contemplation

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering "contemplation."

My mind withdrew its thoughts from experience, extracting itself from the contradictory throng of sensuous images, that it might find out what that light was wherein it was bathed. . . . And thus, with the flash of one hurried glance, it attained to the vision of That Which Is.

-Saint Augustine

Even when we are not speaking or acting, most of us find that our mind still goes on working - thinking, daydreaming, planning, worrying, eating up precious energy that should be going to the body to maintain health. In a sense, our mind is in overdrive all the time. But in meditation we can learn to shift the mind out of overdrive and down into fourth gear, then to third, to second, and eventually to first. We may even learn how to put our mind into neutral and park it for a while by the side of the road.

When we can do that, a much higher faculty - which the Hindus and Buddhists call prajna, "wisdom," - comes into play. Then we will find that we see deep into the heart of life, with fathomless patience at our disposal. When we have learned to park the mind even for a short period, so much vitality is conserved that every major system in the body gets a fresh lease on life.

Words to Live By: Inspiration for Every Day – Eknath Easwaran

The homework is to work on developing a contemplative practice. Something like seated meditation, walking meditation, prayer, chanting, or just choosing to be quiet for 10 minutes twice a day. Take this practice “off of the mat” and work to bring the practice into all areas of your life. Take this contemplativeness and expand it.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
The BKS Iyengar Yoga School of Southwest Washington
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003