The mature mind
A little while ago I noticed a child here at Shala, she got up, came over to gently pet one of the dogs, and then returned to her mother’s side. Then she returned, carrying a sheet of paper scribbled with a pen in her hand, she pet the dog again while showing him the drawings, engrossed in her ideas of fun. She stayed like this, coming and going, for more than an hour of the conference, alienated from what was happening in the world of adults, focused on her moment, naively playing.
The child lives on impulse. The child cries when he doesn’t get what she wants, throws tantrums, protests, and complains. She also quickly drops what she has when something new comes along. She doesn’t sit still, she gets bored easily. When something challenges her, she automatically reacts. Act and react based on desire.
Do you remember anyone who is like this? But who is no longer 4 years old, and yet continues to act and react on impulse? Angry complaining when he doesn’t get what he wants. Dissatisfied with what you have. The red car is not enough, a new house no longer satisfies, that chocolate is insufficient, etc.
On the other hand, a child has naivety, creativity, and simplicity that are deeply inspiring. The problem is when the child is already an adult, and cannot find peace because dissatisfaction, lack of self-control, focus, and drive do not allow him to rest.The problem increases when the child is already an adult, but considers that his happiness and success are outside. And the problem continues to grow when the child is already an adult, but lives in fear and anxiety because he has forgotten that his joy is within himself, and that he is ultimately responsible for nurturing it.
Yoga teaches you to create maturity in the mind. It is a path that progressively makes the mind kind, mature and calm. It is a gradual journey for us to stop reacting to the first stimulus, or suddenly becoming bored and choosing to look for something new to entertain our desire. The practice teaches focus, acceptance, maturity, to overcome the distractions of our own thoughts and emotions.
Yoga requires the mind to be stable, coherent, balanced, otherwise we will easily continue to be dazzled by what is out there, returning to the cycle of karma again, reducing self-control, acceptance, wisdom and depth. The mature mind educates the child mind.
It’s time to stop and grow. May we have the ability to maintain ingenuity, curiosity, and creativity, use them at appropriate times, and let maturity transform our lives.
BOAS PRÁTICAS
