MORNING READ

Just as the naturally pure crystal assumes shapes and colors of objects placed near it, so the yogi’s mind, with its totally weakened modifications, becomes clear and balanced and attains the state devoid of differentiation between knower, knowable, and knowledge. This culmination of meditation is samadhi.

“The mind of the Yogi with its totally weakened modifications” means that the Yogi has cultivated one thought form at the cost of all others. When you cultivate one alone, all the other impressions become weaker and finer. To give a physical example, if you concentrate on the development of the brain alone, you are apt to ignore the other parts of the body.

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This is not only true of the physical body; the same is true of the mind. If you develop one idea through constant meditation, all other thoughts and desires will gradually die away. In our daily lives we see that. If you are interested in someone, you think of that person day and night. If you open a book, your mind will not go into the subject but instead will think of that person. You will gradually lose interest in all other people and things. The same is true in Yoga practice. Our concentration and meditation should be like that.

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If you do not pour water on your plant, what will happen? It will slowly wither and die. Our habits will also slowly  wither and die away if we do not give them an opportunity to manifest. You need not fight to stop a habit. Just don’t give it an opportunity to repeat itself. That’s all you have to do. Any kind of habit can be easily removed this way. And that is possible by cultivating one proper habit. The mind must have something to hold onto, so you stick to one thing and all the other things die.

Now to finish the sutra, “…the mind of Yogi with its totally weakened modifications attains … a state in which there can be no differentiation between the knower, knowable, and knowledge.” The Yogi whos vrttis have thus become powerless by the cultivation of one particular vrtti ceases to distinguish between the knower, knowable, and knowledge (or meditator, meditated upon and meditation). In meditation you are conscious of all three—subject, object and process of meditation. But at this point, the three become one; either the object becomes subject or subject becomes object. And when there is no subject-object separation, there is no process either. The mind is completely absorbed and loses itself in the idea or object of meditation. Patanjali gives the example of an object near a crystal. If you put a red flower near a crystal, the crystal itself appears to be red like the flower. It becomes one with that; it accepts that. Likewise, the mind accepts the idea of your meditation and takes that form.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

7:58 am

My intention for my meditation and yoga practice this morning was Gratitude and Acceptance. I noticed that my mind is often fixated on the idea that things are unfair at work and it’s just unacceptable. Resisting thoughts and emotions took over me; that was all I could think about. When I became aware of that resistance, I started fighting resistance occurring in my mind.

We all have unwanted emotions and thoughts like anxiousness, sadness, anger. I am trying to practice radical acceptance and forgiveness. The challenge comes from my mind judging myself for not accepting and forgiving. While there’s a tendency to bring forward the answer as to why I feel certain way, I am also judging myself for how I feel.

What I am learning from my practice and Headspace meditation is that we are developing this ability by practicing to recognize when we are resisting people or things in life. Not to judge, just to recognize. 

If we continue to notice throughout the day, day to day, even week to week, or month to month, we find those patterns of resistance that have become entrenched in mind. They become quite problematic as they obscure any opportunity to experience acceptance.

I understand I am only in charge of myself, nothing else. I am ready to release control of situations or people and lovingly embrace the rhythm of life. Every day is a new day, and every moment is precious.