Each day in my new routine is different: some days are filled with home chores and tasks related to school and studying, but every day is spent doing some form of meditation and spiritual practice. I had written down my goals for 2020, which included doing some form of exercise daily, doing a daily meditation practice and playing music and/ or singing daily. Since the lockdown, the only thing I have not gotten to on a daily basis yet is playing music. I have been chanting almost daily, which is actually a spiritual practice, and it makes me feel so whole and uplifted. Each day, Deva Premal & Miten go live on Facebook and chant the Gayatri Mantra, which has been such a great addition to my daily routine right in the middle of the day.
Before this lockdown happened, I had been having such a hard time before getting to all the things that I wanted to get to around my home, between projects and chores, and it was because of a lack of time. Now with all the time I could possibly want, I am still finding it hard to get to everything, since there is so much I want to accomplish. Almost every day, we cook a fresh meal for breakfast and dinner, so a few hours each day is spent with meal preparation. This is such an important task now and always, as fresh, nutritious food prepared with love, is so healing to the body and mind. Given the long list of “to do’s”, I am remembering to take things in stride, realize there is only so much time in a day and know that I cannot possibly get the list completed. The reality is that I would rather be relaxed and not stressed about what is or isn’t getting done and be gentle with myself over the expectations of “what should or should not be happening”. The pursuit of perfection is one that could drive me crazy and is absolutely pointless.
I had a realization in yoga nidra today, about my mind having expectations and being very busy with “deciding what is ok and what is not ok and that things ought to be different than they actually are”, that I was able to see that I am not ” being in the present moment”. I mentally stepped back from the reality that my room was colder than I anticipated and I was feeling cold. I realized that it was ok that my feet were cold and that I didn’t need to change anything to make this moment better. When I was able to accept this, I was able to get deeper into my experience and transcend my mind. It is very interesting to be able to observe my mind’s activity and to see how it keeps me from being present. Presence is the ability for your body, mind and spirit to be in the same place. This is a skill that needs to be exercised regularly as our minds are overactive and keep us from truly “being here now.” In life, there are always opportunities for us to experience this, but we often just don’t. Musicians, athletes and artists are often in this place when they are creating or performing, and this is called flow or peak experience. Our practice in everything we do can either help us to be centered and present and in the state of flow or its opposite, scattered and absent. The law of facilitation says that what we practice we strengthen and the neural pathways in our brains get stronger and more deeply developed.
So the question is: What do we want to strengthen?
Peace and ease and being in the present moment or it’s opposite, unhappiness and living in the past or in the future?
I have been working on creating neural pathways to aid in my personal growth consciously for over 6 years since I took my Yoga Nidra Facilitator Training, and continue to practice these skills regularly. I understand it from a scientific and intellectual place but realize the practice is so necessary, as the mind is tricky and keeps trying to keep me stuck and distracted. Every day that I recognize this and point it out to myself is another day I get closer to being awake and aware. Choose freedom and stop being a slave to the mind which wants to keep you living in the past or dreaming about the future. The mind when used consciously is a powerful machine and when used unconsciously can keep you a prisoner. Choose being awake and aware and living in the NOW!