John’s Sunday Blog

I Me and My

Have you ever noticed, unless someone is talking about themselves in the third person (rare and a bit odd), that everyone’s name is “I”. What is this phenomenon and why does it exist? It seems a reference point. First referring to the body, as in “I am here” or “I am thirsty, tired,” etc. Then, the situation can become more complex, spurring mental and emotional responses, such as “I am tired”, “MY boss made ME work overtime”, and “MY neighbor was loud last night”, ect. You get the picture. This is where the trouble can start and lead to a depressed sense of life, or a grandiosity, dependent on how one uses ME or MY.

Let’s take a yogic view of what is going on with this, starting with the body. How did this body get to this point? Simply put, you were born and others helped you to get nourishment. As you ate, you grew, and you maintain the body by eating and drinking. It’s simply a conglomeration of elements gathered from the earth, and is yours for a time. To keep it, one must continue to eat; gather the elements. How about the mind? It’s the same, but now it’s just a pile of memory gathered from impressions in the mind over a period of time; it’s a mix, yeh? A giant heap of good and bad impressions creating likes and dislikes ad infinitum. Notice that the body, if given adequate food, will take care of getting rid of what’s not needed, building what’s needed. The mind, on the other hand, becomes very preferential and dependent on its particular pile of impressions making a heaven or hell out of life.

And what is this mental heaven or hell I speak of?

See, there are two ways (modes of mind) in humans. I’m not talking about some kindergarten good or bad scale. And who is anyone to say what is right or wrong for/in another? One man’s delight is another’s terror, eh?

There is one frame of mind that focuses and uses its thought power on results. It’s called desire; the desire of wanting an outcome. This mode of mind does this by constantly comparing everything and using the past impressions to do so. Thus, you are BOUND to expectations of future outcomes. This is not a bad thing; it is the intellect, a power of the mind that enables us to plan, and compare.

We have another frame of mind that is focused on the process. This is called creativity. It is focused in the present. This frees up a lot of energy used in constantly, and chronically, comparing everything. In the creative mode one stays alert and energetic, as well as noticing subtle nuances, (quiet inner guidance) that can guide one to new discoveries.

To balance these two modes of mind, toning down desire and spurring creativity, one must first develop enough awareness to be able to

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THE TWO.

Quieting the mind through practicing yoga is one way of finding your silent observation point. The stillness within. From this observation point, one can see more clearly how these modes of mind are at play, within oneself. Having insight into one’s behaviors, thoughts, and actions, can, and will, relieve a lot of psycho-physio tension. The positive effects on one’s body and emotions has been proven in multiple human studies. This is the power of yoga and meditation!