Navigation was one of those things that was drilled into me at an early age; scouts, cadets, and a father who himself served in the reserves. By the time I needed to navigate in the Army, I had my fair share of bearings under my belt.
To navigate (with an old school map and compass, tsk tsk the GPS crowd) one must first orient the map.
In order to orient the map, one must have a vague idea of cardinal directions (North, South, East and West.)
How do we know which way is north?
Enter; the compass.
How is it that we get a compass to ‘point’ to North?
No knobs, no dials, there isn’t much to do. Actually, more like nothing.
Do nothing.
Let it be, and it will point home.
A compass is fundamentally a magnetic pin / needle on a dish of water. The water means the pin can move with minimal friction. The magnetisation means that the needle, when left to its own device, will align itself with the larger magnetic field of the Earth.
How come the Earth has a magnetic field?
Well, contrary to the prevalent theory that the centre of the Earth is a labyrinth inhabited by lizard people, tiny paws on myriad levers controlling global politics; the centre of the Earth molten Iron.
It’s a very long down, and it is rather hot, so I suppose that is technically a hypothesis. Even though we can’t get direct evidence, we can infer it reliably enough. I trust the geologist.
So what?
Interestingly, the magnetic field of the Earth acts as an aura; a protective shield that harbours us from the intense DNA damaging ultraviolet radiation being emitted from the Sun.
No magnetic field, no complex life (but maybe plenty of three eyed fish.)
No magnetic field, no capacity for our compass to align to it.
I’m sure the birds, who have a higher proportion of iron in the bones of their skull, would probably struggle with migration.
Nav 101; you learn to let the compass be. It wants to point north. It wants to align. It is in its Nature to do so.
What spoils the compass aligning?
Movement. Other magnetic fields from things like, weapon barrels. A lack of lubrication. (Let’s face it… no-one likes a dry needle.)
David, what on Earth are you on about this week (I hear your mind ask.)
Well, I’m being deliberately obtuse; I’m trying to make you work for it (teaching you to fish.)
Okay, I’ll spare you… what part of us ‘aligns’ when we ‘do nothing?’
According to the Yoga, the most compelling journey we are on is not through a career, or in a family, but as a Soul, navigating through the treacherous terrain called… life.
And what has worked to give me a better life than I ever thought possible?
Learning to let go.
I stopped moving.
As I began to do this ‘nothing’ business… the things that didn’t serve me… left, and those that inspire, motivate and uplift me came bounding in.
The Soul, free from the desires and impulses of the restless mind and body, pulls us into it’s very alignment the moment we begin to Surrender.
Much of the modern trip is to engineer, design, and impose upon life. Where does that often leave us? Pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps.
A futile endeavour.
Letting go, however, turning our attention away from the world, sitting and doing nothing… this is the crowning practice of Yoga and it is called meditation (dhyana.)
When meditation is seen as another ‘doing’ you will be forever agitating the sensitive needle with your restlessness. And you will remain lost.
But Surrender? Whew… woweee.
You sit and do nothing.
It feels underwhelming. It feels boring.
Banal.
“This shit definitely aint gonna work.”
But do it. I dare you. Don’t believe me, believe your experience.
After I sit and ‘do nothing’ for 30 minutes, I am reminded of three facts;
· I am stronger than my mind lets me believe (I made it!!!)
· Meditation is a strange blend between torture and bliss
· Somewhere, deep inside, I know I am pointing my life in the right direction.
When I sit, I don’t just sit… I sit before something.
I choose something that inspires me, something that takes me closer to the God that my atheist self-shunned. This is what defines Himalayan Meditation (Samarpan Dhyanyog) – it is an offering, a gesture of Surrender to whatever you believe transcends your own ego.
And for the sake of everyone you know, I pray that you recognise that there is something bigger than your ego!!!
Finally, I sit because… alignment just feels… Right.
Let us compare this mini 30 minute morning ritual to mindlessly waking up, skolling a coffee, jamming social media into your face and rushing off to busy yourself slaving away in someone else’s dream.
I know which one I am choosing!
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If you would like to learn the not-so-simple but incredibly straightforward art of sitting still and doing nothing (aka meditation,) plus a whole lot more like how the mind, body and nature connection can be used to live your best life, I would love for you to join me on one of our upcoming retreats.
Jai Atmeshwar
Victory to the divine Soul
David
