Struggling to Identify our Gifts

[Guest guest]

In attempting to share the knowledge and benifits of Yoga, Buddhism

and meditation with individuals through a variety of mediums, I can not

really say that I have been surprised by the number of people who seem

lost in this experience of living................For whatever reasons, and the

reasons are usually the same......low self-esteem, low self-confidence,

anxiety, shame, guilt, anger.....seemingly brought on by the same

things.....neglect, abuse, loneliness, isolation, rejection, aging,

dissapointments, the end of a relationship or marraige.......wondering

what there is to really accomplish in life...how to feel appreciative and at

peace with the moment.........with what we have, with what we have

been given.....

 

Having had similiar experiences and feelings, thoughts and ideas in my

own life, in the past and present, I find that all individuals are pretty

much in the same boat....dealing with the same things................

 

How to better access and identify, understand and work with our gifts,

well, sometimes it may not come from someone else teaching us about

them............It may come from the effort and discipline to see them,

find them, underneath the delusions and illusions that our ego and mind

work under........

 

Since I share these things with individuals often, they may already know

what I recommend....what I have seen in my own and other's

experiences as being a path to develop................

 

We can start this path in very obvious and subtle ways....Some

individuals may go to an extreme, surrendering to one individual and

practicing intently, hoping for quick results, quick insights.......happiness,

feeling good all the time...that is not the result of spiritual practice...it is

not like being high all the time..it is being balanced and facing the

demands of life from that balanced state..our problems do not go

away....It seldom happens that way, and some individuals get

dissapointed and resentful and distrustful of spiritual paths, practices

and teachings...........

 

A good starting point for some would be something that we do do

everyday, not necessarily postures or meditation or scripture study, but

just looking at our diet.....Are we eating healthy and nutritous food? Are

we eating at regular times? Are we eating enough..or too much?????

 

A second place to look at is our sleep routines...are we going to sleep at

the same time everynight.....getting up at the same time every

morning?....Are we falling asleep in front of the television set....looking

for some kind of intense sense input when we should be sleeping????

 

It is good to be aware of what our regular daily habits are and make

some effort to adjust them so they are healthier.....These two aspects

of daily life, diet and sleep are steps to ease the confusion and

imbalances in the mind..........

 

Another nice way to bring more balance to our ways of thinking is

through the practice of Savasana......The relaxation

posture.............watching the breath, making it equal...........for 15

minutes, everyday at the same time........

 

We can study scripture and see the guidelines that are given in this

scripture....for healthier and more skillful living. The scriptures that I

have referred to in teaching, I do not think of this as religious or

dogmatic, just guideines for, as I said, healthier and more skillful

living........They may have a Buddhist, Christian, Yoga .....or other origin.

 

The deeper changes come about once we get involved in Hatha Yoga

and Raja Yoga...This will take more time and effort, more self-discipline

and courage.....As bodily and mental tension is released, the sattvic

state is accessed...The sattvic state consists of balanced, harmonious

and divine qualities...humility, patience, detachment, .....as these

qualities are accessed we learn to understand and love ourselves

more...................the gifts that each one of us has can be better

understood and developed, appreciated, enjoyed...It may be the gift to

nurture, to write, to make people laugh, to make people feel better

about themselves, to listen, to care.........The gifts that each one of us

have do not have to be appreciated or noticed by others, and we do not

have to feel special because we have them..we just see them, and get

peace from that, and grow with them.........