John’s Sunday Blog

Flexibility

By the time we were able to think and talk we began to learn what was wrong, or right with ourselves. We also began to pick up habits from our environment, parents, culture, and now media. But why is it, some people are more outwardly uptight than others? Why is it some are more inwardly uptight but placating to those around them? And why are some people easy to be around no matter the situation.

It might have to do with one’s grip. The clinging to some ideation in beliefs, opinions, likes and dislikes. This leads to trying to control life to your exclusiveness, negating new possibilities and living in a cycles of desires and fears. In yoga we apply Karma yoga to relieve these tensions of mind. How? First what is Karma yoga? May sound exotic but it is simply using your intellect, the part of your mind that knows this from that. Use this POWER OF ATTENTION to develop a more selfless, detached attitude towards our actions whilst dropping the focus on the results we personally desire.

Where to put this focus? One must first understand why the mind might be tense. Two yogic principles to understand.

1.) Samskaras - files of memory from experience; reflections, impressions, imprints, that color our thoughts.

2.) Vasanas - tendencies to repeat past actions. The more an action is repeated, the stronger a tendency to repeat that action.

See, not exotic, we all know these concepts, it just makes it more clear why you do the things you do when you don’t really want to do them.

Now what to do in Karma yoga practice with this knowledge? Understand that tension in the mind is just too much mind stuff going on trying to control what’s happening ha! Or resisting, FEAR - past events that may affect the future. Or wanting, DESIRE - of some mental ideal, different situation, thing, person etc, to find happiness.

To refresh,

Karma Yoga is taking the stance of a selfless, detached ATTITUDE.

Selfless - if you try to make just yourself happy based on your tendencies and programming, there will be tension and maybe much misery. Swinging from numb and asleep or out to lunch, to running, racing, trying to get back to the prior. Solution: make life happy by making life happy - following its rules. Doing your duties in an attitude that you’re adding to life rather than taking from it and leaving the results to the results, good or bad. Proper eating, sleeping and movement. And a dispassionate attitude towards your own reactions by turning the mind to the moment, the matter at hand. Also, the use of words, outward and inward. Do we really need so many of them? Things like thoughts don’t go away by force, neglect is what makes them dwindle.

Detached - do not mistake this attitude for denile. You clearly see when something is there, a feeling, perception, sensations and PATTERNS. And discern what benefits it has for your well being and the well being of all. If none, then leave it alone, loosening your mental grip, feeling your body, and seeing what’s immediately in front of you. Seen, then ignored, it will fade. If your Vasanas (tendencies) are strong, this will take time and perseverance. Also, if your particular Samskaras (Imprints) have been traumatic, they must be seen clearly and then let go. This is what therapy does. The therapist is a mirror who shines your debilitative PATTERNS back at you so you SEE them and you then take responsibility for them, and let them go. But this may be problematic if you are placing too much dependence on others to do your Sadhana (hard work) for you; leaving them drained and you stuck.

Do the inner as well as outer work by finding community to play and relax with. In the flesh is best. If you’ve had a hard time, loss, or trial, what feels best? An authentic, empathetic hug from a trusted friend? Or a bunch of well meaning words on a shiny little screen? I’ll let you decide.

Lastly, let’s look at life.

When you say “my life”, what do you mean? Your likes, dislikes, what has happend, and your plans? And who is agreeing with all the commiserating or aggrandizing? This is all mental. But there is another side to this. Did you name yourself, pick your family, your culture? Did you make this world? The Sun that shines heating elements into a soup of nature and life. Did you create the microbes that grow the food, or even grow it yourself? No. What about the body. Do you digest your food or beat your heart or even have to remember to breathe? Or the trillion other actions going on in the body to keep it standing? No.

Life, existence, has you. And it’s close. There is no big juicy world out there waiting for you to gobble it up, or it to gobble you up. Those are thoughts. There’s only the senses, 5?. What about your ability of noticing and directing your attention? This seems like a sense to me. And your awareness of it all? This seems like our number one sense. Take a bite out of life! Really? How do you bite what you are. Maybe stop biting, get quiet and see what it is.

Does the lotus flower adorn its bloom with the muck it needs to grow to its fullest capacity? And fling it about on nearby plants? In yoga we look to nature for guidance in how to go about life because the body is nature. And if you can do the hard work of standing up out of the muck, then use the hose of your intellect to wash away the ignorance with the practice of selflessness and detachment. Your mind will clear. It will become more inclusive and flexible. And know, that nature abhors a void. What wonders may appear in the gap of dropping your crap. It might be better than the same old reruns we feel “comfortable” in.