Go Ahead, I’m Listening…

To advance in the ancient practice of yoga, you need to become more intimate with your mind. Studies claim that you have as many as 60,000 thoughts per day.  That is a lot for the mind to digest.  But how aware are you of your thinking? The less you know about your own thoughts, and their patterns, the less you know how they are shaping your choices and perceptions.  I don’t believe it is a question of whether you are wanting, for I know that you desire happiness.  The real question is, are you brave enough to open the lid and look inside?

There is another layer to consider.  Each experience you have in life is embedded in your mind.  These mental imprints plant seeds that will grow to shape your future choices.  The rate that these seeds are planted is very rapid.  For example, some of these imprints are neutral, like the shape of the room or the color of the wall.  Some are positive, like helping another in need.  But most are negative, like the ones that bring you suffering.  These are the ones that require further inquiry.  In total, you are digesting 5.6 million imprints each day.(1)  Now that is a number to think about!

The complexity and vastness of your mind should inspire you to want to know it more intimately.  Knowing your thoughts and impressions will ultimately empower you to find the path to contentment and happiness.  What is stopping you from opening the lid?  For starters, it’s just a habit you haven’t formed, but more precisely, what you don’t know scares you.  Meditation is the best tool to begin this inquiry.  You have to believe what is unknown can be known. (In the yoga tradition this is called “pragnya”(2).) And when all is known, you will be free.

Start your journey by searching for patterns in your mind.  The voice inside your head is a wealth of information on how you are creating obstacles and false perceptions.  The negative seeds are part of your past impressions.  Find the root and pull it out. (I know, this isn’t easy.)  But the work begins when you increase your awareness to your daily thoughts.  Admit that your mind has the ability to jump from great highs to great lows in a single moment.  The fluxing mind is where we all begin.  Somewhere in the middle is a quietness that settles you down and brings you to a place that is pure, unchanging and shines a bright light on your soul.

(1)  The Tibetan Book of Meditation by Lama Christie McNally

(2) Prajñā is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions and bring about enlightenment.