Was Albert Einstein a Yogi?

image by FineArtAmerica.com

What do you think?  Does he look like a yogi?  Well, I've already blogged about it before, and we all know that looks can be deceiving.  But Einstein...?

In History and Philosophy, we have been reading and studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which outline the Ashtanga, or "8-limbed" path of finding enlightenment.  The first 5 limbs are guidelines that help you to deal with the physical aspects of "being".  For example, they instruct on the importance of breathing, of relating to the world, of being yourself, of posture.  Isn't it interesting that Asana, or yoga postures, the thing we most associate with "Yoga", is only one limb on this path?  I've spent 10 weeks observing the Yamas and Niyamas, I've been doing Asana (oh BOY have I been doing asana!), I've been breathing, and I've been studying.  Now it's time to focus on the last 3 limbs.

The last 3 limbs are sequential, hierarchical.  They must be practiced in order:  you begin with concentration (Dharana).  Once you concentrate, you can start to meditate (Dhyana).  Only after you've established uninterrupted concentration, can you achieve the deep state of peace, knowledge, and inter-connectedness that is known as Samadhi.  What does this have to do with Einstein?

In class this week, our teacher used him as an example of Samadhi, because he became "one" with his complete and total knowledge of the atom.  As a science teacher (but not a physicist), this was a "WOW" moment for me.  I agreed - he was someone, if there ever was anyone, who was completely absorbed in the knowledge of particle physics.  I understood exactly what she meant - that he had such a deep state of knowledge about something that he was Samadhi...but his area of knowledge is about the universe, so this suggests that he was one with the universe.  That's pretty darn mind-blowing.

This, of course, begged my question about whether or not he himself identified with and attributed his knowledge and experience to a yoga practice. I emailed my teacher, and she succinctly said "No.", but the thought of it tickled me.  Some beings who achieve Samadhi are so enlightened that they leave their human forms permanently.  Others dip in and out, and continue to interact among those of us who are "lesser" forms of ourselves.  We might call them "Gurus".  Seeking them out and trying to learn from them is where the devotion to a guru comes from, but ultimately, it's something you need to work on by yourself.  Concentrate, meditate, and experience Samadhi.

Was Einstein "Om-ing" away on his tuffet, concentrating on atoms, coming up with E=mc2?  Was he the guru to budding astro-physicists? Who knows.  Let's just say that not much surprises me these days.  Too bad he's not around anymore to ask.  Maybe he's left his human form, and is out there enjoying Samadhi.

"Everything which is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom" - Albert Einstein