Vyadhi – the First Obstacle to Spiritual Practice
Anyone who has been on the path of spiritual growth knows that obstacles are part of the journey. We all have things that get in the way of practicing meditation, yoga, prayer, or any other form of connecting with the Divine. For that matter, obstacles are part of life, and if we don’t want them to hinder our endeavors, it’s helpful to recognize what they are and what we can do to overcome them.
According to the sage Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras and preeminent yoga philosopher, there are 9 of these obstacles to our spiritual awakening. The first one is the most obvious: Vyadhi, or physical illness.
It’s so obvious that any kind of physical disease or injury can be an obstacle to practice that we may take a cursory look at this and move on to the next obstacle. But it’s worth a closer look.
The World Needs HSPs
Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) are known to be easily overwhelmed by the pressures of our fast-paced society, agitated by intense sensory experiences, and disturbed by violence and horror films. Maybe we are actually the sane ones, and the planet needs us.
Unhealthy Empathy – Feeling the Pain of the World
It seems that the world around us is filled with problems and suffering sometimes – fires, floods, earthquakes, war torn countries, climate change – not to mention the pandemic. As naturally empathic and caring people, we may feel the pain of the world in...Healing the Judgmental God Within
Whether it’s a Judeo-Christian form of the Divine or some other perception of “God,” many of us struggle with feeling that we don’t live up to Divine expectations of us. It’s time to change that perception.
Loving Your Worries – Instead of Becoming More Anxious!
In my forthcoming book, Awakening from Anxiety, I have a section on the 6 mistakes spiritual people make that increase their anxiety – and what to do about it. Here’s an article on one of the most common ones.
Many of us have heard of the Law of Attraction. It’s a spiritual concept that has become popular since the movie, “The Secret,” in the early 2000’s, but isn’t new. It’s actually ancient wisdom that we have rediscovered in a powerful way.
The Law of Attraction is based on physics – that like attracts like. Translated into our psycho-spiritual usage, we tend to attract in life what matches our thoughts. This is where the idea of “you create your reality” comes from. According to Law of Attraction, if you picture it, think it, believe it, it tends to manifest in your life.
Oh No! All Those Scary Thoughts!
I work with a lot of clients and students who struggle with stress, worry, and anxiety. The Law of Attraction, when misunderstood, tends to send them through the roof. They become even more anxious. I call this the Law of Anxiety.
What to Do When the World Seems to Fall Apart
If you’re found this article, you’re probably a deeply caring, compassionate person. The planet matters to you and you do your best to recycle and reuse. Maybe you volunteer at the local soup kitchen or animal shelter (or would like to if you had the time). You keep up with what is going on in the world and send prayers, supplies, or donations to help hurricane victims or the impoverished in another country.
But sometimes, it feels like too much. Your caring soul can get overloaded with the suffering of endangered species or the plight of children in war zones. Sometimes, it feels as if all the fear, pain, and torment of the planet courses through our veins, causing deep grief and sorrow.
If this sounds familiar, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) – naturally empathic, low tolerance for sensory stimulation, deeply moved by music, nature, and the arts, strongly emotional, and also easily overwhelmed.
