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Suffering Can Be Our Greatest Teacher

Suffering Can Be Our Greatest Teacher

Suffering Can Be Our Greatest Teacher

by Swami Sitaramananda

Yoga is a scientific method to alleviate suffering and help people find the Truth and Essence in the teachings of all religions.

Understanding Emotions

Emotions are a major cause of human suffering and are the root causes of many kinds of diseases. Emotions come from deep samskaras (imprints in the mind). The mind carries these emotional grooves and habits.  Some examples are:

  • Deep experiences of attachments and losses, and as a result we experience the consequent emotions of grief, fear and sadness.
  • Habits of desires lead to the consequent emotion of anger when the desires go unfulfilled.
  • Memory of the insecurities of the past and our built-in survival instincts bring about anxieties, competition, greed, and jealousy
  • Repeated mistake between love and lust brings in emotional confusion and fear rather than trust and causes swinging patterns between hatred and love.

These experiences are written in our subconscious mind and they repeat themselves, becoming imprints. These imprints project themselves out, making the mind restless.

The emotional scars and traumas cannot be resolved through talking them out or replaying them in the mind.

We need to go deeper than what they are and change the paradigm, no longer basing ourselves on our ego/self but switching to the Atman/Self — our pure core consciousness that has no scar or imprint and is completely free. 

Suffering can be a stepping stone to spiritual breakthrough.

Yoga practice such as the 5 points of yoga comes in handy during times of suffering by offering systematic methods to get out of the box and move into a new paradigm of consciousness. As Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that has created it.”

Healing Emotions

In addition to the numerous medical benefits of Yoga, we can find through Yoga a spiritual approach to healing the psyche and the emotions. Yoga understands and explains the ups and downs and highs and lows of the mind, the samskaras, and the deep karma they come from.

In Yoga philosophy when we talk about suffering, we talk about karmic lessons, and we are talking about samskaras or karmic imprints.

Suffering in our lives can point out the areas or tendencies we need to focus on to evolve so we do not repeat the same mistakes. In other words, we “work through the karma“.

We can be proactive instead of reactive as we take up the opportunity to alleviate our suffering by using the scientific and systematic methods of Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga.

These methods will calm the mind, convert the emotions and allow us to experience the Truth about ourselves. Patanjali, the father of Yoga, said in the Yoga Sutras, “The misery that has not yet manifested should be avoided.

Thus devotional practices and meditation practices, initiated by suffering, can blossom into awareness of our own karmic tendencies and samskaras and our willingness to transform our emotions by practicing pure love.

© Swami Sitaramananda 2018 – No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author.

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Your Mind is Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy

Your Mind is Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy

Observe the Mind

You are the observer of the mind. You are the witness of the mind. The mind is not you. It is your instrument. It is your tool. It is like when you drive a car. You don’t say the car is me. The car is a tool. You can stop it, you can start it , you can park it, and you can leave it alone. Observe the mind. How to do it: you realize that the mind functions in a certain way. So you have to learn about the mechanics of the mind, how the mind works.  Here is an article on 5 Practices to Keep the Mind Elevated.

Understand how the Mind works

The mind is like a horse running in the wild. You catch the horse, you put the reins on it, and you know what happens? Can you tame the horse? No. You have seen the cowboy movies and how difficult it is to tame a horse, to break a horse. It doesn’t like to be tamed. Meaning, it doesn’t like to be disciplined. The mind, the nature of the mind, does not like to be tamed. It does not like to be told what to do, does not like to be disciplined, because it likes to run wild. In order for you to tame it, you cannot force your mind, you have to be a friend with it.  This short article talks about How to Progress towards Peace of Mind.

You have to be friends with the horse and then slowly, slowly you show it that you are the master. You tell it where to go, you encourage it. If it goes in the wrong direction, you say no. You have to go slowly. You have to be friends with your mind.

That means if you hate your mind and you say, “Mind stop it! I told you not to think so much about it. Why do you think so much about it?! I don’t like you.”

Would it work? No, the mind would go wild, it would think of 10,000 things.

Do Not Force the Mind

You need to be consistent, patient, and steady. You have to gently bring it back. If the mind goes away, bring it back and focus on Om, bring it back over and over again. After some time, the “horse” will calm down by bringing it back to Om. After some time it knows the reins. It knows what the master wants and it just will stay there with Om, Om, Om, Om, and then you can go deeper and feel oh so good. You cannot force the mind, you cannot beat the mind.  This article talks about How to Avoid Unhealthy Habits of the mind.

Become a Witness to the Mind

Meditation is constant observation of the mind. If you think you are the mind can you observe the mind? In order for you to observe the mind you have to know that you are not the mind. You are not the thoughts. You are not the emotions.

Lets say you have emotions in the mind. You say, ” I am angry. I am so angry today.”

Instead you say, “there is anger in my mind.” The mind is an object, something that can be seen.

Bring your mind to OM. Find your point of focus. Get in touch with the inner silence, the place of fulfillment, the place of joy. Let your thoughts come and go, have one pointed concentration, silence for a few minutes. Recharge yourself. Stay as a witness.  You can learn more about the importance of meditation in this article Understanding Why we need to Meditate.

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The Path to Spiritual Success through Yama and Niyama

Success is when we are able to break through the chain of karma. In other words, success is being able to retrain ourselves not to repeat the same pattern of conditioned behavior which makes us unhappy. The reason we are not happy comes from the fluctuations of the mind and the constant replaying of its unhealthy patterns. Swami Vishnudevananda said that we will not be born if we are not attached to something. Otherwise, we experience the roller coaster of our mind and emotions and miss out on the rewarding and fulfilling experience of being our own peaceful, loving, happy, and blissful Self.

The yoga masters have given us guidelines called the yamas and niyamas for conscious self-development by mindfully correcting our actions. By endeavoring to apply these foundational guidelines in life, we elevate ourselves and become happier as our mind becomes clear, simple and equanimous.

The Yamas (restrictions) and Niyamas (observances) are to be consciously practiced in thought, word and deed.

Yamas: Restraints (The Things Not to do)

Ahimsa: Ahimsa means restraining oneself from the reactive tendency to be angry when one’s desires are not met, or the tendency to abuse others and enter into conflicts or wars. Here the antidote to anger is contentment or letting go of expectation, accepting that “It is not my will, but God’s will”.

Brahmacharya: Brahmacharya is control or sublimation of the sensual and sexual drive and deals with the emotion of lust. Hence by practicing brahmacharya, we can restrain the tendency to seek sensual pleasures as the goal of life, and to misuse our sexual energy – which is to be converted into spiritual energy.

Asteya: Asteya means non-stealing or non-covetousness. Therefore, observing this guideline will counteract our tendency to give in to our desires, or think that satisfying material desires is the goal of life.

Aparigraha: Aparigraha means non-accumulation and control of greed, so much at the root of our societal ills. Thus, observing this guideline counteracts our tendency to think that the more we attain or possess, the more we will be safe and secure.

Niyamas: Observances (The Things to Observe or to do)

Saucha: Saucha is purity. This observance will help us to counteract impurities in our bodies, minds, and outer environments, and to come into deeper contact with our true Self. By purifying the emotions and thoughts, which are like coverings over our eyes, we can begin to see more clearly and gain a more true perspective.

Santosha: Santosha is contentment. This practice will help us counteract the tendency to look externally for happiness and instead we find that happiness comes from within.

Tapas: Tapas means austerity. This practice will help us to counteract the belief that comforts of the body and mind are the goals of life.

Swadhyaya: Swadhyaya is the study of scriptures. Doing this will help us to counteract the idea that only what we can see and what people tell us about ourselves is true.

Ishwarapranidhana: Ishwarapranidhana means self-surrender to God or a higher power. Self-surrender counteracts our tendency to think that we are the best and the top. Practicing self-surrender will help us work through our karmas by cultivating acceptance and knowing that everything happens for a reason.

How to Avoid Unhealthy Habits

How to Avoid Unhealthy Habits

To keep our minds from falling into repetitive negative patterns, we make our minds so focused on positive thoughts that there is no space for a negative thought or habit to enter. Events happen so that we can be molded into a better person. When we are faced with a difficult situation, we are being given an opportunity to learn. However, sometimes we do not learn. Instead, we develop a negative emotional reaction that becomes habitual. Then we look for ways to relieve ourselves from the emotional negative memory and this can lead to addiction.

For example we may have an emotional problem, the mind resists and does not move; we feel we have no connection with our inner being and have no strength or will. We take a drink. The negative feeling begins to consume us so that we have even less will, less strength, less discrimination. We just drop our hands down in despair and say “What’s the point of struggling? What’s the point of disciplining and controlling anything? I’m going to drink myself to oblivion.” Once there is a tendency towards self-destruction, it is easily repeated and it becomes a habit. And even if we reach a point where the negative memory has faded and we are drinking less, guess what? There will be another difficult situation that confronts us.

We must train ourselves not to collapse. In yoga, when we hold a posture, we hold it and continue to hold it. And though we may resent our teacher, we hold the posture, breathing and relaxing into it even though we may want to do the exact opposite. Holding our body in a yoga posture helps us to learn to hold our emotions and our mind. We train the body to be flexible because when it is flexible it is able to adapt and hold and balance and this helps the mind also to be strong.

We need to carefully limit the negative influences to which we expose ourselves. Influences can come from anywhere – from media, from friends and family, for example. They may unconsciously encourage us in our negative tendencies and emotions, such as addictions to fears, anxieties, anger and hatred.  We need to be aware of the influence of social media, news, polarizing conversations, television shows and literature, advertisements and song lyrics. We must be wise with whom we mix and how we spend our time. We need to mix with people who think positively and radiate positivity. The underlying Truth about Life is positive, even though our perceptions of what is happening might be negative.

The lesson here is that we need to keep working on the mind and empty it of everything except positive thoughts.

How to Progress Towards Peace of Mind

How to Progress Towards Peace of Mind

Restless pursuit of happiness

Peace of mind is difficult to attain because our minds are always changing. We restlessly pursue happiness outside of ourselves, preoccupied with our own self-interests, egoistic ambitions and opinions. Caught up in this cycle of seeking fulfillment everywhere but within, we fail to perceive or remember our true nature, which is already Blissful and Perfect.

Qualities of nature

The formula is simple and can be described as a way of working with the three gunas or qualities of nature: 1) break through the tamas or darkness; 2) calm down the rajas or passion; and 3) nourish the sattwa or purity.

Attain to purity

What is sattwa? Sattwa is the energy of purity, balance, harmony, knowledge, and wisdom. It is the revealing aspect of reality with which one is able to see clearly, penetrating to the true picture of reality. In sattwa, there is no pain and suffering from desires fulfilled or unfulfilled. It is the energy of going INWARD AND UPWARD that brings us ultimately to peace of mind.

The three gunas or qualities of nature, exist in our bodies and minds, and in order to bring ourselves to greater awareness we can follow the yogic guidelines as a formula for bringing them back into balance.

Attaining Peace of Mind

1. We should wake up tamas by meaningful activities such as regular exercise, taking yoga classes and regular exposure to satsang (spiritual discourses), as well as attending short yoga retreats where one can engage in selfless service, or Karma Yoga. Meeting with spiritual people and teachers will also help one to awaken from inertia.

2. Pacify rajas. Rajas is outwardly-directed and self-centered action; it is manifested as a restlessness of the mind which has difficulty calming down and turning inward. To tame it, the self-motivated, egoistic and passionate sensual activities need to be reduced. We can pacify this energy by learning to become more selfless in our actions and in our hearts–by practicing selfless activities, volunteering for meaningful causes, giving to charity, and beginning to think of others and develop compassion.

3. Increase and nurture sattwa: At the time when rajas is more or less calmed down and peace and purity start to dawn, the yoga practitioner doesn’t stop there, but continues practicing the inner discipline of yoga and meditation, carrying on leading a contented, meaningful, peaceful and simple life based on devotion to the greater Truth.

By practicing these three steps starting today, you will begin to fill your life and the lives of those around you with peace, joy, contentment, harmony, and balance. Swami Sivananda says, “A brilliant future is awaiting you!”

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Understanding Why We need to Meditate and the Benefits

Meditation is the ‘cessation of mental activities.’ When your thoughs reduce by just 20 percent, you will experience relief and a self of self-control.” – Swami Sivananda

Meditation lies at the heart of any yoga practice.  Once you feel comfortable practicing the asanas and breathing exercises, you will feel more relaxed in your body.  Then, it will seem like a natural step to pay more attention to your mind by practicing meditation.  This brings about greater mental and emotional balance and, eventually, inner peace.

Physical benefits

During meditation, the distractions of the world around you disappear and the parasympathetic nervous system gently brings about a sense of relaxation and balance. Your heartbeat and respiratory rate slow and your internal organs are rested. Research shows that meditation stimulates the immune system, too, promoting health and protecting against illness.   Adepts of yoga have long recognized that the vibrations generated by thoughts and emotions affect every cell in the body – and that negative thoughts can impede the cells capacity for regeneration and homeostasis. The focus in meditation on positive and harmonious thoughts, therefore, is thought to promote health and well-being at a cellular level.

Mental Benefits

Ancient yogis aptly compared an unfocussed mind to a crazy, drunken monkey, jumping from one thought to the next in a never-ending cycle.  It is all but impossible to prevent the mind leaping from one thought to another. During meditation, you simply learn how to focus on the present.  This prevents your mind from dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.   As your mind becomes more focused, confusion gives way to clarity.  You find that you can face the conflicts that disturb your mental peace and you discover creative, positive solutions to those conflicts.  This brings about a greater feeling of self-control, inner satisfaction, and sense of purpose.   What is more, you not only experience these benefits during meditation practice. They spill over into the rest of the day, helping you to concentrate better at work and play.  By encouraging emotional balance and more patience and understanding, meditation also improves your relations with those around you.  You will become less irritated by other people’s habits, more understanding, and better able to accept their limitations.

Spiritual Benefits

As your meditation practice deepens, you will gain glimpses of a state of being that you have probably never experiences before.  You may feel as if life’s clouds have dissated and you can see more blue sky.  You will have a sense of greater inner peace, well-being, positivity, and a real feeling of trust in the goodness of life.  You will start to realize that beyond the familiar world of thoughts and emotions lies a whole new realm of consciousness.  Your sense of yourself will expand beyond an awareness of your body and your mind and, ultimately, you will experience a feeling of unity with everything around you.   Meditation is so powerful that its benefits extend far beyond the person who is meditating.  Yogis believe that the powerful vibrations of peace that emanate from an experienced meditator have a positive effect on everyone that person comes into contact with – and that, in the end, they influence the whole world.  And so making your mind peaceful through meditation is the most positive thing that you can do to contribute to world peace.

The ultimate goal of meditation

Ancient yogic scriptures describe the goal of meditation as samadhi, or cosmic consciousness.   In this state of calm understanding, the illusion of ego (the feeling that you are separate from the world) vanishes. Everything dissolves into one consciousness, or Supreme Self. In this state, you might think, “I am not my body or my mind.  My mind is only my story, and I am not my story. My body does not separate me from others. I an never alone, but always one with all.”  All negative emotions and limitings ideas about your body and inner self vanish, setting you free from discontent.  You become aware of the purpose of life and, ultimately, lose fear of death.   Experienced yogis aim to be in this state and all times, living life as one unbroken meditation.  As a beginner, start by shaking free the deep-rooted habit of identifying with everything in your mind.  This takes practice, but as the saying goes, every journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.