I empathize, sympathize, or whatever-a-thize with people by relating using my past experiences, especially in troubling times. I have recently realized that this may make me seem like a know-it-all, but all I want is to help. I try to show people what worked for me or what I was told worked for someone else in hopes that it may work for them. I do believe that humans have an innate sense of community and often use that to get through hard times. Sometimes it really just helps to know that you’re not the only one and you’re not alone. Just look at how many things are “group” centered. BUT, in the same sense, to really get through the hard stuff you have to get inside yourself.
Vipassana is a form of meditation that is an insight into the true nature of reality. It is a quiet practice that allows you to explore your own essential nature with the aim of recognizing and eliminating the cause of unhappiness. I won’t go into great detail of this, but if you are interested here is a good link:
I have read about it in both Buddhist teaching and yoga teaching. It particularly hits home to me since this is very much what I am working on and it presented itself to me in my current reading. I love when that happens, you know you have stuff on your mind, your working through it, and the very tools that you need present themselves. Do you know why that happens? It is because everything that you already need you have; you just have to open your eyes to it or just be open to change, hard work, determination, and self revelation and/or transformation.
As an adolescent I struggled with anger and depression and still, from time to time, I forget how to fight that fight…or maybe I give up, get tired, who knows, but it is always a fight…a conscious fight. When I stop being mindful is when I lose sight of the truth or reality. Like I said in my last post, I lose the habit of letting the bad stuff go and I get in the habit of dwelling on the bad. For those of us who have depression it is very hard to see, face, or admit what we are in the middle of, who knows why, but it is what it is. This blog was started in my attempt to get through one of those times in an inward journey using my yoga teachings. I am making myself “explore my own essential nature with the aim of recognizing and eliminating the cause of unhappiness.”…Vipassana. I am doing it in a public forum by some off chance that someone else may read this, relate to it, use it, and find some help in it…you know…it’s that innate sense of community I was talking about and my immense amount of love that I have.
Sometimes I think my sadness inside comes out because of that love that I talk about. In my inward journey I have realized that this often happens when people that I care about are hurting or going through something that I cannot help with. It is honestly really hard to give out ALL the love and compassion that I feel for them, especially those that are far away, but the ones that are close too. It’s a funny thing that all that love can build up and come out as anger too. It isn’t as bad as when I was a kid, but it does get very frustrating to have all this inside and to feel like there is nothing to do with it and sometimes not even know what “it” really is. So, I am not dwelling on it, I recognize it, and let to pass like the clouds in the sky. (Or write it in this blog) I try not to judge myself for it and love myself for who I am.
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