“Get rich quick. Count your blessings.”
Retail and grocery stores maintain a steady flow of music throughout the day because being left alone with only our thoughts is so uncomfortable that it’s bad for business.
To recap: Thinking is bad for business. It is challenging to sit alone in a room, upright, eyes closed, phones off, email notifications and texts sent to oblivion. Don’t underestimate the courage that it takes to attempt such a feat, let alone stick with it for any time.
Through yoga, we prepare the body to sit still for any period of time; in stillness, the mind becomes calm, and a state of deep inner peace and contentment washes over, something you might not be familiar with. That brief glimpse of ‘nothingness,’ no aches or pains, no worries or planning, no prepping or recounting, that is your true state of being.
Meditation is an interesting task, because we are forced to confront our thoughts outright. Remember that you’ve been playing the same sad songs and repeating the same habitual patterns of thinking throughout your entire life. And with such dedicated repetition, those thoughts have become your truth. But this "truth" as you see it is false, nothing more than a jumble of words and opinions fed to you by the same self-defined experts and so-called authorities who decide what is “normal” against the standards of a flawed majority.
What you will experience through the dedicated practice of yoga is your true state of being. Yoga postures focus the mind on the body and breath. The practice reminds us that right here and now, exactly the way things are, without changing or “getting” a single thing, everything is perfect, we are okay.
Contemplate: Are you done with the empty promises of sensory gratification? Have you had a boyfriend and been unhappy? Are you happily married and still discontent? Is there a time when you had less money but felt more joy? It is not your situation or circumstance that will determines your state of mind.
If you want to be free of the rat race of material pursuit, formulate a gratitude list. Unconditional joy is being happy with what you have, free from the distraction of yearning. Are you ready to step out of the box and start wiping the mirror clean? Are you prepared to step into the responsibility of living with integrity? Because that’s what this process is all about.