In the West this is a hot topic of debate among philosophers and among common people. Can we influence our destiny or is everything decided before hand by a higher power?

I have already written extensively on the matter and you can go and read about it, but now I want to present it from the another angle. There is an old saying “Man proposes and God disposes.” So often our best laid plans do not come to fruition, despite hard work and good intentions.

In the field of devotional yoga (bhakti yoga) there is an important concept that deals with this. It is called Prapatti, and it means that whatever happens, happens according to the will of God. Not even a blade of grass can move without having the backing of the Cosmic will.

Understanding this, then the best way to be successful is to align your will with the cosmic will. Instead of swimming against a river learn how to find the cosmic flow and go with it. And that is what spiritual practice (yoga, meditation) is all about, getting in tune with that Cosmic flow.

Lots of people make resolutions on or before New Year’s day, but not so many people carry them out successfully. But that doesn’t mean that we should not try. The mayor of Oklahoma City has taken on a great resolution to try to help his obese city (they are ninth in the USA) to lose one million pounds collectively. I have given some suggestions on how individuals can lose weight, and you can read about them.

Similarly if you want to give up smoking, then now is also a good time to do it. I wrote a book about this subject and you can look a the introduction to it on the web.

So, it is a New Year, it is time to open up a new chapter in our lives. I hope we are all successful in this endeavor.

Usually on New Year’s eve many people make resolutions to improve their lives during the coming year. This is a good thing because firm determination is the first secret of spiritual success.

However it is not enough to stop there. After you make a determination to do something, you have to follow up with action. So, if you have resolved to become regular in your practice of yoga and meditation, then now is the time to act on this resolution. It is already the new year, so if you skipped your yoga session this morning, then do it this evening. Don’t wait till tomorrow or the next day to start, or you may never get going.

In any case I don’t want to give a lecture about this, I would just like to wish you a Happy New Year and lots of success in the coming months.