“The point is that when I see a sunset or a waterfall or something, for a split second it’s so great, because for a little bit I’m out of my brain, and it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m not trying to figure it out, you know what I mean? And I wonder if I can somehow find a way to maintain that mind stillness.”
~ Chris Evans
What a gorgeous morning! The beginning sky was so beckoning in it’s lavender shades that quickly turned to pink, then orange. It was easy to rest in stillness. In answer to Chris’s question above, zen master Lao Tzu offers the following insight …
“The inner is foundation of the outer.
The still is master of the restless.
The Sage travels all day,
yet never leaves his inner treasure”
~ Lao Tzu
Riva Ravindra writes in “The Wisdom of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: A New Translation:
“As spiritual searchers we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness in which we get occupied with me-me-me. Pondering on large ideas or standing in front of things which remind us of a vast scale can free us from acquisitiveness and competitiveness and from our likes and dislikes. If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy. Also recalling our own experiences in which we acted generously or with compassion for the simple delight of it without expectation of any gain can give us more confidence in the existence of a deeper goodness from which we may deviate. (39)”
If someone were to ask me what is stillness, I think my answer would be this:
“Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.”
~ E’yan Gardner
In talking with a friend the other night, she too mentioned how important it was becoming for her to sit in the morning in order to find and maintain balance for her hectic day. To me, this is the heart of yoga. No bendy asana practices, but the practice of coming into stillness, and being able to keep that space alive in your heart, so you don’t close down as the outer world presses in on you. In Patanjoli’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, asana practice was very short, simply a method of quieting the body, so one could begin to sit in meditation with more ease.
Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey are starting another 21 Day Meditation Challenge
next Monday, March 11. More information can be found at …
http://www.chopracentermeditation.com
I hope you’ll join me in stillness. Namaste ….
༺♥༻
