Viyoga: The Separation That Teaches

Viyoga—spiritual separation or longing—is central to Mirabai's poetry. She used the pain of Krishna's absence to deepen her devotion and self-knowledge. In the context of anticipatory grief for civilization, viyoga becomes a deliberate practice of acknowledging what we are already losing: stable climate, species, ways of life, certainties we took for granted. Rather than resist this separation, we can use it as Mirabai did—as a teacher. By meditating on absence before it arrives, we soften the shock and create space for acceptance. This is not resignation but preparation. The examined heart learns through separation what truly matters. Viyoga invites us to ask: what are we grieving? What does this loss reveal about what we love? How does naming the separation change our choices today?