This week I move into graceful enlightenment. Doesn’t that sound yummy? This stage of beign is described as follows by Gurucharan Singh Khalsa in “The 21 Stages of Meditation”:
“The three gunas, the three forces of nature, are all balanced. That opens the heart. On that the head is fixed and steady. You are aware of All and the crown chakra shines as the sixth chakra commands.”
Boy…I don’t know if I’ve every heard anything so good and I certainly want to experience it. So, what is this really saying? The three gunas are the qualities of our perception. You perceive the experience of life as either “sattvic” or pure/white, “rajastic” or heated/grey or “tamasic” or dull/black. Masterly of the gunas through conscious choice-making ARE the reason that you have a bad, better, or awesome experience of life.
Think about the phrase “looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.” Mastery of the gunas IS that in the most profound, universal, and real way. There is no personality tendency or tendency of the ego to color your lens. You actually see what is.
Now that sounds super esoteric, so let’s make it real for you this week and you can have the experience of the gunas, choice-making, and will actually feel rather than intellectually understand what I am blahhhhging about. btw…after one week, you probably won’t be able to actually see what is, but maybe…
The Practice: In any given situation label the choices you are making as black, grey, or white. Intend to make the most white choices this week and the least black choices with a few grey choices thrown in for spice.
Example: (food is always easy to start with). You are hungry. You need a snack. Your options are (a) apple, (b) organic chips & salsa, (c) donut. The apple is the most pure or white choice. The organic chips & salsa are a little more grey, but add some spice to life and keep you entertained. Not a terrible choice unless chosen daily. The donut is the darkest choice because it is full of saturated fat and creates dullness in the body. The sugar high/low creates dullness in the mind as well. Of course (a) was the obvious choice, but why do we so often choose (c)?
Next Example: (emotions are much harder). Your spouse is asking you to do a chore you don’t have time for. (a) tell them you can’t and why in a pleasant fashion. Work to a solution for getting the chore done, (b) get snippy and explain how busy your life is in comparision, (c) add the chore to your list and harbor resentment…for the rest of your life. Now clearly the lightest choice is (a)….BUT…here’s where it is fun…notice your tendency. You will be shocked at how often you go to (b rajistic and grey) or (c tamasic and black).
So now you have a problem of the habitual mind that needs fixed. How do you do that.
Well the short answer is meditation, mindfulness, and all the stuff I always talk about. The longer answer is come work with me. I’ll show you how. The Elemental Cleanse begins at the end of the month and we deal directly with the Gunas and the choice-maker that lives inside of you. Learn More.
*The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda, yoga, and meditation. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease. If you have any serious acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Check with your doctor before taking herbs or using essential oils when pregnant or nursing.