Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class
we will be exploring the breath and concentration
as a way to choose thoughts that are supportive to you and those around you.
We are what our
thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary.
Thoughts live; they travel far.
– Swami Vivekananda
The ancestor of
every destructive action, every destructive decision, is a negative thought. We
do not have to be afraid of negative thoughts as long as we do not welcome
them. They are in the air, and they may knock at anyone's door; but if we do
not embrace them, ask them in, and make them our own, they can have no power
over us.
We can think of
thoughts as hitchhikers. At the entrance to the freeway, we used to see a lot
of hitchhikers carrying signs: "Vancouver ,"
"Mexico ," "L.A. " One said in
simple desperation, "Anywhere!" Thoughts are a lot like those
hitchhikers. We can pick them up or pass them by. Negative thoughts carry
signs, but usually we see only one side, the side with all the promises. The
back of the sign tells us their true destination: sickness and sorrow.
Nobody is obliged
to pick up these passengers. If we do not stop and let them in, they cannot go
anywhere, because they are not real until we support them. There is sympathy in
the world: pick it up. There is antipathy in the world: don't pick it up.
Hatred destroys. Love heals.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to learn how you can use the breath (pranayama) as a way to interrupt the
mind and slow it down. Learn to use the
concentration (dharana) you develop in your asana practice to direct the mind
in ways that encourage the scrutiny of your thoughts. Combine the use of both the breath and
concentration to choose thoughts that are supportive to you and those around
you.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
