Flexible Mind
I like to rearrange things. It gives me an opportunity to see things from a new perspective. It freshens up a dull or boring reality. It’s a way that I exercise my creativity and try out new ideas.
The human mind is flexible… up to the point where it isn’t. It can always choose to be flexible, to learn flexibility… but that is a matter of its conditioning.
Human behavior is shaped by the mind that rules it.
Saturday mornings, sometimes once / month my mom would rearrange the furniture. While she exercised her creativity, my brothers and I would make forts with the couch cushions and exercise our own creativity. Rearranging things seems normal and natural to me. It’s part of the fabric of my early life.
I can see how that need to rearrange things could cause my partner distress, frustration, confusion. One day the plates are in this cabinet and the next day they are in that one.
Though he has come to tolerate my need for change, I think Richard does not consider it one of my more desirable characteristics.
A flexible mind is a strong mind. Meditation is a great practice to develop a stronger mind.
Interestingly, though, he is prone to change himself. While I enjoy it, it seems that he considers it something to be dealt with. There is almost nothing that we agree to that he doesn’t repeatedly confirm, and then reconfirm, citing his rationale as “I was just checking. Things could change.” But the things that I am likely to make change with and the things that he is likely to make change with are worlds apart. And these moments can be quite tenacious between us. There’s that irony again… we are both subject to change, but one of us likes the idea while the other resists. In truth, who is resisting is also subject to change.
If you have behavior that is causing trouble, then it may be a matter of strengthening your mind. It may be weak and unruly. Most minds are.
Changing the mind, how it works, what it thinks, how it thinks … this is where discipline comes in. Without discipline, we are the endless servant of a guileful mind that will keep us hungry, unsatisfied and exhausted. We want. We need. We like. We dislike. It’s a never ending rotation through a cycle of endless thoughts. These thought forms are called impressions. They are the chittas or the mindstuff that, when stilled, represents the state of yoga. And here is something you aren’t going to like hearing. Truth be told, social media is a vivid representation of the mind stuff … of the entire world. It’s not a pretty picture.
“Among the various Chittas, that which is attained by Samadhi is desireless.”
A strong mind is a disciplined mind. Without discipline, your weak mind will have no power over your behavior and you will end up stuck in painful situations, repeating behaviors that constantly cause you or someone you love (or someone that loves you) to suffer.
Yes, our minds are subject to change. It is their basic nature. And when we identify ourselves with that mind and the objects of its focus (eg. “my mind,” “my happiness,” “my sadness”), we are then subject to change. How can we ever be still or at ease or happy if we identify ourselves as that which is constantly changing? Yoga, and meditation in particular, teaches us to identify with Divinity, the source of all that never changes. Here we can finally find the way to transcend the chaos and confusion of the mindstuff.
A disciplined mind can give us the strength to say NO or the courage to say YES. But even more important than either of those, a disciplined mind can offer us the ability to pause before we say or do anything. Especially things we aren’t sure about.
The fourth book of the Yoga Sutras is called The Portion on Absoluteness. What it’s really about is transcendence beyond the burdens of being human and trapped in the cycles of life and death, happiness and unhappiness. It’s about how to master and transcend our karma. And this means transcending our mind.
If we are to find our happiness, if we are to master the unruly mind, we must absolutely embrace discipline. There is truly no other way. Embracing discipline in the form of a meditation practice has been one of the most rewarding exercises that I have ever committed to. In fact I might argue that it actually saved my life.
But how do we cultivate discipline if it is not naturally present in abundant proportions?
The answer to this is different for each of us and depends upon the stage of life we find ourself. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is great for someone in their teens, 20’s or 30’s, but for someone who has used their body hard, lives in an injured body, or hasn’t used it at all, this might be a radical assault.
You can find the way in and it can be a great help to have the support of someone who knows the path. I don’t recommend throwing caution to the wind here. Seek support, but know that whatever your chosen approach, there will be some work required. And commitment is a foundational building block. Without it, you can plan to fail.
But with commitment to the path of discipline, I can almost guarantee that your life will move in a much more positive direction. You will be taking command of that part of yourself that is most likely to create your suffering. In time, you will understand yourself better and that will give you even more empowerment.
If happiness or peace or insight is one of your goals, don’t wait to invoke your discipline. The longer you put it off, the harder the challenge. Seize the moment and take your first step. The life you imagine is waiting.
