EMBRACING SPIRITUAL RHYTHMS

It is important to know about interpersonal relationships. What really disturbs interpersonal relationships? The relationship gets disturbed when disagreement begins. Just look at yourself. Have you always agreed with yourself? You had some idea yesterday; today you may have a different idea. Five years back you had other ideas that do not necessarily agree with the ideas that you have today. So when you can have a disagreement with yourself, why should it not happen with someone else?

The ‘someone’ you have a disagreement with is just a photocopy of your old or the new self. You need to take a look at your own thoughts and emotional patterns; there is a rhythm in them. And there is a rhythm in the consciousness. You need to find a harmony between all these rhythms within you and that’s what is called spirituality.

Spirituality is observing your own existence. Have you thoroughly known your body? When you see someone, you can see their physical form but have you experienced your own body? Experiencing your own body, your breath, your mind, your emotion and the source of your life is meditation. Meditation is experiencing the life force and being conscious of it; and it is done effortlessly.

Mind and body function on completely opposite laws. In the realm of the mind, effortlessness is the key. You cannot remember something through effort. The moment you relax, the memory comes back. Creativity, intelligence and memory - all these faculties within us happen effortlessly. However, in the realm of the body, you have to put in effort. You can build muscles only when you put effort.

How do you listen? The sounds come and fall on the eardrums but if the mind is elsewhere, can you hear? You are listening through that faculty in you that is called the mind. When you are listening, you are either agreeing or disagreeing. Notice whether you are saying yes or no. This something by which you say yes or no is called the intellect.

It is the same consciousness that functions as man (mind), buddhi (intellect), chitta (consciousness) and ahankaara (ego). Our ancient people have called the four different faculties as Antahkaran Chadushtaya.

Similarly, if you observe memory, it clings onto something that is negative. You will forget ten compliments from someone, but cling onto one insult.

This needs to be reversed; and the process of reversing this tendency of the memory from clinging on to the negative and moving to something positive is called yoga. Yoga makes you like a child again. It not only revives your nature, it also keeps your heart and mind young and bright. Yoga improves perception, observation and expression.

Today one of the biggest problems in the world is emotional instability. When you create an informal outlook and cordial environment around you, you grease the friction and become the master of your environment and not feel helpless about what is happening around you.

In life there is no set formula. When you think that you are very honest, that you are righteous, you become a little stiff inside without even knowing it. You point your finger towards others and become intolerant. When you recognise that there are flaws in you, you are then able to accommodate the flaws in other persons.

That’s why it is said, ‘‘do a good deed and forget about it’’. It is not only your vices or bad qualities that will harm you. Even your good qualities can make you stiff, rude and angry. That is why you should surrender both bad and good qualities. Relax and let go.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR, The writer is an Indian yoga guru, a spiritual leader, founder of The Art of Living