Author: inthequiet_i2itd8

Ah yes, the New Year – 2021 bringing some of us more time to reflect on having a ‘new’ outlook, then we imagined. It’s a time of year when some of us decide to set goals, or not?

Most winters, the months of January, February & March can provide excellent opportunities to cultivate stability & strength, for the health of our bodies & life. 

In the system of yoga, we instruct our students to set a Sankalpa, for the practice. The Sanskrit word ‘Sankalp’ has been interpreted to mean “resolution” or “intention”. According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati, “sankalpa has the potential to release tremendous power by clearly defining & focusing on a chosen goal.”  The aim of Sankalpa is to set a heartfelt desire or intention from our innermost sincere resource.

Goals defined are: “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed…”

Although we aim to set our personal goals & with some effort can often be achieved – then what do we do?  In fact, too much effort does not create much balance at all!

Now, let’s reflect on the idea of seeking fulfillment instead, as a sense of renewal.   The state of the of fulfilling: “is to witness the fulfillment of a dream: to achieve fulfillment of one’s hopes; realization; completion. This is more in line with the explanation of a Sankalpa.

Making change can be easier once you learn to tap into your inner resources.  The journey to inner peace is inherently in you. All you need to know is you are already equipped with all the tools to reduce your stress … simply Let go & just Be. The results? Letting go helps to reduce anxiety & depression; creates a deeper sense of calm & relaxation. Being fulfilled increases positive emotions, toward a brighter outlook, per se. Fulfillment is said to stall aging, while increasing our creativity, and inspiring us to deepen our spiritual connection, of whom we truly are.

Renewal

The other side of the coin is to make no resolutions at all and to leave 2020 behind expressing empathy for yourself with deeper breaths several times a day & 5-20 minutes of silence, in recognition of all the efforts you’ve made last year.

The residue of this practice is healing to every system in your body.  Remember, language is our medicine, so choose your self talk with care and consideration. 

Gratitude is not just a polite ‘thank you’. Gratitude is the thread (sutra) in the tapestry of life, connecting us deeply in relationship with all beings. Simultaneously, it nourishes a spark of hope within the physical & spiritual body.

In addition, gratitude creates a sense of belonging, as vital food for the soul. Gratitude produces a sense of abundance, knowing you are sufficiently supplied for. Taking only what we need – “less is more” & imparting to others, as giver, sincerely & generously in our giving. 

Gratitude is like a boomerang, a kind of renewable currency or an economic gift to the world that comes back to you (karma). Once we launch out, the generosity has a wonderful way of multiplying with each exchange, whether material, in thought or in action. The energy of this exchange becomes robust passing from hand to hand & heart to heart.

Our ‘GIFT’ to the world – as member, makes us accountable to each other, happy & fulfilled. Realizing your contribution is a gift changes your relationship to the karmic cosmos, in a mysterious manner.

As a result we are all responsible for our contributions, as our gratitude has a considerable impact in the world. Just the act of gratitude & understanding fulfillment will likely steer you toward taking better care of the ‘gift’.  Rather than hording our assets, realize we are all stitched into the same tapestry of this world & its relationship to it.

There is power in ‘gift-thinking’ as well. During my day, I often forward love, healing and prosperity to all businesses & everyone I plan to encounter. Imagine if we acknowledged everything we consumes as the gift of Mother Earth? Wouldn’t we would take better care of what we are given. Mistreating any gift has both emotional & moralistic ripple / vibrations or weight to it.

We must lighten the load to keep us alive in our ‘economic relationships and not just those of goods & services. Our ‘systems of market economies’ are hardly good models of equilibrium. Anthropologists observed many past cultures, with different viewpoints on “how we provide for ourselves,” including gift economies.

Truth is, gift economies originate from the abundant gifts of the Earth, which are not owned and must be shared. Sharing generates goodwill and bonds to ensure an invitation to the feast when your neighbor is fortunate. The word reciprocate comes to mind….

Be Satisfied Until All Are United as One

These are critical times for the entire planet. The world, country & group situation is deemed very critical, demanding & fragile yes?

Facing up to the situation, there is no use being satisfied until there is real unity and understanding between all of you. I say, we should all be ‘Warriors of Small Things’ – authentic in everything we do in life. This warrior practice can help to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. This ties into the idea of the yogic philosophy called Bramacharya: moderation. With it we can grow in our discipline…. our self-study, and what it means to surrender as a peaceful warrior.

In The Quiet, M.A.Y.A. Meditation-Ayurveda-Yoga/QiGong-Ashrama