One of Patanjali’s first Yoga Sutras tells us Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha
Yoga Stills the Fluctuations of the Mind.
But what does that mean?
On further reading, we learn that we are ALL looking at the world through a viewpoint sullied by 5 ways of wrong thinking.
That means that the way you view the world, your friends, enemies, work, problems, loves, likes, and everything else first filters through these FIVE lenses of seeing.
The first is wrong-thinking – when you think you know, but you don’t really know what you think you know.
The second is mis-understanding, often the underpinning between disputes that is cleared when one takes the time to listen and hear.
The third is getting lost in Imagination (worry, FEAR) and then acting on the basis of imagination instead of reality.
The fourth is deep sleep, moving through life in an unawakened state, or, literally, sleeping all the time. (Looking at the phone all the time??)
The fifth is Memory, which is an unreliable narrator of our experience, as it changes, re-colors, and shifts over time.
How does Yoga and Meditation help? As we sit in the stillness that is seated meditation or move thoughtfully through a yoga practice, we learn to examine our thoughts as they arise and to look beneath the surface to get a deeper understanding of the matter.
As we take our practice off the mat and into our world, we learn compassion, because as we see our own mistakes and misjudgements, we can be more compassionate when we observe others tripping on the same stones that we did.
So today, my wish for you is clear thinking, clear seeing, and clear action rooted in truth, wisdom, & understanding.