Time off.
A holiday.
A break.
Rest.
What is it that the body needs?
How about the mind?
Out here, I needed a week in the garden (the winter sun has kicked off the weed invasion…)
When I first started to garden, I had a hard time understanding which bits of green to keep, and which ones to pull out / prune or chop.
It was once pointed out to me that a weed is simply a plant… except it is located where you don’t want it to be.
“Oh…..” I sheepishly thought, my paradigm being shifted then and there….
I realised that there wasn’t some dreaded “FBI most wanted list of plants” that once you made it on, your status as a plant was forever tarnished with the moniker ‘weed.’
Prior to that, I had assumed that weeds were vicious ‘bad plants,’ hell bent on taking over my garden.
Now, I see weeds much more truthfully… simply a plant doing what a plant does; growing where the conditions are favourable.
Even though the Ashram is set in pristine Aussie bush, even a Eucalyptus seedling (100% native) that has sprouted up (100% naturally) can for us, be a weed.
In fact, if we didn’t remove hundreds of seedlings each spring, our property would be overgrown in a number of years and would become unsafe to welcome guests (the bushfire risk + lack of usable space.)
A human is no less natural than a plant. And we have a great deal to learn from plants.
In fact, thoughts are kind of like plants.
They can start of small (worry) and grow into something monstrous (anxiety) then they can take over to the point that all that is seen is the weed (panic attack.)
But do not despair!
Yoga (of which meditation, or dhyan, is the crowning practice) is the art of tending to this inner garden.
Just as a plant becomes a weed when you declare it’s presence unwanted, from the view of a Yogin, thoughts themselves are not inherently good or bad.
Our attachment to positive thoughts (ooooh, I want to feel good!), and our aversion to the negative ones (hmmmm, I don’t want to feel bad) is what will cause us to suffer.
Yoga is the art of self-cultivation.
An animal is an instinctually driven creature.
A human, however, has the capacity to tend; to cultivate, to work upon this thing called life (one’s self and also the environment.)
And we can do this in a manner that increases suffering… (try on anger, resentment and fear) or also in a way that brings prosperity, beauty, truth and love; to us and the world around us.
The national park and ‘untouched nature’ are beautiful… but so is a well kept garden. We aren’t here to debate which one is better (it’ll make a fun topic to explore another time!)
Regarding self-cultivation practices; meditation is the single best one to clear the mind.
During a 30 minute sit with the Himalayan Meditation practice, we actively cultivate ‘letting go’ and surrender all of our thoughts.
But this is only ‘practice.’
And practice is a good start, “but what is the real game” I hear you ask!?
Our daily life, of course…
Here, amidst the daily grind, with a clearer mind we can tend to the inner garden of wellbeing so that all of our encounters can come from a more peaceful place.
It is in our daily life that we often get the opportunity to pull a weed out by it’s roots (and to be done with it for good.)
An example;
During meditation, you witness the mind clouded by a work related matter.
You watch it. You let it go.
It comes back.
You watch it. You let it go.
Over and over. Multiply by 1,000
As you continue this process, you soften.
The thoughts dissolve.
Emptiness.
Quiet.
Peace.
So far, you haven’t taken any action, other than to simply reduce the busyness of mind.
Later that day, whilst sat behind the computer, as if from nowhere, a flash of insight.
“I’m holding on too tight to this work thing I’m doing right now.”
“Ah ha”…..You join the dot… “this is why my meditation is full of thoughts about work… I’m constantly working because of xyz…!”
Still, no life-changing action. But at least you can see.
That evening, in a quiet place, you hear an inner call “I gotta let go of work for a while… I need to spend some time in the garden.”
A courageous act.
You make the necessary arrangements, get someone to cover the shift, turn on the auto-responder, book your leave, and get yourself into the garden.
This is how meditation changes your life.
There is no magic. No secret.
Simply; paying attention, and giving yourself space to hear. To listen. To feel. And then deciding to act.
This is what it is to be internally guided.
This is freedom.
And just like a gardener who chooses what is a weed (and what isn’t) your Soul is that part of you that guides which thoughts and impulses are to be acted upon, and which ones are to be discarded.
As these self-cultivation principles of Yoga come alive through your practice, the next steps to a beautiful garden are easy in theory (but hard in practice); consistency, and time.
This requires internal qualities of discipline, and persistence.
And there ain’t anyone else on planet Earth who can manufacture these for you; they are truly self generated from within.
We are here to remind you, hopefully inspire you, and to give you the occasional gee-up.
Remember, like a weed (which is just a plant,) your inner nature is to keep growing.
No matter what, you got this! 😉
We pray that this week you have the clarity, insight, wisdom and the persistence required to tend to your inner garden and that you make use of this sunny August to flourish!
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If you are ready to get your hands dirty, gardening your way to a life of inner peace, the final spots for our 13th to 17th September Soul Retreat are about to fill.
It would be a joy to share the space with you, learn more here.
