Walking Home with Baba: The Heart of Spiritual Practice - Inspirational Book for Meditation, Self-Discovery & Enlightenment | Perfect for Yoga Practitioners, Seekers & Spiritual Growth

Edited June 26, 2022: I've spent parts of the last three days listening to the audio version of this book. I suspect I've changed and grown a bit since I last read this book, as it seemed to touch me even deeper. I thank both Rohini Ralby and Aaron Ralby for making "Walking Home with Baba: The Heart of Spiritual Practice" available in audio format. I choose a busy lifestyle, and listening to the book as I've gone about my days' activities has been a blessing. The narration is clear and conveys the author's intent so very well!In this unusually deep, yet very practical guide to spiritual practice, Rohini Ralby shows us the map that will take us to God and bring about our own freedom. Although the paths presented are simple to follow, the author emphasizes the need for the practitioner to put forth consistent effort in order for real change to occur. Walking home with Baba does not offer feel-good, temporary solutions, but is a guide for the committed seeker that is grounded in Ms. Ralby's extensive understanding and practice of time-tested scriptures from both Eastern and Western traditions. Interspersing personal stories with scriptural direction, she shares with the reader tools she has developed from decades of helping others to free themselves from their bonds. Although this is a no-nonsense book intended for the person who is seeking the deeper truths, the author is not heavy-handed and often presents the humorous side of her spiritual development.Starting by pointing out that there is a difference between what we think we are and what we truly are, the author introduces the reader to Patanjali's system of Yoga, outlining the many ways that we create our own prisons. The text is compact but readable, and the author takes pains to help the reader who may not be familiar with the Sanskrit terms she uses. Emphasizing that spiritual practice is the only way out of our misery and is "the discipline of self-surrender...a way of living, not a fix that makes us feel better for a moment", Ralby explains the necessity of engaging in the world while remaining unattached. The reader is encouraged to go into their heart while looking out at the world with discernment, and is led through the steps that have been promoted by traditional mystics for centuries. This is where liberation begins.Care is taken to convey to the reader the that the same word may have a different meaning to each person who uses it, and the pitfalls of such assumptions. The three levels of spiritual practice are introduced and examined, while the common aspects of many of the world's religions are touched upon. This is not a dry read, as every other chapter contains personal stories that illustrate the author's life as her own ego was ground down. The stories are poignant, intriguing, fascinating and sometimes funny, and reveal both the faults and the strengths of the human condition that manifest even within a monastic environment. Ralby's solid scholastic knowledge of important scriptures comes through even while helping readers to help themselves in their own journey toward God. If you are interested in not just learning about, but practicing, the mystical tradition that all the major religions recognize, this book is worth a close, slow read.