Observations that dive deep into life and come up with treasures for all

Last week,  I went to Wal-Mart for a few things and practiced yoga while
there. If one thinks that yoga is only doing stretches on the floor, then you
might think this rather odd. But yoga is really about stretching the mind, or
I should say, one’s consciousness. One gets to the mind through the body
in yoga.
When we talk about “stretching awareness,” we need to get past the
assumption or conditioned idea that we are our thinking mind. If thought
says, “ I am aware,” or like the French Philosopher, Descartes, who said,
“I think, therefore, I am,” then we have not stretched enough. When the
thought rises that says, “I am aware,” who or what is aware of that
thought? The thought is not aware because the thought is an energy form
just like a piece of wood, only at a higher frequency. So when one is
aware of a thought, is that awareness another thought form or something
else entirely different? So, let’s practice Wal-Mart yoga and find out.
Go to Wal-Mart with your list and make the intention that you are only
going to watch you breath as you walk and look for your items. Put your
breath and body into a rhythm, and feel your body walk, stop, reach for
items,and stand, just as you do when doing an asana at home or in class.
“What is the body feeling now?”
Really enjoy hanging out with your breath. Watch it like is was a flag
moving in the wind, or a current of the ocean moving in and out of a coral
reef. As you move through the store put a Mona Lisa smile on you face.
That smile is the feeling on contentment, of being fulfilled in yourself in
this present moment.
As your thinking mind still operates, and it will, observe how is labels
everything as if it were a store clerk putting labels on every package. You
see someone and the mind puts a label on him or her. The label can be
positive or negative, but you know it’s a label because you define that
person by your thought, when in fact, you know nothing about that
person. So as the labeling mind tries to dominate your awareness, stay
with your breath and just be aware of the labeling process. “Isn’t that
interesting,” is the posture you take with your own thoughts. Be careful
not to think about your thinking, because that is just more labeling.
Become aware of the store as if you had never seen it before. See the
store witihout any labels. Look at the form, the light and the shade, the
smells and sounds. Let the mind be fresh and clear.
In this way, you can practice yoga at Wal-Mart and make your shopping
not only extremely enjoyable, but also an adventure of self discovery. This
is yoga in action.

Posted under General Observations