Satsang with Ma: Heart & Mind
Devotee: I have a hard time motivating myself to practice simply using my mind and will power. It’s much easier when it comes from my heart, but I can’t force my heart to motivate. Do you have some words about the movement from the mind to the heart?
Shri Anandi Ma: Both are essential. The purity of the heart is important, but the driving force is going to be the mind because many times the heart might want to do something, but if the will is not there, then you will fall back and not be able to accomplish what you want to do. So heart and mind go hand-in-hand.
As a child, Guruji’s heart was there, but if He had lacked determination, He would never have left home. So will power also is equally important. Both are needed to attain the overall goal.
It’s a matter of training ourselves.
The mental block keeping you from practice might be a repetition of a habit, a samskara. It’s through your spiritual practices that you will break that barrier, by trying to override the mind when it is keeping you restricted. Pranayama, breathing techniques, is a good tool for this because it clears these subtle blocks.
Namaskar ,
sometimes I do not get to do my sadhana.I would miss asana in the evening or skip sadhana…Will this affect one’s progress.Actually one has to proceed gradually and working towards a perfect routine would also be gradal I think…Kindly advise!
The yoga scriptures state that the practice must be consistent and regular, over a very long extended time, with faith , patience , enthusiasm and all energy.
Just as we don’t miss meals, spiritual practice is food for the soul. Occasionally we are likely to miss but as far as possible the key to success in in regularity.
Gaps allow the negative attitudes to dilute the positive, then more and longer efforts become necessary .Just as if you start some construction and stop and leave it unattended for a long time. Then the likelihood of damage and more cost and effort increases. Similarly on the spiritual path efforts should be constant and regular.
If you have begun to dig a hole to reach the water or oil or gold and further the diamond mine , everything above is debris and needs to be pulled out and removed.
Gaps will fill up what’s already dug, so gets difficult . Breaks can sometimes cause a lag. It’s like one has walked 10 miles, then walked back 2 miles. So you have to walk the 2 miles back again. So more time and effort are spent.
God and Guru Bless.
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You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
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