Does Awakening require Discipline?
Moving beyond concepts into direct experience
I recently read a social media post by a long time practicing yogi who practiced a form of yoga called Ashtanga for many years. Wish I could find it again and properly credit this story. This is the world of social media. Flash forward. Then it’s gone.
Anyway… the gist of this story is that this long time yogi, “quit” his yoga practice. But in reality, he didn’t quit, he changed it. He had disciplined himself for years to awaken at 4am and do his morning Ashtanga practice on his mat. Day after day. Year after year.
Until….
One day he thought he would greet the sunrise outside. Off his mat. He went out, walked, went for a swim and watched the sunrise from the water. It changed him.
In that moment he realized that he didn’t need that specific kind of discipline and that his meditation and devotional practice could include many things … in all the moments.
I breathed deeply reading this and felt a little hurrah rise up inside myself. Some of the best yogic or spiritual experiences happen spontaneously, on or off the mat.
Discipline in its true essence is love.
When there is a heartfelt love for something, there is an impulse from within that then leads you to doing it. You can’t really force discipline that comes from a concept without the quality of love. If the love of doing something disappears, or was never there to begin with, it becomes rigid and stale and won’t endure.
Love is everything. Everything is love
These are not just words.
Everything you see is love. Created from a formless energy into becoming a form. That energy that creates is love. Not the romantic or limited form of love we may know but something that is pure free energy that is within us and all around us.
Sometimes it hits me unexpectedly.
Noticing the leaves gently moving on the trees.
The clouds floating in a magical blue sky.
A tiny bee going about its beeness.
The birdsong waking me up as the sun rises.
I feel a deep love and connection in these small moments.
IT REQUIRES A KIND OF PRESENCE
Being present and following life’s impulses within you means dropping out of thinking to really notice what’s happening in this moment right now. It’s not in the thinking.
What you observe doesn’t need your description or evaluation
Being human we often feel safe doing the same things over and over. It becomes familiar. Familiarity feels safe. We can feel kind of lost when we don’t stick to our usual routines.
It's so human to habituate. We require that feeling of safety when we don’t realize we are part of an all encompassing energy of unconditional love.
The world is topsy turvy right now. On the brink of change. Routines and ways that have been in place are changing.
The best thing to do is to realize our individual connection to source. We empower ourselves in knowing that the life source energy within us is the same source energy in everyone else and everything else.
The energy of unconditioned Love.
Free
Beyond labels and descriptions
Always was and always will be
When we are awake and empowered as individual expressions of the one consciousness, we bring that powerful energy of love into the world.
Namaste
Artist, Human Design guide, Women Retreats Facilitator
,