With the growing daylight, you probably feel ready to expand your horizons. Yet the increasing heat may put a little damper on your explorations. Still, there’s no reason why you can’t open, expand, and play while cooling off from summer’s heat and intensity – and you don’t even need to hop into a pool!
When we get caught up in the belief that we can become perfect – and the distress that causes – we can remember these two principles from yoga philosophy, let go, and relax a bit.Everyone makes mistakes. We all know this, but perfectionism, righteousness, and expectations often cloud our memory. We tend to come down hard on ourselves (or others) for the things we say, do, or think. Our previous ideals of who we are run smack into the wall of realization that we’ve blown it.
Everyone craves a sense of belonging – on this planet and with one another, especially during these times. When we cultivate connection to one another, the Divine, and nature, we begin to feel our sacred place on the Earth.
In any worthy endeavor in life, we’re bound to run into some doubt, known as Samshaya in Sanskrit; one of the 9 obstacles to spiritual practice. You may notice it arising in your mind as questions like the ones above.
Everyone craves a sense of belonging – on this planet and with one another, especially during these times. When we cultivate connection to one another, the Divine, and nature, we begin to feel our sacred place on the Earth.
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 craves a sense of belonging – on this planet and with one another, especially during these times. When we cultivate connection to one another, the Divine, and nature, we begin to feel our sacred place on the Earth.
