Using Yoga Philosophy
I have a regular mindfulness and spiritual practice. Despite this, in recent weeks I've been plagued with incessant heavy emotions from the moment I wake up until I can work to shake it off or reframe. From frustration at certain situations, friends, desires - to feeling helpless and powerless in the face of unclear circumstances. What's really helping me is a deep dive into yoga philosophy and ancient wisdoms to navigate and settle these emotions. They help me find my balance and ground me at times, when meditation or check in's do not.
I'm currently completing a yoga teacher training course to deepen my physical practice, as well as better understand the philosophies and foundations of yoga, a practice that has been part of my life for the last decade at least. These concepts are the foundations of modern yoga philosophy, and can be used on and off the mat to help us deepen our self awareness, and to truly attain yoga - the idea of connecting to a source greater than ourselves and allowing a union with the devine.
One key philosophy is Maha Vrata. This is the idea that nobody can MAKE us feel a certain way. It is taking ownership of the way we feel, and disallowing ourselves to blame and justify any low level emotions that we might experience. I might wake up frustrated about a friendship that is unnecessarily judgmental and comparative, and I might experience behaviour from the friend that make me feel upset or unworthy. But it is up to me whether I carry those emotions forward, or acknowledge that it happened and allow myself to let those heavy emotions go. Maybe they are result of internal conflicts they are feeling within themselves, and nothing to do with me. This will free me up to experience my own life without the baggage.
Another concept we discuss in the context of a yoga practice is Karma. While the word has taken on a life of its own in modern lingo; something that goes around and comes around, it is broken up into three different types in hinduism and adopted as such in yoga.
Prarabdha karma refers to the karma that is currently unlocking, based on our present body and an accumulation of past karmas or actions.
Sanchita karma refers to the sum of our karma from past lives. We all start from a different karmic point, according to this idea.
Finally, agami karma refers to the only karma that we can truly influence within our lives. This are the actions and current decisions that we make and have control over. We create our own agami karma through the action that we take at any given moment and what we do to create our 'right' path. We are moulding and co-creating our karmic lives through each action.
Ahamkara in yogic philosophy refers to the illusion that we create as we feed and fuel our egos. It is characterised by the "I am-ness" of our thoughts and can arise when we identify too much with an external object, idea or movement to the detriment of seeing things as they are. Our ego's are constantly in a fight for survival - to try and preserve our self constructed identity. The ego leads us to have wants and desires, and avoidance. This creates unhappiness. Yoga says that it is only within the balance of these two forces (desire an avoidance) that we can find happiness. This reminds me that perhaps I am identifying too firmly with a desired outcome or motivation, leading to further heavy emotions and frustrations.
Vasana is described in yoga as the unconscious, deep-rooted thought patterns that bury themselves deep in our psyche and physical bodies. When we do self work and self observe our patterns, we often feel strong emotions arise. These are referred to as vasana's or similarly in Vipassana they are referred to as sankara's. Only though deep concentration, stillness and observation can we clear the vasana and cleanse our karma. One way to observe this is to reflect on "What's the most common question you ask yourself every day?", followed by "How is that thought affecting your decision making and thought process?".
Sadhana in the yogic philosophy of disciplined and dedicated practice and learning. Self observation and awareness of your emotions and patterns are not comfortable and never will be. That's being human. It requires a constant practice to unlock new insights and taking back our power. It is through tapas or intense concentration that we can make breakthroughs and connect with our inner peace.
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As with so many stereotypes and typecasting that happens in the world, many of us think there is an 'ideal spiritual personality'. We assume that people who can meditate, journal, practice regular mindfulness work on a different time constraint or are a different breed. Perhaps they have dreadlocks, wear shawls and baggy pants and are constantly unbothered by the material, modern world. In the modern digital age, maybe the person has striking tattoo's, wear's lulu lemons and has an instagram page full of handstand poses. Yes these people could also be spiritual and true in their internal work, but they are not the only personas who fit the bill.
Assuming that all spiritual people look like one stereotype is a contradiction of terms. The spiritual person, or mindful person is the person who practices regularly and allows themselves to change their character by turning off their autopilot. We are all capable of being a spiritual person, no matter what we look like. It's how we act under stress and pressure that shows us the effects of our daily spiritual practice.
I'm working my way through the presence of these negative emotions, but I am grateful I have a spiritual and mindfulness practice to fall back on and guide me.
