Another year ticks over and a new one begins. Are you going to keep repeating the “same old” or do you aspire for something more? Are you going to keep repeating that same old record again and again or is it time for a change? One of the greatest life skills that we can develop is learning to “settle inwards”. Settling inwards requires several factors to align. Acceptance of the present moment; quietening of the mental waves; and a vehicle for traversing inwards.

Acceptance of everything exactly as it is right now includes the good, the not so good, and even the downright ugly. Sometimes it’s those aspects that we may even find repulsive such as jealousies and compulsions that have to be embraced even more as part of that which makes us human. It’s the mud from which the lotus flower may grow.

Quietening of the mental waves is something that comes more naturally to some than others. It is one of the goals of yoga as written by the great Sage Patanjali many years ago (Yoga citta vrtti nirodha). Vrtti can be translated as fluctuation, citta as mind, and nirodha means removal. Yoga stills or removes the fluctuations of the mind. Only once the mind has become still is there any possibility of experiencing that which lies beneath the surface. Yoga includes the inner aspects such as meditation and not just the physical poses that are normally referred to in the West. There are of course many ways to still the mind. That’s for you to explore.

A vehicle to settle inwards? What does that mean? There are several vehicles that can be used as a means of traversing inwards. Breath, colour, sound, mantra are some examples. They generally require instruction under the guidance of a teacher. Settling inwards will bring great inner peace and stillness. You become an unshakeable presence. Yes, it truly can happen with time, patience, discipline and grace. Upward striving merges with a downward grace. 

If that all sounds a bit too esoteric, just start with simple yet profound practice of acceptance as prescribed by the Buddha. The rest will follow in it’s own time.

Wishing you best of health in 2017.

Best wishes

Ranjit