions, thoughts and knowings. It is like a mirror – we falsely believe the reflection to be reality. When the film of life is playing out in full speed, you cannot see that the frames of experience are subtly counterfeit. This is ignorance, and there's technically nothing that can be done about it. Amazingly, though, by the grace of God (aka random glitches in the Matrix), that layer occasionally degrades enough such that the body-mind-soul unit sees the delusion it lives in. From there, by continual effort and surrender, the fabric of time and space – the basis of the self – begin to degrade until each moment is seen for what it truly is. Enlightenment!
Attaining "soul freedom" is a stable point on the way towards enlightenment, but is not the final destination. It is wonderful and exciting to realize that you are the one with the Creator of Reality, but apparently it is not totally freeing. Instead, real freedom occurs upon recognizing that all creations are arising from the pregnant void of unmanifested reality (also known as God or the Dao.)
Every single action in your body (from the movement of your eyes to the beating of your heart to the chemical exchange within your cells) requires the flow of life force. The guidance of that life force requires intelligence. Intelligence requires that it knows its own existence (consciousness). Consciousness requires nothing. This framework is what the yogis referred to as "the sheaths" of reality: anamayakosha [physical body] → prānamayakosha [energy body] → manamayakosha [mind body] → jnānamayakosha [wisdom body] → anandamayakosha [bliss body].
Thoughts are like origami – in order to be transferred efficiently, they fold themselves up into sacred geometry patterns. These shapes are then unpacked by the mind and assembled into energy that affects matter. The more mental stability one has, the more these files can be unzipped, and the information therein known.
Bonus: I found out when I would die in this lifetime (don't worry, I'll be around for a while longer), how many lifetimes I have left on Earth and what they would entail (two more to go!), and what will come after this planet (it's not what I thought).
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Planes of reality opened up in ways that I couldn't anticipate. I am grateful, dumbfounded and humbled. What a Universe...joy, joy, joy!
I hope you enjoy this week's {Body} • {Mind} • {Soul} Newsletter and have a beautiful Sunday, - Ethan ॐ
P.S. My next yoga training starts on Sunday, January 5th. I am confident you will benefit from the tools, concepts and techniques I teach there. I do hope you'll consider joining. 😌🙏🏻
Ethan Hill Owner, Yoga with Ethan
Effect of yugas on the physical body.
In Sanskrit, the word yuga refers to an “epoch” or “age” within a cyclical framework of time. Much like the Western concept of seasons — the Earth endlessly orbiting the sun to create spring, summer, fall, and winter — yugas are cosmic cycles influenced by our planet’s proximity to the center of the Milky Way galaxy, approximately 26,500 light-years away.
For roughly 12,000 years, the Earth moves closer to this “Central Sun,” and for another 12,000 years, it drifts further away. This is similar to how the Earth oscillates near and far from our sun over 365.25 days, or how the moon waxes and wanes over its 27.55-day orbit around us.
Now here’s where it gets interesting…
Just as Earth’s position relative to the sun tangibly affects our bodies — more energy and vitality in summer, lower moods and immunity in winter — the yugas bring profound changes to human consciousness and physicality over their 24,000-year circuit.
For example, Satya Yuga, the “Age of Truth,” is like summer for the soul. Marked by harmony, love, heightened awareness, and optimal vitality, the next golden age will occur from 7700 A.D. → 12,500 A.D. During this time, the physical body is said to be lighter, more radiant, and have an incredibly elevated consciousness.
In contrast, Kali Yuga (700 B.C. → 1700 A.D.) was marked by dense, material-focused energy — like a spiritual winter. During this age, our bodies became heavier, more prone to disease, and reliant on dense, processed foods for sustenance. This reflects the lower vibrational state and survival-oriented mindset that we still see today.
We are now in 325 Dwāpara Yuga — the beginning of spring, so to speak. This is an exciting period in which human consciousness begins blooming after its long hibernation in the cave of ignorance. As we transition into this age, the physical body gradually becomes lighter, more energized, and more attuned to higher frequencies. Psychic abilities begin to come online and joy permeates the mind.
Great diagram from this article depicting the yuga cycle
Practice
Since one lifetime only accounts for 0.3% of a Maha Yuga (a full 24,000 year cycle), there’s nothing you can “do”, per-say. It’s not like you can stop the passage of time!
That said, understanding these astrological cycles may bring you clarity and peace in the midst of the chaos you see on Earth right now. It’s not “bad” or “evil”; it’s simply a transition between two seasons.
The flower doesn’t consciously know it’s spring — it just blooms when the temperature and light conditions are right. You, on the other hand, have the unique opportunity to observe your unfolding. You can witness your own transformation in 4k resolution, with full awareness of its profundity, beauty and majesty!
In other words, the light of summer is emerging, and with it, all of your winter sleepiness and dreams begin to dissipate. And there’s not a d*mn thing you can do about it, except sit back and enjoy the ride.
At its core, duality refers to the existence of two opposing (or even contradicting) forces that are interconnected and interdependent. Properly understood, it can be seen in all aspects of life, where opposites not only coexist but literally define each other.
Daytime vs. Nighttime — The two periods only make sense in relation to one another. The sun rising means the sun must eventually set.
Long vs. Short — A “long” road gains meaning only in contrast to a “short” road. Moments that feel short are experienced only in contrast to those that feel long.
Destruction vs. Creation — What was created must eventually be destroyed. What was destroyed makes room for a new creation to emerge.
Pleasure vs. Pain — You only appreciate joy because you’ve known misery. You only hate misery because you’ve tasted joy.
Black vs. White — The concept of “black” only makes sense when compared to the concept of “white”. The darkness teaches you about the light, and vice versa.
Self vs. Other — A “you” implies a “me.” A “self” implies an “other”.
Life vs. Death — What is born must eventually die. Ethan here implies Ethan gone.
Ignorance vs. Wisdom — A spiritual awakening naturally brings with it a spiritual slumber. One cannot know themselves indefinitely; eventually there must be a forgetting.
The existence of duality is why the taoists use the yin-yang symbol as their icon ☯️. It’s an elegant representation of how opposites are intertwined. Each side of the symbol contains a small part of the other, symbolizing how no force exists in isolation. Strength cannot exist without weakness, just as heat cannot exist without cold. Order cannot happen without chaos, just as growth cannot happen without decay.
Luckily, duality isn’t the end of the story. By letting go of seeing the world as “either-or,” we learn to embrace both forces as interconnected parts of the same whole. This is what it means to hold two truths simultaneously — to understand that opposites don’t conflict, but enrich one another. This is how one learns to live in gratitude — to exist equanimously, knowing that this, too, shall pass.
“There is always something to be grateful for.” — Rhonda Byrne
Could your life be better? In a sense, sure. After all, you could always have more stability, more freedom, and more pleasure. More of your desires could be fulfilled. More of your pain could disappear.
While technically true, that mindset is guaranteed to make you miserable. In order to be happy and content, you must at some point find gratitude for your present circumstances, right? So why wait? Why not just get it over with and be grateful for things right now? Not everything is broken. Not everything is terrible. Not everyone is out to get you. Rejoice in your average, mediocre life!