Greetings Sadhakas,
This week in class we are exploring Dharana or concentration.
Households,
cities, countries, and nations have enjoyed great happiness when a single
individual has taken heed of the Good and Beautiful. . . . Such people not only liberate
themselves; they fill those they meet with a free mind.
-Philo
Just as we live in
a physical atmosphere, we are surrounded also by a mental atmosphere. And just
as the air we breathe may become polluted, our mental atmosphere can be
polluted by negative thinking. If trees were not always releasing oxygen into
the atmosphere, scientists tell us, all life on earth would suffer. On a smoggy
day the trees along the freeway look grey and drab in the haze; they do not
seem to add anything valuable to the landscape.
Yet they are
performing a vital function: they are taking in our carbon dioxide and giving
us oxygen in return.
A person whose mind
is free from negative thinking spreads a life-giving influence in much the same
way that a tree gives oxygen. Although a selfless man or woman may seem to go
through the day doing nothing extraordinary, without them nothing would
revitalize the atmosphere in which we think. By being vigilant, and not
encouraging negative thoughts, all of us can offer this vital service - which
benefits everybody, including ourselves.
Words to Live By:
Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran
The homework is to witness the mind and all
of its movements or Vrittis. The Yoga Sutras state that practicing the Eight
Limbs of Yoga is the key to calming the Vrittis. Study these Eight Limbs and
specifically review Dharana or concentration as a practice to help you notice
when you are generating a negative thought and discourage the fruition of these
thoughts.
Blessings,
paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
360.834.5994
www.rushingwateryoga.com
Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington
