There are times when the mind takes over so completely that all else ceases to exist. The body that the mind relies on so holistically can sometimes yield in the face of mental storms. Strung along by the mind's chaos, the body follows pliantly, innocent and pure in its intent. The body likes it simple: food, exercise, prayer, and love, and there is no reason for any of it to trip you up. The years that rack up do not decide the body's age. The years spent in mental fluctuations do.
Freeing the body from the onslaughts of the mind
Gaining insight into the impact of your mind on your body is crucial. It is difficult to pick up on the signs that something is amiss when you're consumed by the rigmarole of daily life. Navigating this inner space that I've grown so much in, I can now clearly distinguish the trees in this daunting and looming forest. Unfortunately, the mind has a penchant for expanding pain. The consciousness does the job of containing it when the mind twists and contorts the discomfort to a point far away from reality. The scenario that presents itself can be one of great internal conflict, and it is difficult to come out unscathed.
Fighting against this internal churning can feel like taking shots in the dark. To center yourself is the best approach. When something is coming at you, just sit down, and rest a while. Breathe a little. Count if you want to and let it pass, because pass it will. This too is the nature of life. All is transient, nothing is permanent. If you are not permanent, how then can your pain be?
Unveiling the practice
A daily yoga practice helps tether you to your consciousness and helps in voiding the ensuing fight between you and the mind. Your practice binds you closer to your inner self rather than your mind. However, the mind is not just an obstacle, it is the bridge to your consciousness. It thrusts you into the deepest innermost reaches, where abounds consciousness. This dive is easily coasted with an abiding yoga practice. Yoga's daily rhythm silently tills the mind field, layering it with the soil of ease. The more the practice abides, the more the mist over the truth subsides.
Despite decades of a resolute yoga practice and life with the guru, I was not immune to the modifications of the mind. The journey of yoga does not run smooth. It is peppered with mistruths, myths and fantasies, but it never fails to deliver a breakthrough. It does not let you languish in your beliefs, instead compassionately moving you towards awareness.
The Practice is an unfurling
Awareness unfurls grace. On the wings of trust and acceptance, grace arrives and the practice blooms into stillness. Once the yoga techniques such as kapalbhati, bandha, kriya, mudra, asana are exhausted, a new journey begins. In the absence of the chains of expectation, result and transformation, I am free to bow to the discipline of yoga.
