You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
- The Rolling Stones
The mind is one aspect of who we are and it has a way of distracting us. It’s generally interested in the senses so what we see, hear, taste, smell, our mind can get pulled into that direction.
For example, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a post about tahini brownies from a fellow yogi, Michelle Goldstein with Heart Alchemy Yoga. I don’t usually eat sweets. I am more interested in crunchy and salty but seeing and reading Michelle’s description made me very interested. This was days ago and I’m still thinking about them. Why? Because my mind was drawn to the idea and now my mind is fixated on the idea. Do I need those brownies? No, I want those brownies. I don’t need them.
This is just a simple example of how the mind runs with our senses. What we see, hear, feel, taste and smell have a big impact on our desires. What’s interesting is how long the desire stays with me. Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and I actually looked at the baking aisle but I knew I wasn’t going to do anything about it. I am not making brownies because I don’t need them. I created a want and now the driven, action part of me wants it now.
I’m focused at the moment on balancing my mind and emotional intelligence. I am aware of the mind’s desires so I want to tap into my emotional intelligence, my gut, my second brain so I can communicate with myself on a higher plane. To listen to our gut, we have to be real quiet. My emotional intelligence recognizes where the desire is coming from and actually puts it into perspective. Are brownies bad? No! But I can’t feed my mind everything it wants. I’m constantly going through something in life that asks me to pay attention to my actions and decide how I want to handle the situation. If I’m ruled by my mind, then I’ll be disconnected from my body, energy, emotional intelligence and soul.
It’s a balancing act.
When we take time to practice yoga and meditation, we create the time and space to listen to our minds, hearts and souls. We can practice living from a place of ease. Yoga and meditation pulls us on all layers so when we practice, we are actually practicing living. Brownies are not bad but deep down, I don’t really want it. I just think I do.
PS
In case you are now interested in those brownies, check out Michelle