“Sickness, apathy, doubt, carelessness, laziness, hedonism, delusion, lack of progress, and inconsistency are all distractions which, by stirring up consciousness, act as barriers to stillness.” –Patanjali (Yoga Sutra)
I’m sure you’ve experienced one of the above states of mind.
I have many times.
The problem isn’t that these states arise within you. It’s that you ignore their significance and fail to use them to your advantage.
For many years, I suffered through self-doubt and inconsistent focus which logically led to a complete lack of progress towards any and all goals.
My awareness of these mind states that dominated my life was cloudy at best. I knew I lacked confidence, but showed little interest in self-growth.
Like a stress-inducing comedy where the main character never seems to learn his lesson, I continued with the same mindset and was always surprised when the anxiety and depression came.
Many people who struggle with mental health feel weak and embarrassed. They try to cover it up by being someone they’re not to force themselves to fit in. They manipulate their personality to extract the “success” like popping a pimple when you know it’ll only get messier.
I went through all of this and maybe you have as well.
We know there’s another way.
A mind above “Cause & Effect”
The universal law of “Cause & Effect” eliminates the idea of chance or coincidence from the realm of possibility.
“Chance is but a name for Law not recognized.” –The Kybalion
While this leads us to conclude that, indeed, everything happens for a reason, there’s some confusion over the meaning of “Cause & Effect.”
“Cause & Effect” doesn’t mean that something creates another. It deals with a specific order of events. One event leads to another in an infinite procession of events starting with the ALL.
Because there are different planes of reality existing simultaneously, there are different planes of “Cause & Effect” which we can manipulate by existing in a higher reality.
In other words, by changing our perspective through an altered mindset, we can elevate to a higher plane of reality in which our thoughts and actions have a certain effect on the formation of future events.
Patanjali describes the ultimate altered mindset as “Isvara.”
A mindset that creates events on your terms
“Isavara” is a distinct, incorruptible form of pure awareness, utterly independent of cause and effect and lacking any store of latent impressions,” –Patanjali (Yoga Sutra)
The absence of latent impressions means a stillness in thought.
An observer. A witness.
Amused and curious, but unmoved and unattached.
In this mindset, you dominate your mood, character, and environment. Instead of allowing external impressions to infiltrate your mind, you create your own desired mental images.
You see, you block the natural flow of events with your doubts, fears, and mental distractions.
In “Isavara,” you’re not changing events. You’re allowing them to proceed as they should by altering your mindset.
The practices that develop “Isavara”
Mental distractions prevent self-awareness. Without self-awareness, you remain vulnerable to mental processes and thoughts imposed on you by the external world.
Doubts start to creep in. Anxieties arise. Your will to elevate to a higher consciousness crumples before the pressures of society.
But where there is a will there’s a way.
Like anything else, it takes practice to achieve a desired result.
You can subdue these distractions and develop a power of will that fuels an intense and unbreakable concentration.
Patanjali suggests:
- Pausing after breath flows in and out
- Observing new sensations
- Experiencing thoughts that are free of sorrow
- Focusing on things that do not inspire attachment
- Reflecting on insights from a sleep state
- Meditative absorption in an object
Cultivating a free consciousness
Your mind is a blank canvas and you are the artist.
It doesn’t matter what you’ve experienced up until this point. You can use your imagination to free yourself from the constant mental blockage of natural events.
You decide what images appear in your mind’s eye, what words you utter, and where to send your attention.
Cultivating a free consciousness is self-observation. When you observe, you freeze the fast-paced mind like shining a light on a thief.
Then you pick and choose what serves you and what doesn’t.
Your mind becomes unexploitable and you become unaffected by your environment.
Now, all you have to do is be you.