GET REAL!
Learn to see things as they are.
Remove the filters that you have put in place from your life experiences and see, hear, feel – experience – your life as it really is. Not better. Not worse.
Experience events as they are. Experience people as they are.
Experience what is…not what you make believe.
There is a well-used quote ‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’ Anais Nin, Tomlinson, Steven Covey and others have expanded much on this thought. Essentially, they concur that our perception is shaped by our previous experiences. I agree.
Until…
Until…we learn to remove the filters and experience things as they are. Until…we peel back the conditioning. Until…we clean our windows of perception, our lenses through which we see the world, our filters which muddy our experiences. Until…we clean up our view on life we will experience things as we are.
And…we can learn to see, hear, feel clearly. When we do, we begin to see things as they really are.
Yoga teaches us how.
The practice of Yoga asks us to look within ourselves, to become aware of these filters which have us seeing through eyes of prejudices and preconceived notions – these conditionings are called Samskaras.
Over the years I’ve witnessed many people stuck in destructive Samskaras. Indeed, I have had my own to work through. We all do!
The lure of the false comfort of Samskaras can be so strong and so convincing that some people construct false realities to bolster their need to keep seeing things as they want them to be.
Narcissistic behaviour is the absolute indulgence in Samskaras to the extent of projecting blame on others that is not due, constructing lies, and avoiding any accountability for faults, mistakes and untruths. When this is done over and over, not only does one believe their own untruths, but one becomes master of convincing others too. One even becomes comfortable as the perpetrotor of bad behaviour.
Being caught in Samskaras to this degree leaves truth at such a great distance. The desire to break-free is not even recognizable because the tangled web of self-deception is woven so tight.
Truth – Satya – is fundamental to the practice of Yoga.
In order to be liberated from the bonds of our Samskaras we have to want that liberation. Then, we have to commit to seeing, hearing and feeling what is. We have to look within. We have got to be honest with ourselves and own our stuff. We have got to put a stop to projecting onto others faults which are our own. We must tell the truth. We have to hold ourselves to account. We need to let go of pain and limiting beliefs from the past. We need to recognise our conditioning, and identify the filters we have and get on with the job of scrubbing our windows squeaky clean, crystal clear.
This is our job. Begin now!
When we free ourselves of these bonds…life will never be the same!
The less baggage we carry, the lighter we travel through life. So…unpack!
When we truly deal with our stuff, when we truly let go, when we get real…life will be experienced with less suffering. Liberation – Moksha – will be that much closer.
Develop the desire – Tapas – to experience Moksha. Without the desire to experience freedom from our conditioning there will be no discipline to do what is needed in order to be free.
Discover your SANKALPA – a short phase – an intention – that you repeat over and over again that will begin to align you with your true nature and help you let go of past conditioning. Your Yoga teacher can assist you in this process. Sometimes, we cannot yet see for ourselves that which is limiting us, so having someone guide us to see our blind-spots can be very useful.
It takes discipline to remain on the path of truth. It takes practice.
The more you walk this new path the deeper the grooves of healthy conditioning will become.
Enjoy seeing life as it is. Enjoy lightness. Enjoy truth.
