ARE YOU GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARDS IN LIFE?
MAY 11th, 2009: I want to thank a new friend who shared inspiring conversation to help me take this meditation into a more formed perspective. This is what I'll share with you tonight.
Are you stuck in the past? How do you know? Well let’s watch our thoughts and see as we count them for a minute if you have more thoughts of the present, future or past. Research shows you have about 60,000 thoughts a day. That means the thoughts you counted you experience 60,000 times per day. Now Multiply that by seven days a week. Then multiply it by fifty-two weeks. Multiply that by your age. WOW. You get a real picture of the influence you have on yourself in creating your reality. Everyday yoga tells us that we can move our mind state from one of "nidra" sleep to "Buddhana" awakening. The practice encourages us to be MORE than aware, but really awake. So you have a chance to do something more than just using 20% of your mind as a means to look backwards and instead really engage 60-80% of your mind to wake up and focus on forward moving “future” intentions. This is how you propel yourself forward and co-create with life!
Even Winston Churchill speaks to this when he said, "The price of greatness is responsibility over each of our thoughts." The Sutras Chapter 1 verses 2, 3, 4 really get to the heart of this. Here is a traditional translation and explanation.
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1.2 Yoga is the settling of the mind. |
The goal of yoga is attained in stages as you develop the ability to be directly aware of all thoughts and images of the mind and voluntarily settle these thoughts into intention. |
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1.3 When the activity of the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is intrinsically peaceful unbounded consciousness. |
Learning to keep the mind silent and tranquil is the necessary prerequisite for being aware of that aspect of ourselves which is naturally calm, peaceful and fulfilled at all times. |
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1.4 Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind. |
If we only focus our attention on the thoughts and images of the mind we come to believe that all we are is the physical body, thoughts, emotions, or moods. When the mind is silent we become directly aware that we are also “awareness” itself observing the body and mind. This awareness has the nature of being permanently peaceful. |
Or as Pantanjali says in the Yoga Sutras, "When you are inspired by some great purpose all of your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world!" Be the cause of your own future happiness! Remember it’s not about your IQ, your job, your car, your house, it is about your I CAN, I WILL, I INTEND. That will lead you to the best life ever! Love, Silvia