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A Journey towards Inner Bliss: The 3 Principle Approach to regain Balance

BY WISAM, PALESTINA

Table of Contents

From Palestine to India in Search of Happiness

Wisam with his spouse Yulia and their 2 kids Alma & Kian.Yulia was also deeply influenced by the teachings of Wisam and decided to attend Yoga retreats and Teacher Training Courses in India and follow the path of Yoga like him.

Hello, my name is Wisam, I was born in Jerusalem, currently living in Ramallah. As a Palestinian guy who lives under occupation, my life was not different from other Palestinians here. We all are looking for a remedy to be able to live – happily. It is a great challenge to live in an open prison and act that you are not. I finished high school and then BA with a double minor from Birzeit university. Afterwards I opened a big business with my childhood friends (a gaming center in 2017) which was a great success, but after a year or so I couldn’t find what I was looking for there. I became a silent partner and went to India for Yoga retreats and teacher training courses, because they said back then you could find answers in India.

 

In 2023, I sold all my shares in that business and focused only on what matters to me the most, which is what I learned and still learning from being with myself. 

Yoga, Pranayama and meditation classes given in major business centers and institutions in Palestine
Yoga classes given by Wisam to the elders for last four years on a weekly basis

While deeply immersed in the practices in Yoga retreats in India, I had a realisation. I was channeling my efforts to be happy only to realise the fact that our circumstances are never going to bring me happiness. I can truly be happy only when I am happy from within, only if I discover my true nature of happiness and bliss. This is not a mere Philosophy but a real thing which one can achieve through the practice of Yoga; the Yoga of Patanjali as practically taught and experienced in Yoga retreats and programs like Pancha Kosha and (Advanced) Teacher Trainings, Pranayama and meditation in India in Yoga Gita ashram. The goal is to be complete with yourself from within rather than without.

Since 2020 I’m volunteering everywhere I can, to spread this message of inner exploration, and I’m %100 sure that these practices can transform anyone who is willing to discover what is hidden inside each and everyone of us, especially those who are denied freedom and movement.

Regarding what is happening here and now, we are in utmost need of going inward to be able to face all the challenges we have, to have this indestructible, conscious effortless and cosmic willpower, enthusiasm,trust and really know that we are already free from within.  No one can take this freedom from us and perhaps someday we will be free from outside as well. 

Why do I say trust and surrender? Because the universe does not operate in division, it is all connected and one whole, the only thing we need to do is to be present with it here and now to discover this truth and act upon it. 

Yoga classes given by Wisam to children of all ages

How Pranayama & Meditation are connected to Happiness

We can find practical, complete and simple practices of how to go “within” in sage Patanjali’s Yoga sutra. One of the practices is based on our own breath and how we can go within using breath awareness ‘Pranayama’. The whole Yoga Therapy: Yoga of breath teachings are based on it. 

Initially we focus on two important aspects of the practice to build what we call in Arabic ‘صمود’  or a meditative state. First is the physical body state as explained in the yoga sutras (SthiramSukhamAsanam), comfortable and steady posture from within. Second is (IshvaraTatva) which is using awareness of our own free of charge breathing process to tap into the dimension of energy to rebuild and regain our strength and depth of breath. 

A side note here: meditative state does not mean only sitting alone somewhere with closed eyes and doing nothing, actually it is being in meditation, in presence and at the same time acting and doing what is needed to be done outside. It is a whole universe acting together, not separate. 

“Darkness is there only to know the light”

The 3 Principle Approach to regain our Balance

In the different programs at Yoga Gita ashram, like Pancha Kosha and (Advanced) Teacher Training Courses, we learn based on Patanjali Yoga Sutra, how to position our body and mind from within in a steady and effortless state where nothing can affect us whether it is coming from outside circumstances or from our own conditioned mind. We follow a 3 principle approach to allow Kundalini ‘the vital cosmic energy within’ to operate through us to regain our balance physically, mentally and emotionally. In this way we can stand up powerfully and stay (صامدون) steady and at ease simultaneously with whatever is happening, and to develop this ability of decision making in the hardest and most confusing circumstances.

The Privilege of learning with Sage Vigo at Yoga Gita ashram in Srirangapatna, Mysore

Conclusion

By doing so, we can help ourselves instead of waiting for help from outside and help others in need. I truly wish and desire for all of us as humans, not only Palestinians to really go within and build our inner stability and harmony to have a better future for ourselves and generations to come. 

I have attended several Yoga Retreats in India. My experience was immersive during Pancha Kosha,  the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course and the 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course at Yoga Gita ashram in Srirangapatna, Mysore