Gratitude for Teachers and Teachings

In India, the July full moon is a day of gratitude for our teachers.

When you think about teachings you have received, what comes to mind? Through my meditation training, I have really learned how to breathe. I know the nervous system, and when I am in a fight, flight, or freeze response. I have more freedom in my mind as I do not have as many compulsive thoughts or deficiency beliefs. My mind is largely known to me now. I am not stumbling around in the dark, so to speak. I often experience stillness.

What my thirty-three years of meditation practice actually changed

At the beginning, we were encouraged to have a dedicated space to sit every day, and to sit at the same time every day. That helps us get into the habit. It took me many years of daily practice to actually meditate at the same time every day, and it is very stabilizing.

As I started watching my mind, I realized that we cannot believe everything in there. Neuroscience talks about that now. Our brain literally believes what we think. If we have a lot of catastrophic thinking, our whole nervous system responds as though it is true.

Most of us also have minds that are not very well trained. When we want to focus on stillness and we turn our attention away from thoughts, it is not going to be 100 percent. I am pretty good at it now unless something is bothering me. Then I notice those thoughts are a lot more intrusive.

Be careful what you put into your mind

Be careful of letting negative thoughts have too much air time, and also of the kind of movies you watch, your social media, and the people you spend time around. To access the light and stillness that is the true nature of our mind, we need to not put too much junk in.

When you notice negative thoughts, or a lot of fear and anxiety, one of the most immediate things you can do is acknowledge the type of thought that is going on that is distracting you from stillness. Can I breathe? Could I relax my body? Refocus? What would help right now?

Swami Veda

The first time I met my meditation teacher, I could feel waves of love coming from him. That was also the first time I had ever experienced that kind of energy. People would talk about being in a temple and feeling peace, but that had not been my experience. Then I walked into his presence and felt it so strongly.

I could see and feel his compassion and his kindness. His mind was so still that he was not disturbed by us. One time I had the opportunity to sit with him alone. I was talking about something difficult that was going on, and what I realized was that he was just listening. It was not activating anything in him. He was not feeling sorry for me. He was not angry on my behalf. He was just listening with attention without judging, and that gave me the room to share what was in my heart.

He was wise about people. One time we were working with a difficult situation with a teacher. He put his hands into fists and said, if you are holding onto that relationship with closed fists, there is no possibility of a new one. The old one is gone. Open your hands and let it go. With open hands, maybe there is a possibility and maybe not. When we are holding on, there is no possibility of something new.

I have used that so many times over these decades when I needed to let go of what is not there anymore, or what I want to be. I offer it in my courses and teachings, because it is so true. We cannot control the world. We cannot control each other. We cannot control the environment. We can always work with letting go of what has hooked us, and we can open our hearts.

I am very grateful for my teachers, and grateful to be part of the lineage of Himalayan Yoga Meditation where the teachings flow through me as well. I am grateful for all of our connections, and for the way meditation can ease us into awareness of our own light and stillness.

A practice with the full moon on the lake

Imagine you are sitting on the side of a lake and the full moon is shining down on the water. Many of us have an experience we could recall, or an image that comes to mind.

Tune into the light on the water. In your mind, let that lake be still.

Notice the color of the moon. Look at the roundness and the fullness of the moon. Let your mind become even more still.

If thoughts come up, they are more like ripples on the surface. Do not follow the thoughts, and the ripples on the lake will start to become quieter.

Allow your breath to be smooth and continuous. Let your body be relaxed. It is hard for the breath to have ease when our body is tight. Let your body soften. With this focus, we are also giving the mind something to do instead of going into all the other things it likes to obsess about.

We can have a lot on our minds, and when there is a moment of stillness, the urgency from the nervous system might push through. The visualization of moonlight on a lake is about the stillness of the mind, and the mind is also a mind body. It is our heart as well. Sit with your heart, and with love, and with the light of your True Self.

If you like, watch the video with my reflections on my years of meditation on this day of gratitude.