Vairagya

If you could choose to be anybody in the world,

choose to be yourself.

If you could choose to be anybody in the world, choose to be yourself. This thought bubbled up into my mind this month and I even said it out loud. “If I could choose to be anybody, I’d choose to be myself.” It surprised me! A lot!

At first I thought about it on just an ego level. I am Leigh, I am a yoga teacher, I am part of this family, these are my friends, this is my partner, this is what I do and say, these are my shortcomings, these are my failures. After pondering it for awhile, I realized that in order to be content with both the gifts and challenges of this embodiment, choosing yourself is actually remembering your true Self.

Sutra 1.15 describes Vairagya, often translated as non-attachment or renunciation. Vairagya is listed as one of the two means necessary, along with practice, to quiet the fluctuations of the mind. Practice and non-attachment are often said to be the pillars needed to experience the state of Yoga, a state of peace.

Non-attachment is self mastery; it is freedom from desire for what is seen and heard. (Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood)

Instead of focusing on what not to do (crave things) we can focus on what TO do. Nicschala Joy Devi translates the same sutra as, “With constant Remembrance of the Self, Vairagya, all yearnings fade.”

Instead of constantly trying to cease craving and avoidance, what if we simply focus on our highest Self? According to yogic philosophy, each and every being is divine in its own right. Each of us has a spark of the massive light of the universe inside of us. If we look to this light inside, we won’t need anything else. Non-attachment comes naturally to one who is connected to their inner source. If you have everything you need, why would you want more? All that is desired comes from inside.

Most of us have experienced a time when our outer world spoke of connection, safety, abundance, and peace but we didn’t feel it on the inside. We might be with family or friends, but we didn’t feel loved or understood. We might have food, shelter, money, and still want or ‘need’ more. We may try to meditate in a quiet place and our own mind drives us crazy. On the other hand, we may be amongst strangers and feel that humanity is one. Our car might not work, but we may still feel abundant with gratitude for everything in our life. We might find peace in a room of screaming children. Our sense of connection, safety, abundance, and peace is an inner experience. Luckily, our inner light is always there, always available, and infinitely replenishable.

Cravings and aversions for both the physical and metaphysical world are human. They are functions of the mind. The mind wants things. The mind dislikes things.

Rather than reprimanding ourselves and constantly struggling against the natural fluctuations of the mind, we can choose to look to the Self when we feel attachment begin to take over. When we find the fluctuations of the mind sending us on a roller coaster of mental chatter, emotional response, or numbing us to avoid any response, we can remember the Self. Let our focus and our breath turn to remembering the beauty and supply within. The exterior world loses some of its effect on us when we tap into our own Selves. Conversations, surroundings, finances, love, confusion, disagreements have less and less effect on us each time we turn inward for our source of connection, happiness, and peace. It takes practice.

After all, whatever we are craving or avoiding outside of us is temporary and will go away. Even the connection to our Spirit will wax and wane as we are learning. But if we constantly turn to the beauty within, we have something on which to focus our attention. We learn to be lured in the direction we all want to go, towards peace. We gain the freedom to experience this world with all its bitters and sweets without the world throwing us around.

A wonderful analogy for the non-attached mind I recently heard places the mind in the ocean. If we remain attached, on the surface of the ocean, then as a large storm rolls in we are thrown here and there. When a good surfing wave comes in, we ride it into ‘bliss’ and then are sad when the ride is over or crave another ‘bliss’ experience. The non-attached mind sits below the surface of the sea, in the Self, and can watch the storms and waves roll by without being affected.

The gift of constantly remembering the Self is that we can ride a wave or be thrown around in a storm and quickly and easily settle back down into calm. The storm does not have the power to take us away. We enjoyed the good ride and don’t need to chase the next surfing wave. We can sit in our Self and watch and experience the phenomena, but what happens becomes unimportant. Good, bad, who knows?

By constantly remembering the Self we can be present in the world, but not overwhelmed by it. Non-attached is not detached, it is connection to the constancy of the Self. By constantly remembering the Self, we can quiet the fluctuations of the mind and still marvel at the endless magic of life.

Sutra 1.16 says, “The ultimate renunciation is when one transcends the qualities of nature and perceives the soul.” (B.K.S. Iyengar) “When an individual has achieved complete understanding of his true self, he will no longer be disturbed by the distracting influences within and around him.” (T.K.V. Desikachar).

Choose the direction in which you want to move in.

If you could choose to be anybody in the world, choose to be your Self.

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