The beauty of yoga is beginning to understand the paradoxical nature of truth. Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit yuj, meaning, "To yoke" or "to unite".
It connotes the idea of balancing out the polarities. It is within this balance that we discover oneness. When the Buddha was asked how to tune a lute he replied, “not too tight and not too loose”. Yoga is all about striking a balance.
In the last entry I wrote about the importance of not personalizing your experience. In this entry we will address personalizing our experience. Let’s look at two different situations. One that will create suffering and one that will create happiness. During situations where suffering arises, I find it important to stop and ask myself how I have contributed to this situation. By making this a practice I don’t fall into a victim mentality spending endless time blaming someone else for my present state of unhappiness. I know if I don’t practice this, I will become hard, defensive and guarded in life.
Now, when it comes to successful situations that produce happiness, I don’t personalize it. I ask myself how those around me have contributed to this situation. For me this keeps me humble and non-egotistical. This helps me foster an attitude of interdependence and appreciation for those around me. I can rest in the cohesive nature of life.
Striking a balance is the skillful act of knowing when to personalize and when not to personalize an experience. Your internal compass needs to point towards happiness at all times, so if personalizing an experience brings up suffering then you can let go of personalizing. If not personalizing the experience brings up suffering then you need to stop and ask yourself “how have I contributed to this situation?” This requires a keen sense of awareness and the ability to discern.
This is a very important practice while being on the path to happiness.
It connotes the idea of balancing out the polarities. It is within this balance that we discover oneness. When the Buddha was asked how to tune a lute he replied, “not too tight and not too loose”. Yoga is all about striking a balance.
In the last entry I wrote about the importance of not personalizing your experience. In this entry we will address personalizing our experience. Let’s look at two different situations. One that will create suffering and one that will create happiness. During situations where suffering arises, I find it important to stop and ask myself how I have contributed to this situation. By making this a practice I don’t fall into a victim mentality spending endless time blaming someone else for my present state of unhappiness. I know if I don’t practice this, I will become hard, defensive and guarded in life.
Now, when it comes to successful situations that produce happiness, I don’t personalize it. I ask myself how those around me have contributed to this situation. For me this keeps me humble and non-egotistical. This helps me foster an attitude of interdependence and appreciation for those around me. I can rest in the cohesive nature of life.
Striking a balance is the skillful act of knowing when to personalize and when not to personalize an experience. Your internal compass needs to point towards happiness at all times, so if personalizing an experience brings up suffering then you can let go of personalizing. If not personalizing the experience brings up suffering then you need to stop and ask yourself “how have I contributed to this situation?” This requires a keen sense of awareness and the ability to discern.
This is a very important practice while being on the path to happiness.
2 comments:
Love this article. If everyone would personalize and recognize the part they play in their experiences the world would be a better place.
It starts with being present and being aware of who you are. This is why Yoga is so beneficial for those who want to reconnect with their inner self.
Ah, balancing out the polarities...this is EXACTLY where I am now, especially with my new site. How does one mix the message of laughter and hope in the right quantities with raising awareness about suicide prevention? Oy-veh- it's a big challenge indeed.
I am practicing more yoga lately, however it's more off the mat than on. But, at the end of the day I still feel I am on the right path, the path of helping others.
Namaste.
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