Ao abrir hoje o blog de um escritor indiano que está a fazer o maior sucesso, Chetan Bhagat, tive a agradável surpresa de ler um post sobre “Mindfulness”…. A tradução da palavra para português, ”atenção cuidada”, não é quanto a mim, tão poderosa nem significativa como a palavra inglesa. No entanto, o conceito de “Mindfulness”, é central a qualquer forma de desenvolvimento espiritual e obviamente humano, como por exemplo Yoga! Acho que vale a pena ler o que escreveu Chetan Bhagat e pensar sobre o assunto:
"…..In yoga they have a very important concept called ‘mindfulness’ that should be practiced at all times. Mindfulness refers to an inner awareness that is present even if we are interacting with the external world. So if you are in a work meeting or in a group conversation, you are aware of what exactly you are feeling and thinking at that point. However, most of the times we keep ourselves so busy in life that there is no time to think basics - ‘why am i doing this?’, ‘how am i feeling right now?’ or ‘does it really matter?’.
Mindfulness leads to being present in the current moment, said by many spiritual disciplines to be the key to happiness. However, the human mind plans ahead and looks back all the time. This is a key difference between humans and animals. It is a gift for the most part. We can postpone gratification and build something for the future. We can go back and convert our mistakes into lessons. However, this ability is also a curse. The human mind, and especially for some people more than others, oscillates constantly. ...... It is called a neurotic mind in psychology terms, and is a basic personality trait. These constant stream of thoughts make for great stories, but do not necessarily help in living a peaceful life. During periods when I did intense yoga practice, I had learnt to control it. But now, with so much going on, yoga has taken a backseat and my mind is buzzing all the time. It is like I know I should not think so much, but I can’t help it. ...... This state can be particularly detrimental if you have a negative event. The mind keeps going to that all the time. Someone disappointed me bigtime recently, and apart from being hurt I am upset with myself for trusting without thinking. Still, it’s life. Now if only my mind would get a grip and move on. But no, right now that is all I think about.
As a resolve for next year, I will bring yoga back into my life. A city like Mumbai doesn’t help when you are trying to find peace. But as my teacher used to say at the end of class
"…..In yoga they have a very important concept called ‘mindfulness’ that should be practiced at all times. Mindfulness refers to an inner awareness that is present even if we are interacting with the external world. So if you are in a work meeting or in a group conversation, you are aware of what exactly you are feeling and thinking at that point. However, most of the times we keep ourselves so busy in life that there is no time to think basics - ‘why am i doing this?’, ‘how am i feeling right now?’ or ‘does it really matter?’.
Mindfulness leads to being present in the current moment, said by many spiritual disciplines to be the key to happiness. However, the human mind plans ahead and looks back all the time. This is a key difference between humans and animals. It is a gift for the most part. We can postpone gratification and build something for the future. We can go back and convert our mistakes into lessons. However, this ability is also a curse. The human mind, and especially for some people more than others, oscillates constantly. ...... It is called a neurotic mind in psychology terms, and is a basic personality trait. These constant stream of thoughts make for great stories, but do not necessarily help in living a peaceful life. During periods when I did intense yoga practice, I had learnt to control it. But now, with so much going on, yoga has taken a backseat and my mind is buzzing all the time. It is like I know I should not think so much, but I can’t help it. ...... This state can be particularly detrimental if you have a negative event. The mind keeps going to that all the time. Someone disappointed me bigtime recently, and apart from being hurt I am upset with myself for trusting without thinking. Still, it’s life. Now if only my mind would get a grip and move on. But no, right now that is all I think about.
As a resolve for next year, I will bring yoga back into my life. A city like Mumbai doesn’t help when you are trying to find peace. But as my teacher used to say at the end of class
‘May you live like the lotus, at home in the muddy waters.’