Notice so often, many assume spiritual growth means achieving some extraordinary, other-worldly, blissed-out state where we are somehow transported out of where we are. This view leads us to constantly reach for the next spiritual high, focus on futures. Or we feel that with all our commitments, responsibilities we have few ways for developing our inner nature. Both of these views reflect an error in perception. Let's step back, take another look. 

In fact, our day-to-day experiences offer raw material for spiritual development. Conflicts that arise in our families and among colleagues, the pain of losing loved ones, or our resistance to paradigms, stories, events, do not prevent inner development. Rather, they point to our ignorance and all else that hinders us from knowing and embodying true nature. We must simply be willing to surrender to the process. We are each invited to meet situations that present with compassion. This is true nature. 

Many of us do not distinguish between true nature and our personality traits, particularly our less desirable traits. Thing is, we are not the body, mind, emotions, but spirit-soul. It is the nature of the untrained mind to want what it perceives as advantageous and resist what seems painful. Discovering how the heart and mind can work together allows us to move beyond resistance and start to know inner freedom. Every situation we create has potential to reveal our true nature.

At different stages, we can feel overwhelmed by life conditions or feel bound by past traumatic events. If and when this happens, we do not see things as they really are. They are just mind-states which can be known, seen as impermanent, do not belong to us. They do not define true nature. A spiritual practice can provide insight and discipline to explore our perceptions. We each must discover what is true for ourselves. Heresay does not cut it. We can each do this right where we are. There is no need to go to a monastery or get our life more together. The intensity of our will and fears is a catalyst that propels us to go down the rabbit hole.  We can choose how to see, reframe, respond to events that will lead us to a deeper relationship with true nature.

For many years, words by Viktor Frankl have inspired me. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning wrote, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

It is crucial to understand, from a spiritual perspective, that the pain and suffering with which we work is no less substantial, or less real or difficult than those others face. The constrictions of the heart and mind cannot be measured like so many pounds of pressure; they are energies we learn to feel, harness and guide us back to true nature. Funny, the quest to reconnect with true nature is often lost in ordinary life. To be wrapped up in the mundane causes us to forget the big picture.

Buddha teaches that true nature is obscured by veils of wanting, fear, and delusion (or ignorance). He urges us to look at nature of our mind systematically and observe how these three mind-states condition what we think and value, and how we behave. He teaches that to identify with these mind-states causes suffering.
If we are not our thoughts, then what is our true nature, how do we find it, and how do we live so that it may flourish?

Well, the true nature of love is not based on ego strategy, but on the sheer openness of one heart to another. This is the kind of heart-opening that provides us with courage to face what arises.

Buddha also echoes our true nature is emptiness- a lack of a permanent Self- and when this true nature is realized, the divine states of the Brahma-viharas – loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity- emerge. There is also a state of mind and heart known as bodhichitta that leads one to completely dedicate oneself to the liberation of all beings from suffering. In the teachings of the great yoga masters, our true nature is Brahman, the universal soul, of which the individual soul is simply a part. When this is realized there is satchidananda, the awareness of bliss, from the knowing that pure awareness is our ultimate nature.

At some stage, it dawns, feelings of true nature are real. What Buddha describes are actual states of mind- body that can be physically and emotionally felt as profound consciousness shifts. For some people, these changes in consciousness have a strong physical component or a marked shift in perception. Some of us experience dramatically altered states of being. Others know subtle shifts in clarity, emotional centeredness, spontaneous acts of kindness. Every moment the body and mind experience true nature may feel transcendent, and manifestation simply occurs without effort. To know a “soft heart” is to act with selfless compassion. This is dwelling in the divine aspect of true nature. The new normal can feel like a transcendent moment.

Get back to what is real

Notice pure consciousness is. 'You' arise by taking on projections of the world around you. Pure consciousness is colored by them. "Your" identity takes shape as you decide to accept or modify the projections. That decision gets repressed in the unconscious and becomes a fixation. Once repressed, you can no longer change it. Your thinking process grows from projections and your decisions arise as the basis of thought. Ego (who you believe you are) arises from who you are told you are. The false idea of you stems from early projections, decisions and fixations. It's like ego is the image you see in the mirror. The basis of the underlying operating system (beyond the mirror) often goes unrecognized. The ego wants center stage. Eliminate the operating system, and the ego disappears ('you' see no reflection). Yet, to hold 'your' attention, ego imagines problems. This prevents you from seeing behind the curtain/mirror. By thinking it's unworthy, in need of improving, ego prolongs its false existence. As long as ego can maintain the illusion of imperfection, 'you' do not see ego arises from false logic. No entity really bears your name, personality, or sense of person-hood. It's an illusion created by pure consciousness, filtered through primary projections. To eliminate the fixation, grow aware the projections are false. By imagining inadequacies, you perpetuate suffering and the illusion of separation. The real issue is the projections only arise because originally what was offered was a lack of love. Do not trust the projection that produced 'your ego'. It was not God saying he did not love you, it was people in your life that unknowingly withheld /did not provide constant, unconditional love. No matter how much self-improvement you do at level of ego, you are still unworthy because of the structure of the ego. No matter what cosmetic changes you make, no matter how much money you obtain, none of it will end the projection the core of the ego desire to improve itself. Only by growing conscious you are a Being of Light does the desire for love shift beyond Ego processes and yearn for improvement. Innermost Source of love is pure consciousness from where all creativity comes. Be the endless field of abundance, joy and bliss.

Be the discipline of Yoga

Notice a dream goes on within us continuously. A man can live without sleep but cannot live without dreams. Sleep is only needed so you can dream. If you are not allowed to dream, you will not feel fresh or alive. If you are in a dreaming state, only then do you listen to me. Dreaming is somewhere other than the here and now. You are jumping ahead. True yoga is the path to consistently be here and now. Yoga means you are ready not to hope or glimpse ahead. If you are hoping yoga will bring something for you, then yoga is not for you. Yoga is about not moving toward the past or future, but about moving within you, being present in your deepest centre. The mind must be here to enter this reality. Yoga does not invite you to learn anything. No belief or faith is required. It is not mental. Simply venture bravely into the unknown, and experience things directly. Only by tuning in, and settling the mind as it is does transformation happen. Yoga is both death and a new life. Unless the old dies, the new cannot be born. Unless you are ready to die, you cannot be reborn from the ashes. This is not something you think about, it is something you must be. Sometimes guidance is useful to get out of the head and into the heart. Yet, the gist must be done, known alone. To grow aware of Now, is to see pattern of life is confusing and meaningless, desires dissolve, deep anguish and suffering arise. If whatever you do brings pure misery then the moment is now. You cannot ask for this but earn it. Only then does one begin to understand the discipline of yoga. You cannot obtain the capacity to know until you obtain the capacity to be. This is not a curiousity or intellectual. It is far deeper. Dissatisfaction is not real and total as long as hope exists. All hope must fall to truly enter yoga. The one who promises to do or do not do is no longer. Who is going to be blissful? Silence is only possible in harmony, when no crowd exists.

Precipitate a revelation

Notice each of us is a version of the universe experiencing itself. Fear nothing. Watch events unfold. A common regret before life transitions is the view: “I wasn’t true to myself.” At the supposed end of one’s life, the key is relationship to oneself (how well does one know self and live in harmony with this knowing?) In yoga, this is essence of the human condition. We are all on a journey to find ourselves, our true nature or "inner" self. Whole universe is an expression of consciousness. Your own consciousness ( sense of being) is part of infinite consciousness of the universe, just as a wave is part of the ocean. In fact, just like the wave, we are not only part of, but also One with the infinite. Not everyone realizes this. We are taught our existence is limited so we experience a limited reality. Yet, we have an inner longing for limitlessness. We want unlimited happiness. In Truth, we want bliss (infinite joy) within, to awaken to our essence. That’s why we’re seeking. That’s why we’ll only be content when we find ourselves. So if we can expand our sense of existence from ego consciousness to infinite consciousness; from our small sense of self to the greater Cosmic Self like a river merges in the ocean waves, then we will experience this bliss we long for.

7 Steps to more Conscious Living

To get into the vibration and consciously create a new normal, its helpful to ground ourselves and be more aware of where we stand. Living more cosnciously is a choice for each of us. The question is, where are we, how do we view ourselves and the world, and where do we go from here? Consider 7 Steps to shift into more conscious living:

1. Create a Conscious Living Journal

 

This ia a place where you write, sketch, create collages or whatever orients your journey forward. Its not a place to rant or complain. Its important to get clear on how you view yourself and a sense of what matters to you. Adding daily entries enables you to see shifts in perspectives, priorities and the blossoming for yourself.

2.  Devote time to doing what you love

 

At this stage, the focus may still be unclear. To help the process, respond to these questions in your journal:

a. What would I do right now if I knew I would die tomorrow ?

b. What kind of legacy do I wish to leave?  

b. What evokes heartwarming feelings and excitement to motivate me?

c. How can I love myself and the world more?

d. Which action will I take right now to share more of who I am?

3. List you fears

 

Fear is linked to unconscious living. It is linked to heart-brain IN-coherence.  Coscious living is linked to heart-brain COHERENCE. What If I told you that if you change your thoughts and feelings, you have power to change your brain chemistry, shift from default settings to live more consciously?  Conditioned thoughts and behaviours that evoke fear are felt in resistance, withdrawl and doubting who you are. Its helpful to take a close look at ourselves.  You are invited to explore fears, write the opposite to get comfortable with new possibilities. Imagine how it feels to face and conquer fears. What is life feeling like in the present moment? Do what you fear and feel yourself reclaiming power you unconsciously gave away. Only as we make the unconscious conscious do we empower ourselves to live a more naturally loving, enriching kind of existence.

4. List 5 blessings in your life

 

Being aware of what we appreciate gets us in touch with uplifting feelings of balance and wholeness. We benefit from growing more conscious of joy, pleasure, bliss. The more we focus on balanced energy, the more we invite creating more experiences that evoke similar feelings.

5.  Learn about sacred geometry

 

Geometric shapes are the building blocks of nature.  Everything is formed by vibration and geometry.  Geometry is the way in which universal energy manifests on the physical plane.  It communicates to and through every living thing on earth.  this, in turn, is how we communicate back, consciously and/or unconsciously.  Conscious living is about growing more aware of the power of our thoughts and feelings

6. Set an intention

 

The power of intention is often underestimated. Reflect on yoru sense of direction and motivation right now.  This is an evolving process. We can have personal, family, community, planetary, universal or even galactic-related intentions. As our perspectives shift and change, our sense of intention changes as well.

7. Engage in breathwork

 

Breathwork is one of the most effective actions you can take to make the unconscious conscious, live more in integrity, enrich the overall life balance and align with well-being. A range of breathing techniques are available to help you learn to decode and read your own breathing rhythm, as well as techniques that facilitate deeper emotional trauma release. Follow your intuition. Everything is synchronicity.