Flower Of The Mind

In the winter, everything dies. Or seems to. The trees lose their leaves. The grass fades. Nothing grows. Nothing is green. Logically, though, we know that it is just a period of rest.

Well, spring returned and the trees are beginning to flower again. Daffodils and tulips are blooming and soon enough, everything will come back to life.

I, myself, was in a period of rest this past winter. Beautiful and colorful new season, I welcome you! Thank you for improving my mood and reawakening my spirit.

Usually, most of us embrace this fresh season with cleaning, spring cleaning! I have a new idea this year! Forget spring cleaning! Let’s hire a maid service (or clean at night if on a budget ) and spend our precious time outdoors instead.

Come on! Go outside and smell the freshness. You know you want to! Unless you have allergies. Actually, so what?! In that case, just don’t forget your Benadryl – or whatever you take – on your way out! : ) and bless you!

Do you know that in the blink of an eye, a thousand thoughts are released in our minds? Yet, only one gets processed in our conscious mind and the rest are lost in the subconscious mind? These thoughts become feelings, emotions, desires, fantasies or multi-realities. As a result, we make impulsive decisions, communicate poorly and create stressful situations for ourselves. Instead of mastering our minds, our minds and thoughts master us.

I’ve learned that in a Kundalini Yoga class. If you don’t know of this type of yoga, it’s known as the Yoga of Awareness as taught by the Indian Master Yogi  Bhajan. It is an ancient system which uses several techniques and focuses on the balance and clarity of the mind.

Kundalini Yoga teaches many techniques but the simplest I’ve come to appreciate are meditation and breathing.

Just like a daily shower to clean the body, meditation cleans the mind. Most of us  lose our focus because our mind drifts and becomes unconscious with daydreams and unintentional thoughts. Meditation clears the subconscious and helps keep our clarity. And just as sun is energy, breath is life. Its depth, rate and pattern are correlated with our moods and level of energy. So breathing can be used to change them.

If you’ve never tried it, meditation can be intimidating. How do I usually meditate? It’s really as simple as sitting alone in a quiet place where there are no distractions. I like to turn on relaxing music and sit in the traditional cross legged posture, but any comfortable position will do as long as the back is straight. I close my eyes and focus on my breath, letting go of all thoughts and worries with every exhale, until the mind is clear and calm.

You should try it! Because in meditation, you begin to realize that there is a world of your mind and a world of your own. In your world, in your identity, you are in control. And only when you are in control, your mind, which can be a beast of its own, is tamed and forced to be your servant instead of your master!