YOGA: How to know if your mind is clear
If you control your physical body (as in, you do not make any unnecessary movements throughout your day), fifteen percent of your destiny will be in your hands.
Controlling your physical body is what yoga is about. When you consciously breath and move your limbs, you are in control. yes or no?
When you punch a hole in the wall out of anger, both your physical and mental faculties are not under your control. yes or no?
If you JUST control your physical body you will gain control of fifteen percent of your destiny, according to Sadghuru.
Fifteen percent is a good start on a return. Yes or no?
Start by controlling just your physical body. Don't twitch, don't tick, don't open your mouth too quickly to answer questions, and don't scratch every itch.
Now you will all start scratching. LOL.
For a moment now, forget the 'don'ts'. But do pay attention to what you're body is busy doing on its own. Start even there and then trim down unnecessary movements throughout your day. For some, it works like this. Some must actively sit still until they get used to conscious stillness. Sometimes only from a place of total stillness can one start again correctly.
Using your faculties deliberately can only be done with full clarity. Often I entertain the question, "But Jay, how do we know if our mind is clear?"
When you are no longer asking these questions!
So many questions occupy our attention. Questions about our future and questions about our past. Indeed many of our present actions are taken or not taken based on questions we carry about our past and future.
What would you do if you were told you have three days to live? You can't do everything, right? You will have to prioritize. Some things just won't get done before you die. How does that make you feel? You won't get to climb the Eiffel Tower, but someone else will a week from now. Is that going to make you jealous?
Hypothetical question, right? No. It's already happened. You have died already. You are just taking your time remembering how. Death is inevitable.
You must come to a place of ease within yourself. A place where all the questions have been answered and stop showing up. A place of knowing yourself. Every conscious being is headed to a grand place where they will never fulfill their greatest expectations. Though achievement is the recognition of a goal attained and the feeling of self-growth, a new goal always materializes on the upside of the scales of time.
Time, is why it is so hard to hold energy in any form for an extended period. Equality breeds stagnation. A scale with neither one side heavier than the other results in a net movement of zero. Without movement their can be no growth.
How then, can a conscious being, stop this selfish and jealous thinking? How can we come to grips that we will never be fulfilled? Is it that our physical existence should be simply cast aside for the waiting ethereal of the past life, as certain denominations of Christians would have us believe? Does the journey not justify the end?
Has the Alpha and Omega not asked these same questions?
Before I offer any advice on the subject of spirituality or the like, I first want to be clear, that I undoubtedly know one thing for sure. That is that I have no grounds to prove anything at all. Not as a scientist, not as a physicist, and not as a friend. There is evidence, based on the deconstruction of our universe, planet, and bodies, that we work in semi-systematic ways. Yet there is no physical definition for the nature of a simple thing like water, or thought itself. There is no evidence that thought needs a medium. Just as there is no evidence that water is not conscious (yet tons of evidence to the contrary).
Of course, we can determine that water is made of two hydrogen and one oxygen atom, but we still don't know what the initial substance is made of. Was there any foresight on how much potential energy there was in a single hydrogen atom alone until discovered? Even when the discovery was made, all that was really clear was that energy could not be destroyed, but only transformed.
There is only speculation; No evidence can exist that a single star exists outside of our most powerful telescope's view until the next most powerful telescope is manufactured, or an equation exists to speculate on the next spark's possible location.
But in these discoveries lies something that is easily overlooked by science and religion alike. That thing is, the possibility of future discovery. The potential of the next farthest star.
It is baffling to us who have witnessed multiple cycles of love and loss, that science and religion have not captured and better accounted for the most important trait of the entire universe, past and present. The single form of energy that can become something without ever having to be anything beforehand. The same form of energy that exist in every newborn babe and dying old man. An energy that exists in a simple seed, even until plunged deep into the dark of earth. Energy that is experienced even in the void of sleep as colors pictures and experiences. The energy called POTENTIAL.
What does potential energy have to do with yoga? Sit quietly still for an hour and you will see how your entire being will want to turn this energy into all kinds of movements, thoughts, and prayers.
Only when we are aware of our energies wanting to move to create growth (rather positively or negatively) in our lives, can we truly see the power in harnessing this out-of-control potential energy, and to stop the constant regression to useless forms of kinetic responses.
While there is a metaphorical horizontal scale in our physical existence that thrives on imbalance, there is also a ladder in our vertical spiritual existence that exists to purge off excess energy. Much like a black hole pulls matter in along the surface of space-time and then burst out excess energy along a perpendicular plane while the event horizon grows.
If one can discipline the energies of only the physical body alone, one can control a significant portion of his life experience. The apparent fact that sometimes our bodies move inadvertently, is a clear sign that our thoughts are even more out of control than we can possibly imagine.
With yoga, you start with your breath. You think, "What a waste of time counting my breaths," no?
Can you tell me when you stopped counting them? Four years old? Two years old?
Once something becomes easy we like to assume that is is taken care of. It is a dangerous fallacy to believe that one can rest upon their achievements. When was the last time you had an easy workout that brought results?
Questions are okay. It is the racing to answer them that overcomes our thankfulness for what we have already achieved. Indeed, if you could only remember the relative millennia that you spent in the womb, overcoming infinite doubts and obstacles, while you progressed toward the dawning of your world, the only question you would ever again ask yourself would not be, "How did I possibly come to be here?" but instead would be, "Now that I am finally here; what should I do next?"
With the ever-present knowledge of your achievement, which is pure life and consciousness, questions should forever be abolished.
Know yourself as something, be it happy, goofy, patient, angry, loving, or selfish. But be something. It is only important that you are choosing what it is that you are whether than allowing questions about your outside experiences to dictate such a thing. Who you are is the only thing you can truly control, so own at least this.
Be the energy you choose and be the cause of the energies surrounding you. It takes time. It can take months, even a year, depending on your Karma. Go all in; long term. It is the way to be the cause. It is the way back again to be because.
Exercise:
FAST TO YOURSELF
Take two days off work and away from family and friends. Pre-plan you meals (only simple basics) and buy them before hand along with a couple of gallons of water. Take no distractions including electronic devices or books. Sit alone, eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, shit when you have to.
If you have a calm experience, you will be well prepared. If you get upset, anxious, or downright angry, don't beat yourself up. But you may be the toxic person in your own life. You can't be upset unless you're in bad company!
Don't get discouraged! ninety percent of people today will find that they are their own toxicity, even kids!
So what can you do?+
Slowly trim away all of the things you need desperately in your life. An easy way to do this is to start serving others. Serve your wife. Serve your kids. Serve your boss. Serve your church. Do everyhting that you do not feel like doing. Take cold showers. Eat less food. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Work less hours.
Start the process of becoming thankful again. Being thankful is the only way out of the past and into the present.
View all of his professional and philosophical works of literature on his Amazon author page where you will find blogs, videos, and free excerpts:
Jay M Horne
Controlling your physical body is what yoga is about. When you consciously breath and move your limbs, you are in control. yes or no?
When you punch a hole in the wall out of anger, both your physical and mental faculties are not under your control. yes or no?
If you JUST control your physical body you will gain control of fifteen percent of your destiny, according to Sadghuru.
Fifteen percent is a good start on a return. Yes or no?
Start by controlling just your physical body. Don't twitch, don't tick, don't open your mouth too quickly to answer questions, and don't scratch every itch.
Now you will all start scratching. LOL.
For a moment now, forget the 'don'ts'. But do pay attention to what you're body is busy doing on its own. Start even there and then trim down unnecessary movements throughout your day. For some, it works like this. Some must actively sit still until they get used to conscious stillness. Sometimes only from a place of total stillness can one start again correctly.
Using your faculties deliberately can only be done with full clarity. Often I entertain the question, "But Jay, how do we know if our mind is clear?"
When you are no longer asking these questions!
So many questions occupy our attention. Questions about our future and questions about our past. Indeed many of our present actions are taken or not taken based on questions we carry about our past and future.
What would you do if you were told you have three days to live? You can't do everything, right? You will have to prioritize. Some things just won't get done before you die. How does that make you feel? You won't get to climb the Eiffel Tower, but someone else will a week from now. Is that going to make you jealous?
Hypothetical question, right? No. It's already happened. You have died already. You are just taking your time remembering how. Death is inevitable.
You must come to a place of ease within yourself. A place where all the questions have been answered and stop showing up. A place of knowing yourself. Every conscious being is headed to a grand place where they will never fulfill their greatest expectations. Though achievement is the recognition of a goal attained and the feeling of self-growth, a new goal always materializes on the upside of the scales of time.
Time, is why it is so hard to hold energy in any form for an extended period. Equality breeds stagnation. A scale with neither one side heavier than the other results in a net movement of zero. Without movement their can be no growth.
How then, can a conscious being, stop this selfish and jealous thinking? How can we come to grips that we will never be fulfilled? Is it that our physical existence should be simply cast aside for the waiting ethereal of the past life, as certain denominations of Christians would have us believe? Does the journey not justify the end?
Has the Alpha and Omega not asked these same questions?
Before I offer any advice on the subject of spirituality or the like, I first want to be clear, that I undoubtedly know one thing for sure. That is that I have no grounds to prove anything at all. Not as a scientist, not as a physicist, and not as a friend. There is evidence, based on the deconstruction of our universe, planet, and bodies, that we work in semi-systematic ways. Yet there is no physical definition for the nature of a simple thing like water, or thought itself. There is no evidence that thought needs a medium. Just as there is no evidence that water is not conscious (yet tons of evidence to the contrary).
Of course, we can determine that water is made of two hydrogen and one oxygen atom, but we still don't know what the initial substance is made of. Was there any foresight on how much potential energy there was in a single hydrogen atom alone until discovered? Even when the discovery was made, all that was really clear was that energy could not be destroyed, but only transformed.
There is only speculation; No evidence can exist that a single star exists outside of our most powerful telescope's view until the next most powerful telescope is manufactured, or an equation exists to speculate on the next spark's possible location.
But in these discoveries lies something that is easily overlooked by science and religion alike. That thing is, the possibility of future discovery. The potential of the next farthest star.
It is baffling to us who have witnessed multiple cycles of love and loss, that science and religion have not captured and better accounted for the most important trait of the entire universe, past and present. The single form of energy that can become something without ever having to be anything beforehand. The same form of energy that exist in every newborn babe and dying old man. An energy that exists in a simple seed, even until plunged deep into the dark of earth. Energy that is experienced even in the void of sleep as colors pictures and experiences. The energy called POTENTIAL.
What does potential energy have to do with yoga? Sit quietly still for an hour and you will see how your entire being will want to turn this energy into all kinds of movements, thoughts, and prayers.
Only when we are aware of our energies wanting to move to create growth (rather positively or negatively) in our lives, can we truly see the power in harnessing this out-of-control potential energy, and to stop the constant regression to useless forms of kinetic responses.
While there is a metaphorical horizontal scale in our physical existence that thrives on imbalance, there is also a ladder in our vertical spiritual existence that exists to purge off excess energy. Much like a black hole pulls matter in along the surface of space-time and then burst out excess energy along a perpendicular plane while the event horizon grows.
If one can discipline the energies of only the physical body alone, one can control a significant portion of his life experience. The apparent fact that sometimes our bodies move inadvertently, is a clear sign that our thoughts are even more out of control than we can possibly imagine.
With yoga, you start with your breath. You think, "What a waste of time counting my breaths," no?
Can you tell me when you stopped counting them? Four years old? Two years old?
Once something becomes easy we like to assume that is is taken care of. It is a dangerous fallacy to believe that one can rest upon their achievements. When was the last time you had an easy workout that brought results?
Questions are okay. It is the racing to answer them that overcomes our thankfulness for what we have already achieved. Indeed, if you could only remember the relative millennia that you spent in the womb, overcoming infinite doubts and obstacles, while you progressed toward the dawning of your world, the only question you would ever again ask yourself would not be, "How did I possibly come to be here?" but instead would be, "Now that I am finally here; what should I do next?"
With the ever-present knowledge of your achievement, which is pure life and consciousness, questions should forever be abolished.
Know yourself as something, be it happy, goofy, patient, angry, loving, or selfish. But be something. It is only important that you are choosing what it is that you are whether than allowing questions about your outside experiences to dictate such a thing. Who you are is the only thing you can truly control, so own at least this.
Be the energy you choose and be the cause of the energies surrounding you. It takes time. It can take months, even a year, depending on your Karma. Go all in; long term. It is the way to be the cause. It is the way back again to be because.
Exercise:
FAST TO YOURSELF
Take two days off work and away from family and friends. Pre-plan you meals (only simple basics) and buy them before hand along with a couple of gallons of water. Take no distractions including electronic devices or books. Sit alone, eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, shit when you have to.
If you have a calm experience, you will be well prepared. If you get upset, anxious, or downright angry, don't beat yourself up. But you may be the toxic person in your own life. You can't be upset unless you're in bad company!
Don't get discouraged! ninety percent of people today will find that they are their own toxicity, even kids!
So what can you do?+
Slowly trim away all of the things you need desperately in your life. An easy way to do this is to start serving others. Serve your wife. Serve your kids. Serve your boss. Serve your church. Do everyhting that you do not feel like doing. Take cold showers. Eat less food. Don't smoke. Don't drink. Work less hours.
Start the process of becoming thankful again. Being thankful is the only way out of the past and into the present.
Jay Horne is an author and publisher out of Bradenton, Florida who has shared a genuine interest in philosophy and martial arts since early childhood. He is a husband and father of four.
View all of his professional and philosophical works of literature on his Amazon author page where you will find blogs, videos, and free excerpts:
Jay M Horne
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