Author Archives: Aidan

About Aidan

The Ecology of the Soul is the culmination of a lifetime of study and practice of hatha yoga and Raj Yoga. Aidan studied with BKS Iyengar, and was a dedicated member of the Brahma Kumaris, teachers of Raja Yoga, during his 20s. The basic understanding of the Soul and God is pure Raja Yoga, but it is the 'ecology' principle that drives the system's emphasis on balancing our spiritual powers. We return to our natural state of happiness, contentment, peace – and power.

Saluting the Sun #1: Standing Prayer and Mountain

Tadasana 1 and Tadasana 2: Urdhva Baddha Hastasana            “People do not pay attention to the correct method of standing,”1 says BKS Iyengar in his comments on this basic, initial pose, from which everything else emanates. May … Continue reading

Posted in Salute to the Sun | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saluting the Sun: The Asanas

There’s 12 steps but only seven asanas, because of course they repeat on the way out and on the way back. Before we get into it in detail, there’s no question that there are many, many accounts of Surya Namaskar … Continue reading

Posted in Salute to the Sun, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Saluting the Sun – intro

Although you don’t have to practice yoga as part of the study of the Ecology of the Soul, each chapter of  the book includes a detailed explanation of one of the seven asanas or positions of Surya Namaskar, the ‘Salute … Continue reading

Posted in Salute to the Sun | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing the beauty #2

“Giving your complete attention,” I said in Seeing the beauty #1. Observe. Let’s mine that idea a little, because its influence and impact spread out into all areas of the process of balancing the Ecology of the Soul. Observation is … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing the beauty #1

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius  Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. Franz Kafka  The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual / Physical / Conscient

Spiritual/physical; matter is energy and You are energy. Yoga allows you to experience the flow of energy in your body; it opens your physical ‘channels’ up to that universal force. Chinese medicine and a host of other Eastern schools of … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dispassion & Detachment

8 August 2015: The manuscript for the book is done, copy edited and waiting only for final versions of the illustrations done by my long time friend, accomplished musician and all round good egg @Michael_Munday. It goes back to the … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, The Critical (but positive) Enquiry Track | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grace and Gratitude

They’re all talking about it, the Law of Attraction folks. And a good few more besides, many if not most if not all of the West Coast philosophers, gurus, spiritual teachers and self help leaders, all busily sending their daily … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hope, Positive Thinking and Disappointment

In which we explore the tension between positive thinking and protecting yourself against disappointment. You guard against disappointment by not having high hopes. Be optimistic, positive… but detached. Otherwise, if you just ‘un-hope’ yourself so as to avoid disappointment, you’re already disappointed anyway. … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Past, presence, balance

‘If your mind carries a heavy burden of past,’ says Eckhart Tolle, ‘you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future.’ … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, The Critical (but positive) Enquiry Track | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phew, nearly left me mind behind there

It’s a quote from a lone stoner, tripping on something very long and strong, that we picked up hitchhiking after a gig many years ago. We giggled then; we giggle now. The Mind as an oft-misunderstood faculty comes in for … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, The Critical (but positive) Enquiry Track | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video 4 – Light, lighter, enlightened

Hi, Aidan Walker signing in with a Power Seed for today’s ‘Magic Minute’ of meditation. The video is longer than a minute – nearer two – but the idea will pack into a powerful 60 seconds – and repeats on … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video 3 – The Seven Powers of the Soul

Hi, Aidan Walker signing in with a Power Seed for your ‘Magic Minute’ of meditation. This one is about the Seven Powers of the Soul’s eco-system. Plant the thought (or thoughts), let it take root, grow and flourish in your … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video 2: Balance – A Magic Minute

Hello, Aidan Walker signing in with another Power Seed for your ‘Magic Minute’ of meditation… for you to plant in the consciousness of your Soul… the soil of your consciousness, to create a beautiful garden. This one is called ‘Balance’. … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Silence in the throat

Vishuddha, the fifth chakra, is located in the throat. It governs self-expression, independence, fluency of thought, hearing and speaking – communication, in other words. Which is why in the Ecology of the Soul, the power of communication rests here. Meditation … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Balance of Powers is Freedom Fulfilled

The earth’s ecology is a balance of organic and inorganic, living and inert elements. Of matter (which is itself energy, as we have all learnt from Mr Einstein) and living things, which are energy embedded in matter. But we are … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How does a pinpoint create so much light?

How does a pinpoint create so much light? You’re subsumed, enveloped, overwhelmed, inundated, engulfed, absorbed, obliterated, swallowed up… in a voluptuous ocean of bliss – of your own making. Not even of your making, because this is You. This is … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dark to Light: The Mouse Hole of Your Mind

Heard the one about the mouse hole? No, not a joke but a tried and tested method of quieting the mind. Eckhart Tolle mentions it in (I think) The Power of Now. As you sit in meditation and settle yourself down, … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Making inner space

In the early days of my Hatha Yoga study I was privileged to be taught by the powerful, beautiful and eloquent Angela Farmer, who I notice is still working and teaching all over the world (http://www.angela-victor.com). She had a little … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Chakra Christmas Tree

Who knows where it comes from or where it leads. In this case it’s not rocket science to answer the first question: it comes from the ancient wisdom of the Chakras, which I touch on here and there on the … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Computer called Yoga

There’s a whole raft of them out there, the ‘convertibles’, laptops that flip around to become tablets (like iPads) and do most other things besides. My attention was caught by the Lenovo version, which calls itself the ‘Yoga’. Really? How … Continue reading

Posted in The Critical (but positive) Enquiry Track | Leave a comment

Sitting on a ring of fire

In the late 18th / early 19th centuries – the time of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe – there was a phrase used by English gentlemen to describe another’s qualities of solidity, reliability, dependability, common sense, determination, stamina and – above … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video 1: Peace, Power and a Balanced Ecology of the Soul

Peace, Power & Balance – The Ecology of the Soul First in a collection of short videos. Subsequent ones will be shorter! Enjoy. Here’s the script: The Ecology of the Soul – the Balance of Peace and Power Hi I’m Aidan … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Atma Bomb #2

As we said earlier, Sanskrit for ‘soul’ or ‘self’ is ‘atma’. Remind you of anything, given that our modern language owes an enormous amount, in root and branch, to this most ancient of languages? Any particular word that means ‘the … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Atma Bomb #1

Friend said the other day: ‘Lord knows I’m not a spiritual person, but…’. Apart from the fact that he was invoking the Lord to bear witness to the fact that he had nothing of spirit within him, which is kind … Continue reading

Posted in Magic Minutes | Leave a comment