Monday, January 20, 2014

The power of yoga and meditation

We have an epidemic of people trying to run away from themselves.

We numb ourselves with excess food, stuff, drugs and shallow media input.

We attempt to break away from draining relationships, jobs, places, etc, only to find that perhaps the outer world may have changed, but our inner feelings have remained the same.

What exactly are we running from?

Committing yourself to a teacher who inspires you, may assist in developing your inner power.

Likewise, learning to hold feelings that appear negative to you without acting upon them, also develops inner strength.

If you can't stand meditation.  This is a powerful indicator that you are an escapist.  Trying to avoid your inner demons at all costs.  Likewise, you may try to drown yourself in positive thinking and attempt to be in perfect situations at all times.  This may lead to irrational decisions, divorces, quitting of jobs, compulsive buying, self abuse/abuse to others etc.

The strongest people are the people who can actually be with their suffering without trying to change it.
The more we can hold ourselves in states of vulnerability and fear, the more we can see life for what it really is.

Yoga is another form of sharpening the mind's ability to hold discomfort.  Staying in poses or kriyas when there is strong discomfort builds inner fire.

All of these lessons can be applied to life.

Achieving goals and dreams requires staying with discomfort sometimes for long periods of time.  Learning to live with compassion for all beings, requires us to learn their sufferings, and learn the ways in which we cause sufferings.  This of course is hugely uncomfortable and many of us feel that we do not have the strength to see or hear or be with suffering in any capacity of the word.

But how else can we learn to live more in tune with our surroundings if we cannot endure the act of simply being?  Being in the midst of discomfort.  Being in the midst of discomfort from others.

We cannot escape life, thinking that we can avoid discomfort at all costs, only drives our souls to misery. It's in the ability to sit with our misery that awakens a deeper sense of belonging and peace.  It doesn't come immediately.  This takes practice.  Dedicated practice, but it will come.

May all beings be at peace in their souls.  

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