We are not the Doer

Yesterday, I mentioned that one of the levels of consciousness is the realization that we are not the doer. If we are not the ones doing all the things on our schedule, than who is? Who Am I?

At the end of my yoga classes I go into stillness and I ask everyone to take a moment to acknowledge their bodies, especially their organs. Offering an attitude of gratitude and appreciation for the miracle that is our body. This morning in meditation I was focused on the breath and then my mind quieted. In that moment, I noticed that air continued to flow in and out of my nostrils. There was no effort on my part; my body was breathing itself. Then I felt energy within me. That energy was breathing me. That energy was prana or Divine Mother. I like to think of Divine Mother nurturing all of creation.

We humans don’t pay much attention to the miracle of the body until it gets sick or diseased. Then we go to the doctor and try to fix it. But it occurred to me that maybe our illness and disease arise from our lack of attention to our body in the first place. If we don’t eat healthy foods, our bodies don’t get the proper nutrition and eventually they start talking back to us in the form of illness and disease. If we aren’t careful about what we are taking in through our eyes or our ears, our emotions aren’t getting the proper nurturing and eventually we become angry, fearful, judgmental, and doubtful. Eventually our bodies talk back to us by developing mental illnesses. So it seems as though we are the creators of our own situations. That makes us pretty powerful beings.

And if that is so, we can reverse our situations through our free will. I can already hear the naysayers. I’ve tried to diet for years and the weight just keeps coming back. I know I’m right and the other person is wrong, I am just standing up for my convictions. To those people I say go within. Be still. Feel the creative power within.

As yogis we strive to be unattached to the outcomes of everyday life. Yet there are paradoxes in life. How can we accomplish something and be unattached at the same time? The key may be found in the result. Have a goal in mind, but allow that goal to unfold on it’s own. Some say allow Spirit to guide the way. Maybe just maybe Spirit has a better outcome in mind for you. And maybe that illness or disease is there to teach us something. Go within.

So I’d like to end today with a mantra. Your will Spirit, not mine. Be still. We are not the doer in the play we call life. Allow Spirit to guide our way.

Namaste

Mantra

It’s not easy to let go of our thoughts and quiet our restlessness.  In Sanskrit, Yogas Citta Vrtti Nirodhah, means just that.  The goal of yoga is to quiet the mind to connect with Spirit.

One method that helps to quiet the mind is to use a Mantra in meditation.  Mantras can be a seed sound as in the word OM, or a phrase such as I am peace. No matter what we use, it’s the repetition of the mantra that helps to focus the mind.

The Yoga Sutras say that the OM vibration is within us, but we are too loud to hear it.  While we can verbalize or silently repeat a mantra in meditation, we can also repeat a mantra throughout the day, anytime we want to quiet the mind.

So how can we use mantra throughout the day? Why not try it while walking along a quiet path or perhaps listening to Deva Premal’s Mantras for Precarious Times on your iPod?  One of my favorites is OM Shanti OM.  What about repeating a mantra while cooking or washing the dishes? How about saying a mantra at work when you’re stressed and can’t seem to focus?  Anytime will do.  We don’t have to be sitting in meditation.  If we want to quiet the mind, try to make mantra a habit.

Namaste