Inner World of Yoga – Day 17
Faith – is staying with your condition or issue and literally having the faith you will come out of it or get past it. It is about facing it and not running to various distractions to get away from it or out of it, or put it out of your mind.
When we react meaning that whatever emotion or energy we feel we throw back out, or we control meaning we hold it inside and it stews, or we become indifferent, meaning we disconnect from it, we are not staying with our issue. These three responses are actually normal for most of us, and especially when the mind is engaging in dealing with a serious issue that we don’t want to even believe, much less “deal with.”
Yet, when something serious comes up in life, by going “within” and staying “with it” meaning the feelings, emotions, and sensations, this is how we develop faith in ourselves and the strength within to get through it, learn the lessons that go with it, and come out transformed on the other side.
When we engage in yoga practices, we literally practice “seeing” and “experiencing” what is within us. This is the first step towards the recognition of the conditionings and patterns in our lives that when allowed to settle within us instead of being resolved, bring imbalance that gives rise to unfavorable conditions in the body/mind/spirit.
Sri Madhuji says: “Pay attention to yourself. When you do you will know when to invest your energy and when to pull back.”
Yoga practices teach us how to find that sukha and sthira, or ease and steadiness, flow and stability, surrender and strength, in our lives that gives rise to the inner faith required to learn and grow through adversity and challenges. It brings the inner knowing that makes it possible for us to use our energy in life wisely so we don’t literally “burn out.”
