Brad4d Savasana

How often do we invite silence into our day? Our distractions pull us apart, and silence helps us tune into a deeper connection to ourselves, others, and the universe.

When feeling low, it’s difficult to change our mental channel. Reciting a passage of hope out loud tells those voices that we are stronger. As Psalm 30 says, “rejoicing comes in the morning.”

When a loved one is sick, you adopt a mindset to help you cope and accept. Mine is “quid hoc ad aeternitatum,” which means, “what is this in light of eternity?” You make choices that are enduring and don’t waste time or energy on trivial matters.

Many people will engage in yoga for the physical benefits, particularly at first. Eventually it trains us to become more aware of when to press further, and when to ease up.

How often do we speak from the ego? Sometimes it’s best to choose silence, especially if our ego wants to “win” an argument or bring down someone else. James Allen writes about how those who have inner strength will choose silence over empty words.

Who are you outside of the labels and identities society has created? Who are you when you’re alone? You might have done self-examination several years ago, but you might have evolved. It’s important for us to be aware of how our reactions and perceptions affect others so we can continue to effect positive change in the world.

A lot of traditions note that we seek pleasure and avoid pain. This is common among many people. However, joy is something more deep-seated, rather than fleeting pleasure. Joy exists in both pleasure and pain because it connects us to something much more eternal. This passage is from Rufus Jones' "The Inner Life."

It’s important to seek help when we need it, but we have to put in the necessary effort ourselves. Escaping or demanding others to change won’t bring us closer to healing ourselves. We must do the inner work.

When we don’t feel we are enough, the world reflects this idea back to us. This mindset makes us vulnerable to media and messages that persuade us that approval can be bought. However, if we imagine we’re enough, we make choices that benefit ourselves and others. You can read the text version of this at https://medium.com/@mbbrad4d

Although Thomas Merton traveled the world, he would find solace in the woods. In “Raids on the Unspeakable,” he notes the artificiality of the city, criticizing the destruction of nature and its way.

How often do we use words or music to fill the void and avoid silence? Both can be used to improve upon the silence if they open up the deep places within our spirit and allow our souls to breathe.

Most of us desire power, but it’s a matter of how it’s acquired, cultivated, and utilized. One type of power is temporal, one is dependent, and another is independent and eternal.

When a person or situation pushes our buttons, our reactive mode might elicit a response we might later regret. Shantideva tells us to be still in these situations, and act “like a log of wood.”

Hope can help bring a positive light that helps us in a given moment. We have to refrain from placing hope on a particular outcome, especially if it brings us out of what the present moment can teach us. This passage is from Thich Nhat Hanh.

We hear and see messages that tell us that approval and belonging comes with purchasing a product. Thomas Merton is critical of these messages, telling us that peace and happiness comes without cost.

If we find ourselves yearning for the present moment to be different, it calls attention to places on which we should reflect. Our uncomfortable edges can be the best teachers.

Although it’s important to have healthy relationships, it’s equally important to find contentment being alone. Otherwise, we place demands on our relationships to fulfill needs we could fulfill alone.

How often do we live life on autopilot? We get into the car, insisting on filling the silence with music or other audio. We also reach for our phones during moments of waiting, filling empty spaces with entertainment. We lose our ability to focus and accept the mundane if we don’t practice cultivating them.

When feeling anxious or depressed about things we lack or crave, we can get stuck in this mind state, which brings more lack and craving. Taking a few moments to focus our attention on what we DO have can help us shift out of our negative mindset, even if it is just for a moment. However, with practice and consistency, we allow gratitude to be a balm for what aches our hearts.

The more busy and distracted our lives, the more crucial is our need for solitude. We reflect on what’s best for ourselves, and we learn how to tune into our deeper self.

How often do we hurry through experiences, good or bad, saying “Life is short”? Seneca disagrees, saying that life can be long if we are mindful in how we live.

We waste so much time, energy and money on things that give us temporary pleasure, only to find emptiness or more craving. By seeking the eternal, our thirst is quenched.

We can adopt a religious or spiritual practice, but it’s important to reflect on our own lives. According to St. Teresa of Avila, humility grounds us and gives us proper perspective. However, she says, sometimes we are called to fly.

Our religious practice might seem strange to others because it is different from their own. But it is not wrong if it cultivated compassion and honors a divine connection among humanity. Here’s a passage from a foreword from the Dalai Lama in the book, “The Mystic Heart” by Wayne Teasdale.

Many people have walked away from religious practices because they are tired of being told there is only one way to God. Rufus Jones tells us that our way is unique—based on our own individual self.