Conscious Stillness

Conscious Stillness

- Sudhir

Chitta, as we have been talking, is pure consciousness. Vritti is the fluctuation in consciousness. Nirodha is transcendence or what we call Samadhi.

We may be tempted to think that our goal is to eliminate the static or the fluctuation in the consciousness to experience peace or stillness that are the qualities of pure consciousness. However, nature itself is tumultuous, creation is always in a state of flux, life is always in a turmoil else we will find it difficult to believe that we are alive. Life Skill for intellectual adults is all about the ability to navigate through the highs and lows of life. Constant high may disable our ability to remain grounded and perennial low can also leave us in shambles. The weather is changing constantly generally in a cyclic fashion and then there is the unpredictable calamity which causes so much upheaval. Our consciousness is naturally in a state of flux and there is no point trying to suppress the same. Purification of the consciousness with right activity, right living, right behaviour, and right thought is the goal. In life and in meditation we need not run away from any emotion, rather observe it, acknowledge it, try to experience it, understand it, and then let it find its own path to sublimation.

Learn to pause. Pause between each breath, pause between each Vritti, pause between each experience, pause between each perception, pause between each brain wave…. In these brief, fleeting moments lies the seed of realization or enlightenment. Learning to observe the Vritti, the rise and fall of thoughts and emotions is important but more important is to notice the brief fleeting moments of emptiness. Of course, we gain focus by observing the breath, but we gain insight by our intent and ability to experience the minutest pause between each breath.

Extracts from Yoga Sutra dialogue & meditation series of classes. Next class is scheduled for Sunday 6-7 pm IST live via Zoom from Mystic Yoga – Purnadas Road.