Seeds of Insight 027 - Drowning in information, starved for knowledge
True - we are even more starved for ‘knowing’
Join us for a beautiful detoxing ritual to start the new decade at MindRest Jan 02
Mindfulness 1:1 sessions, free online consultations & more
“We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.
”
Chapter 2 of my puppy Sam's training book started with this sentence. So comical and painfully true.
In a world of abundant access to information, we swim in confusion. Over the last 5 days, I read every version of how to train a dog not to wee on our carpet, eat dry food and sleep in its own bed. To my surprise, I discovered that every ‘expert’ out there had different and often conflicting views on what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’.
What IS right and wrong and is there such attribute at all? We receive millions of these conflicting pieces of advice throughout our lifetime- the 'best practices' in training a dog, raising a child, doing our jobs, learning about the world. Little time is spent questioning anything we've learned as we like to outsource this task to others that we name experts (or teachers, or parents).
Taken to the extreme, this is how we accumulate all of our external knowledge. By external’ I mean knowledge that comes from the outside world. Have you ever seen an atom for yourself? Yet we don’t question its existence because the physics book said so and other people believed it too. In a way, our entire world construct is a societal belief that we have all agreed to support by trusting the expertise of others. A useful belief in some way.
In a sea of conflicting information, it is incredibly difficult to pick up the signal from the noise and we may well be starved for knowledge. Maybe. Of course, knowledge is useful as it allows us to navigate this world. It requires grit and perseverance, agility of mind; it gives a sense (or illusion) of control, it is empowering and (temporarily) satisfying.
In the long run however, it is deeply unfulfilling and ‘second hand’. However ‘intelligent’ we sound, however in control we feel, we are left feeling ‘empty’ in this performance. Because it is a performance. Oh, I know this trap so well and fall in it even as I write this newsletter. I notice my own tendency to preach and my 'love for listening to my voice'. It is shallow - all it does is reproducing someone else’s words.
It feels to me that what we are even more starved for is our own intuition and inner wisdom - ‘knowing’ without effort to learn. Knowing is a spontaneous moment of deep clarity and precision. It is 'received' by the mind when the mind is silent, but it is not 'produced' by the mind. Knowing is hard to convey, but every cell of your being understands it. Knowing is deeply fulfilling because it is our nature - effortless and unconditional. Knowing is true insight and we all know these moments (no pun intended). They are not exclusive, neither are they remote.
All the wisdom that we are searching for is nowhere else but within us. All that is required is our willingness to listen in. A quiet moment on our meditation cushion, time in nature, a beautiful view, a moment with a loved one, a song that makes us ‘lose’ ourselves - all these are readily available opportunities for our conscious mind to relax in our everyday life. And when it does, a ‘mysterious’ thing happens - the unresolvable problem that you battled with 5 minutes ago is suddenly resolved in an instant of clarity. Can you relate? From superficial circumstantial difficulties to deep existential questions, all can be met in this clarity and silence. And it requires no teacher and no teaching.
It is time we support each other in hearing our own inner wisdom, rather than the wisdom of others - however well-meaning they may be.
A new project called MindRest is all about this support. MindRest is not about imparting knowledge - enough of that...Really. At MindRest, there is no teacher and no teaching. It is a place of rest, open through yoga and relax into stillness through sound healing and yoga nidra. So that you can hear your own inner answers.
Start the year with a MindRest. In a magical New Year Cocoon co-created with two beautiful women, @_corazoncontento and @nurse.fiona, we will gather to listen to our bodies, cleanse them with detoxing yoga, let them rest with yoga nidra. Once the mind is quiet, we’ll inquire into what is needed in this new decade to come, we’ll send the old one with gratitude and welcome the new one with openness.
With Love,
Iri
Upcoming Events
MindRest: New Year Cocoon (Charity event)
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. All proceeds from this event will be donated to CentrePoint - a charity focused on youth homelessness. Jan 02, 6:30pm, Studio Soma, Stoke Newington.
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.
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