Seeds of Insight 026 - How do we avoid discomfort?
The Power of the Mind to Avoid
“As the wheel of the seasons rolls towards the winter, the darkness outside is calling us to meet to the ‘darkness within’. Yet this meeting is avoided at any cost and some strategies are more subtle than others.”
This week saw the birth of our first workshop MindRest. Through beautiful yin yoga (led by the magical @antoniashaw__), self-reflection and yoga nidra, we explored the parts of ourselves that need some extra support and attention - those parts of us that we might have disowned, that we might have, consciously or subconsciously, labelled as unacceptable, bad, inadequate, too painful etc.
The cycles of nature are calling us to slow down and give these tender layers our full attention, but the tendency is to avoid them. Some call them ‘the shadow’; we chose to call them the darkness that allows us to see the light. Our minds often create these polarities - good/bad, painful/joyful, beautiful/ugly, dark/light. It is the very nature of our mind to create polarities: in order to learn and memorise, we perceive differences, separation. We store information in categories - artificial boxes, in which we box and limit an unlimited world. Whatever is perceived or previously experienced as part of the ‘negative’ category, is then carefully avoided.
Avoidance happens in many creative ways. Distraction, overeating, exercise, self-narcotisation, sleep, work, projection - you name it. We all have a preferred ‘addictions’ as that’s what they all are. Mine is, somewhat ironically, indulgence in that very emotion. I tend to dramatise it, attach an ‘end-of-the-world story’ to it, cry it out, kick and scream. And in all of that emotional display, one thing is still avoided - simply experiencing it, without labels and without stories.
In this avoidance, there is suffering. Beloved teacher Gangaji in one of her satsangs tells a story about a letter she wrote to her granddaughter. The little girl was at the age where she was beginning to be afraid of bugs. Gangaji told her that if she looked at a spider from afar, it would appear very scary indeed. But if she looked at it very closely, with a microscope, she wouldn’t find anything to be afraid of. These ‘darker’ layers of emotions appear as big spiders that we are afraid to face.
And yet, when we are willing to stop avoiding them and simply open to experience them, we discover that they are not what we thought they were. They might be even holding a present of great beauty - our own intimacy with ourselves. We might also discover that these perceived polarities only exist in the mind - there is no good and bad, light and dark in the heart. The heart welcomes it all. In this welcoming, all is dissolved.
With Love,
Iri
1:1 Mindfulness
Do you feel called to mindfulness but you struggle to develop a daily practice? I’m a certified Mindfulness Now teacher and would be honoured to share my love for this practice with you. I offer in person and online mindfulness sessions in a 1:1 therapeutic setting. I infuse them with sound healing and self-inquiry. Through this intimate format, I meet you wherever you are at. Not sure this is for you? Book a free online consultation and get a feel for my energy.
Upcoming Events
MindRest
Start the New Year with a treat for the body, the mind and the spirit - join us for detoxing yoga, gut health wisdom, soothing sound-infused relaxation and more. Watch this space for further details. Save the date - January 2 at 4pm.
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