We have all made too much of something and later realize it. But what happens to those negative, destructive thoughts we have when we are ‘over’ them? We aren’t over them, according to B.K.S. Iyengar in his latest book, ‘Light on Life.’ We are constantly making little mounds of annoyances that disturb our mind and are the cause of much discontent, not to mention, tragedy.
On a personal level, when the actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman died recently, I felt cheated of the presence of his life, though I never met him. I cannot imagine what those who loved him dearly must have felt. He was a gifted and inspired artist but had allowed himself to be torn and ravaged by desire and toxicity.
His death was a good reminder that what goes on inside the mind of others is a mystery…until we reach the state of Samadhi where we are able to access ‘reality’ as it is in all things.
He seemed very calm and happy; of course Heroin will do that. But what goes on in our own minds certainly should not be a mystery, and for me, that is the main purpose of Yoga?.to shed light on my Self, to become the bright light I really am. Or am supposed to be.
I was never a huge fan of Iyengar, but it seems the years have truly ‘ripened’ him into quite the guru. In this book, Iyengar gives a simple example of how our mind works and just what many of us, like Hoffman, are trying to overcome in our daily lives, on varying levels of disturbance. Addictions don?t have to be physical as we all know; we have negative thought patterns and behaviors that don?t serves us well but we keep serving them!
Like most Yogi?s, he uses a lake to describe the mind. Thoughts, like the agitated, restless ones that Phillip must have had are like pebbles we throw in the middle of this lake causing ripples upon ripples of turbulence.
The movement caused by the ripples on top slowly trickles down, making mounds of sand on the bottom of the lake. These mounds create a lake with constant ripples, since any movement of water which moves up over the mound will show as a ripple on the surface.
We are aware of the first pebble such as ?I want a cigarette? but the secondary ?wave? of thoughts we usually do not ?catch? until we are in full swing of throwing that pebble, ie;, smoking that cigarette. These might include guilt, desire or shame and these little thoughts, unbeknownst to us, trickle down from the pebble and create a ?I am a failure for wanting a cigarette? mound of sand on the bottom of the lake.
Yoga will help us put a space between that first pebble and mountain we are creating in our turbulent mind. Every thought we don?t want to have, and therefore ignore, trickles down and makes mountains out of molehills and we are left not being clear headed enough, with such a murky lake, to see the connection between the first pebble and the giant mound making ongoing ripples in our mind.
Our state of mind can be happy, calm, clear and as peaceful as a pond without any movement when we ?digest? each present moment as it comes. We do this when we practice an Asana and relax into it. Thoughts will always come because that is what mind does but if we can learn to be the witness of these thoughts, just as we are a witness to our body, letting them come and then go…and then we stop throwing pebbles in our lake! We put a space between our thought and the action of throwing the pebble like we put space between our joints in our daily asana practice!
One has to use the practice of Asana and Pranayama to still this agitated mind in order to finally be ready for meditation. In fact, all Masters of Yoga agree that one cannot meditate until the practice of Asana and Pranayama have been mastered.
But we don?t lose heart because the immediate benefits of both Asana and Pranayama are so gratifying that we do not feel anxious to begin something we are not ready for; we know that ?When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.?
As for now, we really have to start working on those mole hills at the bottom of our lake before they become mountains. Time for practice!