Tonight as I went on a hike with my boys and 2 dogs, I witnessed something spectacular. I sat on a mossy ledge, looking out onto the lake. The boys were throwing sticks, and Eli was practicing "ninja kicks" on a dead tree. I saw the water bugs making ripples near the waters edge. I then followed my gaze out across the lake a bit and was amazed to see the entire lake was filled with these water bugs creating ripples, reflecting in the sun. They were glistening in the orange glow of the evening sky. It was raining water bug ripples! It was beautiful, almost surreal looking. It struck me then that in yoga we speak of the mind being like a lake, and our thoughts are like ripples. Each thought has an effect, and different intensity on the quality of our state of mind. Meditation seeks to bring your mind back to its essential state, a state of calm and quiet. If we can learn to watch the ripples, and learn to not get to attached to our thoughts, increased clarity comes, and our state of mind is more calm, relaxed. I am reminded of the verse from yoga sutra: "yoga chitta vrtti nirodhah" translates as "Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuation of the mind". If for 5 minutes, you can take time to just sit, or lie down, breathe, listen to your breathing, and watch the flutter. You can find a space, a small space, even the briefest of moments that stop the chatter of the mind. In this space, you will find peace, bliss, the sound and feeling of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment