“This is a quest for the sacred, the ultimate human frontier, one that you investigate by looking inward.”

~ Swami Nirmalananda

It has been said that when you find yourself on your death bed, your last thoughts will not be that you should have spent more time at the office. For too many sorry souls, their last thoughts are that they should have spent more time being with their loved ones or pursuing their highest dreams.

August is a good time to do just that. Most people in Europe go “on holiday” for all four weeks of August. For them, August is the Sunday of their summer. It is a time to leave the office and cool off on the coast or in the mountains.

As a yogi or yogini, the Sunday of your summer can also include a sacred quest, investigating what Swami Nirmalananda refers to as the “ultimate human frontier.” In this quest, to cool off is to quiet the mind, the coast is where you dive into the Ocean of Bliss Consciousness (Self), and the mountains are the peak experiences you enjoy with the panoramic view of the vast frontier that lies within you.

The Sunday of summer is a time to open to and honor the sacred. It is time to discover the gold within you: gold that far surpasses in value any gold an Olympic athlete might attain, and that is far more rewarding and lasting than what a billionaire might have for a few weightless minutes in outer space.

The ultimate human frontier is your inner space.

To experience that, you must become still. Ultimately, being still means stilling your mind as well as your body. The 3rd sutra of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, a practical guide to Self discovery written over two thousand years ago, states the following:

Sanskrit:Tadaa drashtuh svaruupe vasthanaanam

In the moment your mind becomes still, you abide in your own Divine Essence.*

In other words, when your mind becomes quiet, you discover your Self. You find the gold that is hidden within and live in its radiance.

May the Sunday of your summer be four weeks of peace and bliss, celebrated with loved ones at the ocean or in the mountains, while being at home with your Self, perched on the pinnacle of your ultimate frontier!

* Translation rendered by Swami Nirmalananda