There’s always a long to-do list, including what has to be done and what you’ve wanted to do for so long.
This post is the second of a 9-part series on the obstacles to spiritual practice, from verse 1:30 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras:
vyādhistyānasanśaya pramādālasyāvirati bhrāntidarśanālabdha bhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni cittavikṣēpāstē̕ntarāyāḥ |
Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, worldliness, delusion, non-achievement of a yogic state, and instability are the distractions of the mind, and they are obstacles [in yoga].
We’ve all encountered obstacles in the path of spiritual growth – the sage Patanjali names 9 of them in the Yoga Sutras. Styana is the second, and this one may be the biggest challenge during our time in history.
Everyone has been talking about bucket lists for years, but I find they just create more anxiety. Here’s what I do instead.It’s all over social media. Just checked one off my bucket list, as they post an amazing selfie from the Himalayas or while scuba diving with sharks. People have jumped on the bandwagon of this trend to create a list of all the things they have ever wanted to do before they “kick the bucket.”
I like lists, too. I have my to-do list, my goal list, my list of classes that I would like to take someday, etc. But the idea of a bucket list bothers me.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself; to have these 10, 50, 200 things that you want to do before you die. When I was in my 20’s, that was a cool idea. I hadn’t done that much and hadn’t seen that many places. So it made sense to me back then (although the term hadn’t come into use at that time).
Having that bucket list feels anxiety-provoking. What happens if you get older, and things still aren’t checked off? A competition begins with others who are ticking off their items – will you feel that you’re behind? What if your fear about trying some of those things holds you back? What if you spend so much time planning for fulfilling X amount of bucket list items per year that you aren’t really appreciating what you have? The idea of a bucket list should be fun and exciting, not stressful and overwhelming.
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.
