Overcoming Obstacles to Your Spiritual Journey
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ability to both recognize discomfort and how our actions potentially enable it gives us the clues to begin to overcome these two klesha. The goal in working with raga and dvesha is not to dull the sensations and emotions that make us human—the deep longing for joy and the grief that pain often brings—but rather to feel them completely while still remaining tethered to the contentment within us. This requires the practice of remaining present in the moment. This is an oft-repeated recommendation across the spiritual board, but it is particularly important in terms of sustaining a connection with personal bliss. Being in the present moment and accepting and allowing life to happen exactly as it is gives us permission to fully participate in life. Rather than missing what is happening now by running toward an ever-elusive desire or avoiding the present moment by numbing out, staying present allows a full immersion into all the expressions of our humanness. This empowers us to bear all the experiences of our life because they are all awesomely okay. They are all a part of our growth and personal development, provided that we remain present for them. I developed a simple mantra long ago to help me with this process: “This is what is happening now.” Use this mantra anytime you feel a sense of discomfort that you would prefer to displace by rushing toward the next thing or avoiding it altogether. “This is what is happening now” is a simple reminder to stay tuned to the present moment and practice overcoming raga and dvesha. The importance of staying in the present moment cannot be overstated. It allows for a full immersion into the grand life experience that is ours (including all the ups and downs) because every moment has the potential to foster our spiritual development. Perhaps even more important is this: the experience of yoga, of personal bliss, can only occur in the present moment. Yoga, the state of deep personal connection and bliss, happens at exactly one time: NOW. That’s it. Anytime we rush away or reminisce we remove the possibility for yoga to arise. We have likely already heard about the importance of the present moment, given Eckhart Tolle’s significant success telling us