January 17, 2008 Viveka: Honing Critical Thinking Skills

One of my students told me that since she watched Zeitgeist, she hasn’t really been able to sleep well and her mind has been completely absorbed in the horror of what is happening in the world and her seeming powerlessness. For those of you who haven’t seen Zeitgeist yet, it is a video circulating around the internet which presents a neatly interwoven compilation of just about every conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard about from the U.S. government’s orchestration of 9-11 to the international banking scam to Christianity itself! (I think the only thing they left out were the chem-trails).
Too much information.
I am sure there is both truth and fiction in there. It’s hard to deny that the world is in crises. And we would have to be starving fools to consume everything that the media serves up as truth.
Now, more than ever perhaps, is the time for viveka.
Yogis have taught the concept of viveka (discrimination) for centuries. It is a skill we must hone to deal with the vagaries of life on this imperfect planet.
What do I believe, what do I let pass by? Who do I trust, who do I keep at a distance? Where do I get my information? What do I read/watch and what do I leave alone?
Critical thinking skills, in other words. Meditation and yoga develop them.
Specifically  pratyahara - the practice of withdrawing the senses from the world and tuning into the rich inner life waiting in the silence.
It is through pratyahara that viveka emerges and strengthens, and it is through viveka that we can wade through the gunk and get to the essence.
If you simply inhabit the landscape of the pseudo-culture, you can not see the forest for the trees. The excesses of modern life will constantly whip your senses and emotions around. If on the other hand, you decide to live with the conspiracy buffs, you will have to contend with some amount of paranoia and delusion.
But silence delivers an essential truth – that truth is simply the pervasive presence of love. The essence is love and love is a force that every evil conspiracy crumbles before – it is unchanging, unstoppable and inevitable.
It sounds trite, but it’s the replacement of fear with love at every moment that keeps us sane when the world out there doesn’t feel too sane. And it then leads to a clear understanding of the right course of action, of what you should do, personally and collectively.
The practice of silence devoted to cultivating the relationship of love with your inner Self is the antidote to Zeitgeist-induced anxiety. Even the producers of the movie recognized this – it actually ended on an upbeat note that we are all one and we must move together. Samgacchadvam – the yogis have been saying the same thing for 15,000 years.
Too bad the movie didn’t end with a meditation lesson…

Yoga and Depression

At this time of year depression is a huge force that many people are contending with. We’ve been lucky here in Asheville to have a few days of respite from the winter (or, maybe not, if we owe that to global warming). Warmer weather certainly can shift mood. But there are many other reasons for depression besides the lack of sunlight.
My husband’s best friend finally killed herself 2 months ago. She had been suffering for most of her life with depression. It has deeply affected him of course, but more so her family including her young niece who adored her.
It’s likely that you have a similar story about a friend or family member. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 10 American adults—or approximately 21 million people?suffer from a depressive illness each year. That’s a lot of suffering. We see it everywhere – and it can lead people to self medicate with alcohol, drugs or food. A woman addicted to meth sometimes comes to my house to ask for food. I see the shame and fear in her eyes. I give her bananas or canned black beans. I don’t feel terribly helpful.

I dealt with depression when I was a young adult. Not to be cliche here, but yoga really did help me recover. I also began to realize that my reasons for being depressed were not simply about me, but about the culture I live in. Tremendous pressures on young women to look or behave a certain way have not been erased by the women’s liberation movement. In fact, perhaps there are even more pressures on women to both achieve great successes and look fabulous doing it.
On the other end of the spectrum many people are dealing with obesity resulting from a toxic, excessive American diet. People also struggle with unsatisfying jobs, deep credit card debt, lack of connection to their communities. Not to mention politics – there’s a lot to be depressed about. I don’t know all the reasons for depression, but I do know yoga can help people deal with it.
Research done in May of 2007 at Boston University showed that the neuro-transmitter GABA increased by 27% after yoga practice. Lack of this specific neuro-transmitter has been shown in both depression and anxiety. Yogis don’t need anyone to convince themselves that yoga makes you feel better – but it’s nice to know western medicine is starting to get it too.

My current class series is on Yoga for Emotional Well-Being. The turn out has been truly amazing. People want holistic help. Yoga can deliver, but it’s a practice – that means you have to do it. You have to find the will within and the support without to see the changes.

Here’s another link for how yoga can help depression.

Formalizing Your Resolutions

I made a resolution to start the Subtle Yoga blog in 2008. Today is a good, snowy day out there – a fine day to get started. New Year’s of course, is the time for resolutions. Most people have just been bombarded with eggnog, Christmas cookies and “challenging” familial encounters – then you have 3 more months of dismal weather to look forward to – of course we make resolutions! Some research done recently in California shows that if you make a formalized vow with your resolution, you are more likely to keep it. Yogis aren’t surprised, they have been formalizing vows for millennia. Vows are a way to put it all in perspective – the instant gratification vs. the long-term benefits. You can be swamped by the culture of excess, but your center will remain unperturbed in the power of the vow. So think about that: whether you want to meditate daily, lose weight, or quit smoking – why not formalize it? Get some friends together, light a candle, sing a song, chant a chant, pass a talking stick, say a prayer, read a poem, or meditate together and then pronounce your vows. Make the language positive. Instead of “I will quit smoking” try “I will breathe clean air. I will take care of my body because I deserve to be healthy, strong and happy.” I am hoping we can have a formalized vow session this month at the Women’s Satsaunga gathering at the Asheville Quest Center (January 25 from 7-9 pm). Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll make sure it happens!