Meditation is fun. Well, sort of. Most people sit down to "meditate" and get frustrated because all these thoughts keep running through their heads. After they sit for a while they say they "can't meditate" because of all the thoughts. Well...
As Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj explained (in his book I Am That), the natural tendency of the mind is to have thoughts. Swami Satchidananda says the same in his translation & commentary of the Yoga Sutras. Sri Satchidananda says clearing the mind is like throwing out the trash: you can't throw it all out at once, but you separate it first into piles and then clean out one by one. Our mind is like that too, and a yogic practice can be watching the mind, trying to bring in more positive thoughts, and dismissing or transforming the negative ones.
By taking the time to actually watch the thoughts, we are taking the first step towards yoga: we are becoming aware of them. As we "progress", we gain more control over the thoughts and start to filter, arrange, and master these fluctuations of the mind.
So if you're sitting down and frustrated by the thoughts, try not to worry. Many of the greatest yogis became so after years of practice. Those years started with just one day, and then the next day, and then another day, and before long it just became a habit. Like most worthwhile change, it will take time, but time is no excuse to avoid starting, today or any day.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
dealing with injury
Last week I injured myself...again. I have a feeling it's not uncommon, but I've injured the same area several times over the past three years.
Unfortunately, since I'm usually focusing on the breath or deeply into my practice, I hardly notice anything is wrong until the next day when I can barely walk. However, I must say it is always a learning experience, and the great thing about injuries is that they slow you down and bring you to a place of deeper awareness and appreciation about your body.
A few of my tips:
- Don't fight it. The urge to push through an injury, or not take rest, may be strong, but it will only hurt your chances of recovery. Give your body the attention and care it needs and it will heal much faster.
- Seek out experts. I had to misalign my hip a few times before my chiropractor diagnosed it correctly. (Others had said a strained tendon, overuse of the hip, etc.) But using the care and expertise of chiropractic, acupuncture and other healing modalities, the injury has healed faster and my body is also able to better deal with the stress of injury.
- Learn from the injury. There is always a hidden message. I've had to slow my life down, pay more attention to the present, discover other types of yoga practice, become more compassionate and patient, and have developed increased awareness and appreciation for my body all because of injuries. I believe the more receptive we are to receiving this hidden message, the easier the time of recovery will be.
Unfortunately, since I'm usually focusing on the breath or deeply into my practice, I hardly notice anything is wrong until the next day when I can barely walk. However, I must say it is always a learning experience, and the great thing about injuries is that they slow you down and bring you to a place of deeper awareness and appreciation about your body.
A few of my tips:
- Don't fight it. The urge to push through an injury, or not take rest, may be strong, but it will only hurt your chances of recovery. Give your body the attention and care it needs and it will heal much faster.
- Seek out experts. I had to misalign my hip a few times before my chiropractor diagnosed it correctly. (Others had said a strained tendon, overuse of the hip, etc.) But using the care and expertise of chiropractic, acupuncture and other healing modalities, the injury has healed faster and my body is also able to better deal with the stress of injury.
- Learn from the injury. There is always a hidden message. I've had to slow my life down, pay more attention to the present, discover other types of yoga practice, become more compassionate and patient, and have developed increased awareness and appreciation for my body all because of injuries. I believe the more receptive we are to receiving this hidden message, the easier the time of recovery will be.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
attached? I'm not attached!
Yoga is sometimes synonymous with the idea of "non-attachment," but finding daily ways to practice it can be not so easy. In older times, non-attachment was often part of the lifestyle chosen by yogis who gave up their worldly possessions and followed a life of monastic simplicity.
These days, we have jobs, families, and the things needed for us to fulfill our "dharma" or life path. So how do we stay non-attached? As Dharma Mittra says, we can have whatever we want, but not be attached to it. In other words, if those things or circumstances were gone, we would still be content.
Here's an example: Say I'm hoping for a raise at work. I may go into the meeting with my boss hoping for the best. If I were "attached" to the outcome, if I got the raise I would become smug and self-assured. Maybe I would think I was better than the other people or that I "deserved" the raise. If I didn't get the raise, I would be upset, perhaps angry or jealous of the others who did get a raise.
All these reactions are not yoga, because they disturb our peace of mind. If the person were not attached, they would accept the results of such meeting and then move on. The extra thoughts or feelings would not be created in their mind-body system.
When you think of it, in the case of attachment, our mental attitudes are dependent on the outcome. If we remain independent of whatever happens, we become the ones with control, and we become internally dependent. In essence, we stop looking for satisfaction and happiness in the outside world and find it in ourselves. Pretty cool, huh?
These days, we have jobs, families, and the things needed for us to fulfill our "dharma" or life path. So how do we stay non-attached? As Dharma Mittra says, we can have whatever we want, but not be attached to it. In other words, if those things or circumstances were gone, we would still be content.
Here's an example: Say I'm hoping for a raise at work. I may go into the meeting with my boss hoping for the best. If I were "attached" to the outcome, if I got the raise I would become smug and self-assured. Maybe I would think I was better than the other people or that I "deserved" the raise. If I didn't get the raise, I would be upset, perhaps angry or jealous of the others who did get a raise.
All these reactions are not yoga, because they disturb our peace of mind. If the person were not attached, they would accept the results of such meeting and then move on. The extra thoughts or feelings would not be created in their mind-body system.
When you think of it, in the case of attachment, our mental attitudes are dependent on the outcome. If we remain independent of whatever happens, we become the ones with control, and we become internally dependent. In essence, we stop looking for satisfaction and happiness in the outside world and find it in ourselves. Pretty cool, huh?
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