What is behind all the noise in my mind?

Some days I am truly vexed by the running and re-running of a series of unuseful thoughts. Old tapes with false information about who I am, how worthy (or actually UNworthy) I am, my lack of skills or abilities, my looks and so on run incessantly in my brain. These unkind rumors cast a pall on my daily activities, my relationships with others and ruin the spontaneity of joyful living. Sometimes the silent radio of this false information is so incessant that I wonder if there is any reason to be here.

This mind noise is a Big Fat Lie. I am not, I could not be, as bad, failing, lacking, valueless, as this mind chatter makes me seem. I don't have to be enthused with every activity, every action, every connection in my life for life to be of value. The negative thoughts are casting a pall over life; life is worthy. So am I.

The discipline of finding and listening to my wisdom inner mind comes from practice. Practice redirecting the negative, purging the negative by leaving it alone rather than yelling at it, and sitting in meditation. Yes, meditation not only gives me a period of time where my intention is to be at peace- that intention flows through my day. It takes time, it takes discipline and the results are comforting. 

I am fine, I am enough; if I don't know how to do something I can learn it and I can get help. In time I can go even deeper and live in that space where I trust my own inner wisdom to guide, nurture and sustain me.

Dismiss all the thoughts which bother your mind. Train yourself during many days, many months, many years, to retain this pure mind. One day, when your empty mind has become crystallized, suddenly it will be illumined by its own intrinsic wisdom. At that instant you will realize the state of pure awakening. - Sokei-an, "Return to Your Original State!" 

Kyczy Hawk  E-RYT500, Yoga Teacher and Author 

What is That Space Between My Will and That of My HP?

What Is That Space Between My Will And My Higher Power’s Will?

Discussions have been held in the past about the gap - stepping into the gap between old and new behavior, the gap between knowing and not knowing. We also observe the gap between reality and our own will (ego). We discern the gap between our will and how following (not resisting) the will of our HP feels. One can note the challenge and the discomfort that can occur with the widening of that gap.  Growth comes from looking again into the gap, seeing the gap and facing it. Don’t turn away. Look, listen and learn.

Where the Mischief Comes From

“When attention to the present moment falters and we drift into some version of 'I have to have it my way,' a gap is created in our awareness of reality as it is, right now. Into that gap pours all the mischief of our life. We create gap after gap after gap, all day long. The point of practice is to close those gaps, to reduce the amount of time that we spend being absent, caught in our self-centered dream.”

- Charlotte Joko Beck, "Attention Means Attention"

Kyczy Hawk is the author of "Yoga and the Twelve Step Path" and founder of S.O.A.R.(tm) Success Over Addiction and Relapse. She offers training on line and teaches in person in Treatment Centers, and Jail. She also leads Y12SR classes at Willow Glen Yoga in the Silicon Valley area of California.

www.yogarecovery.com

Wake up this morning and awaken to your thoughts

GOOD MORNING, WAKE UP AND AWAKEN TO YOUR THOUGHTS.

With the busy-ness of the season and the changeability of the weather - our bodies react and our minds respond. Take a moment to feel your body; to become aware of the feeling tones and emotions. Then take some time to sit and watch. Watch the movement of your mind as you note the feelings in your body. Not to judge, but to know. Then, be kind, accept and go on.  

Know Your Mind

“As long as we exist, our mind is an inseparable part of us. As a result, we are always up and down. It is not our body that goes up and down, it's our mind—this mind whose way of functioning we do not understand—not just our body, but our mind. Therefore, sometimes we have to examine ourselves—not just our body, but our mind. After all, it is our mind that is always telling us what to do. We have to know our own psychology, or, in religious terminology, perhaps, our inner nature. Anyway, no matter what we call it, we have to know our own mind.”

- Lama Yeshe, "Your Mind is Your Religion"


Kyczy Hawk is the author of Yoga and the Twelve Step Path and founder of S.O.A.R.(tm) Success Over Addiction and Relapse. She offers training on line and teaches in person in Treatment Centers, and Jail. She also leads Y12SR classes at Willow Glen Yoga in the Silicon Valley area of California.

www.yogarecovery.com