Navigate through what arises

Notice anger and discontent arise. Yet, conditioning teaches us to fear expressing truth, to resist sharing feelings, and to believe expressing anything other than calmness or happiness is bad or wrong. Even within yoga or spiritual circles, emotions that don’t echo only peace, love, gratitude, and joy are often judged as out of place.

Truth is, dishonesty about the ups and downs of life is insincerity. To say one thing directly and yet, express different feelings behind the scenes, suggests what we think, say and feel are incongruent.

Inner well-being comes from the connection and harmony between our inner life and the outer world. As we live from soul, our thoughts, feelings and action naturally align. When something does not feel right, imbalance plays out in our lives to guide us in new directions.

Assuming we must always be happy may misinterpret the sutras, yamas, and niyamas. After all, true transformation involves bringing discomfort to the surface, being honest with ourselves as part of accepting and integrating everything. This is the path to embody wholeness. Each instance we are not open with others, tells us we are not open and honest with ourselves in ways we do not yet recognize. This process of opening the heart to cracks is necessary to guide one into the vibration of true peace and contentment.

Why is it that we tend to overlook mental-emotional afflictions? How is it helpful to run from ourselves? We can only do so for so long. Our emotions or instincts arise as our buttons are being pushed, causing a negative reaction instead of a positive action. It brings us face-to-face with another side of duality before going beyond.

Triggers invite us to face our shadows, to let go of harmful behavioral patterns. Through the lens of svadhyaya, or self-study, we can see shortcomings otherwise invisible to us. The journey inward is a way to dismantle why we react to certain people and ideas, and it helps us explore new directions.

Yoga is about raising awareness. As we grow more aware of our humanity, we naturally feel more comfortable expressing it. Maybe we get angry, frustrated, or upset sometimes because we practice something that stretches us to new levels of awareness and acceptance of who we are. What enters our scope of experience is always the perfect tool to navigate what arises to guide soul growth. We are like invisible air that takes shape through wind, moving clouds and swaying trees and then, blows away.

Equanimity is what you are

Notice the resistance that arises at the prospect of facing adversity. Sitting meditation in silence offers ideal conditions for preliminary practice, to develop tools to face what evokes discomfort, and yet, sitting as such is not the real thing. True meditation happens when you are amidst the action, the chaos, when you face impossible people, intense emotions, unavoidable situations. During such conditions, can you keep the mind in silence, solitude and peace? To do so, we must first raise awareness and stop attacking ourselves. Many of us have a mind split into a victim, rescuer and/or attacker for ourselves or "others". We may even change roles. Still, when we are fiercely equanimous, we do not perpetrate or yield to threats, do not cave at emotional manipulation or implications, remain unaffected from attacks and guilt-trips that come from our superego, our own unconscious. We dissolve it by refusing to ratify it. By calmly abiding, we see through the unreal. The ego mind attacks, would like us feel bad about ourselves, stuck in a spiral. The only way out of it is to stop being an ego self, be unaffected by desire or fear, pain or enjoyment. Our true practice is to come to view suffering as a mental exercise. Most of us are taught to fear death, pain and other challenges. Yet, to a Zen master, all are great blessings. The view is our enemies are our greatest gifts to evoke love, passion, forgiveness, self-empowerment in the realisation of the unity of all that is. They guide us to let go of the ego mind, that which would like to be in pain, to be in a state of inadequacy, guilt, shame, attacking or peaceless self -justification or self-reproach. These are all false relationships with the real. The Supreme Being is within us. Only through awareness and alignment with Soul can we claim this power. A guru cannot give it. Mantras or other spiritual practices do not give it. One must claim it and with the power of will, integrate it into our life. It happens when we are in a state of deep honesty and truthfulness with ourselves. If we allow it, our inner voice can sting us worse than a sword. Let us focus on remaining in unwavering stillness. Let us not react, but move instead into that state that dissolves into the pureness of our Being which is love. Let us follow our breath. Get into the mind of silent presence. This vital life force, or equanimity is what you are and it cannot be lost.

Clarity reveals itself

Notice the nature of what you see and experience directly reflects your version of the Truth. Everything you do and do not do is a language expressed as energy in motion. If you see your life as upside down and topsy-turvey, then confusion and vertigo seem very real. As you find balance in the middle of nowhere, then calm abiding grows more accessible. As you begin to expand and appreciate different points of view, then everything is a mirror. As you continue to work out what matters, and stay open to stretch yourself, explore new shores and realize nothing is out of reach.