Dr. Yogesh Mohan’s session on ‘A Consciousness Approach to Habits and Addictions’ captured the grace and depth of our transformative journey…a journey that has as its goal not only the imperative need of freeing oneself from habits entrenched in repetitive patterns, but a larger goal of living life in the light of a consciousness that is benevolent, pure, expansive, a consciousness that sources its strength from the Light of the Divine.
The Power of Unwinding
When we find ourselves mired in habits, we live in the midst of conditioned resistance to the possibility of experiencing the lightness that comes from conscious choices.
Essential and remarkable it is, to stretch oneself toward change. In a world that seems impossibly clamped and cabined in habits, it is empowering to exist in the preciousness of a life, lived in consciousness.
Stationed in the soil of the vital with its blind hold on attachments to whatever feeds its demands, it is easy for one to get caught up in the negative and lose sight of what the present holds within its wings of consciousness. Once we break free of its pull, we have the possibility of investing the present moment in something truly worthwhile, something that the authentic self truly needs.
Consciousness has the power to arrange itself and prioritise the needs of the physical, mental or emotional self; consciousness recognises, acknowledges and embraces the essentials and truly places one on the tracks of a life lived in meaning.
Stagnation caused by repetitive movements hampers progress.
One is generally influenced by the sway of a mind that craves for moments that seem to feed its hunger for ‘insect joys’. A seemingly wrought fulfillment by indulging in a habit is only a veneer as there is a part within that remains in light and is aware of the true discontent that lies layered within. One often experiences a sense of helplessness and guilt that follows as a trail. The so-called fulfilment has but a short span of life, leaving one drained of energy.
An orientation towards one's own life in consciousness necessitates that we cultivate the aspiration for transformation, that translates into meaning, purpose and depth.
We need to unhook from the habits, so we can align to the flow of daily life, meeting our authentic needs that can be recognised when we re-orient our vision.
Discontent with one's own engagement with repetitive patterns of behaviour is itself to be seen as a ray of hope, declared Dr. Yogesh, as there are parts within oneself that thirst for light and progress.
The intent itself is worthy of acknowledgement.
Knowing Oneself
The journey towards change requires a true understanding of the different aspects operating within one person. The cause for this attachment to a particular habit has to be ascertained.
The impulse that acts as a propelling force needs to be discovered. Once the impulse is identified then it becomes evident of the presence and play of those parts within ourselves from which the impulse sprouts.
It can either be the vital or the mind that is in the grip of desires, anxieties, calcified ideas and beliefs.
Justification follows as a natural movement and bathed in the false light of justification one continues to remain bogged down by the adamancy of these habits.
The source of the impulses may be external or may rise from the subconscious.
A sincere effort towards overriding the pull of attachment to a habit can translate into a deep experience and can stand as an expression of a living aspiration and the presence of a will turned towards Light, freedom: it is when with the power of will and intent, cleave off habituated ,mindless patterning and open to newness, alternate practices ,empowering thoughts and new possibilities.
One acts, speaks, thinks and feels from a space of Love. An unconditional loving kindness permeates the being.
Journey of Transformation
The Journey of Transformation, Dr Yogesh elaborated, is an act of purification in love and compassion.
Dr. Yogesh declared that the power lies in the beginning, a beginning that invokes the support and presence of the Divine Light.
Every aspect and part of the being needs to be bathed in the waters of a loving consciousness that effectuates transformation by lending its touch to alchemise:
● The rational mind that uses the tool of justification.
● The vital that falls a prey to impulses and the stimulation of desire
● The subconscious and the nether parts, that are steeped in the shadow of a forgetfulness ….a forgetfulness of light and clarity
One offers the entire being in a state of surrender to the light of the Divine Mother.
One embraces the whole being; every part of the being is held in awareness, embraced in love and melted into a unified gesture of invoking and surrendering to the power of Divine Light, which handholds one in this journey of purification.
Sincerity and love are paramount in this journey of transformation.
Surrendering all at the altar of the Divine Presence within fills one with a sense of lightness and a subtle sense of peace.
A Simple and Pragmatic Approach
Dr. Yogesh suggested a simple but effective approach to navigate through the fixity of patterns and handhold transition with greater ease. He suggested that one should usher in change at the external level.and it's done with the sincere participation of the self, respecting one's intent to keep at bay the dragnet of attraction to habits.
Small changes executed in the external environment help one to not slip into the fold of obstinate patterns.
Binge-eating and binge-watching can be tackled by placing the goodies and remote, for example, away from one's reach, a simple step but a sure step to side-step habits. It helps to water down the pull and helps one to step into a frame of experience where the immediacy of gratification is denied.
One has made a small stretch...the pathway clears and one finds oneself in a space conducive to progress.
It prevents a drifting away and provides an anchoring to stay tuned to consciousness.
Breath, the leveller
The ordinary mind is in the habit of weaving endless webs of reasons that are but justifications. It feeds itself on partial views of self, life or circumstances that are not empowering.
Dr Yogesh pointed out the importance of rechanneling the flow of thoughts and bring harmony into the being.
In this context, he underlined the power of anchoring to calmness, focusing on breath awareness. Breath is a leveling power.
Whenever one wants to usher in a sense of calm and overpower the rush of impulses and emotions, one can simply bring attention to breath and body; the being gradually softens as the power of consciousness gently invades the being, providing a reprieve from the trooping thoughts that can sabotage the balance of the being.
These are points of light that help one stay anchored to intent and purpose, aligned to a conscious decision to live life authentically.
One needs to recognise the authentic needs of one's life.
Life thrives in the freedom of the being that knows to rise above petty desires and impulses and reorients its steps to explore the largeness and beauty of the inner realm, where the true self, the inner being resides, the being of light, consciousness, harmony and gentleness.
Progress becomes a natural movement like breath, authenticity begins to flow and shine.
Deepening Practices
Dr. Yogesh spoke about the need and beauty of deepening one's practices, so one can meet the challenges of life with a sense of equanimity, faith, and kindness towards oneself.
Seen in the context of a larger picture of life, it is extremely nurturing to cultivate a thirst for all things that elevate the being.
Reading the scriptures, meditating on lines that are expressions of a ‘king idea’, by simply fixing one’s gaze on the Divine Mother’s picture, which are expressions of Her Presence, one opens to the Force of Light, love and peace.
The being gets sublimated in this journey of transformation in Light and Love.
One grows to feel a sense of nearness to The Divine Mother.
The being begins to enjoy the rhythm and flow of authenticity.
One begins ‘to know truly, feel truly and act truly’, in the absence of the other forces, such as impulses, obstinate habits and destabilising thoughts and emotions that sabotage peace and progress.
One begins to enjoy the freedom of an inner Truth which guides and protects.
Life is a gift of The Divine and one needs to seed the remembrance of recognising and knowing oneself to be the child of The Divine Mother.
The seed of a nobility and greatness buried beneath the ignorance cast by the egocentric consciousness, awakens once again to the touch of Her Loving Presence.
Awakening the Physical Consciousness
The physical, liberated from the clamp of habits and obscurity, witnesses the birth of a nurturing Consciousness that acts as a guide and mentor.
The subtilisation of the being is a reality, under the governance of the Inner Being and Her Presence.
The being grows to reject with will anything that doesn’t originate from a source that is not divine.
When one opens to the richness of a life that knows the power of prayer, meditation and mindfulness, one stands witness to the weakening of forces such as anxieties, fears, doubts, etc.
Every part awakens to the touch of the light of Consciousness and Love.
All of one’s thoughts, emotions, movements and gestures become beautiful seeds of our embodied state of consciousness.
The session closed with Dr. Yogesh Mohan, guiding the participants to step into the space of sacredness, invoking the spirit of gratitude, a gratitude that streams from the entire being to the Omnipresent Divine.
Almost 30 people registered for this event.
Feedback
“As it was very participative in nature, it was easy to open up and reflect, as we shared our habits to work on, where mostly it was found to be common. I felt that it is lack of sincerity and faith on my part which was well stressed at the root of the problem. I liked the long silences in between by the speaker and his voice was so meditative. I loved to be reminded to step back and observe and to start with creating a new routine at working over the habit.”
“While focussing on that time-frame, the first experience I went into was caused by an impulse from the vital to watch spiritual interviews from the US. Indeed, it felt like robbing my body of her sleep, After that, I went again into the time-frame more afar in the past, where a clear border was marked at 3.30 am. If I continued working after midnight, I definitely would fall asleep at 3.30 am. Here it was a conscious decision to use the silence of the night to get more profound insights and it felt powerful and harmoniously. My body would compensate her need to rest in the next two days. Then the 3rd experience showed up: my body consciousness expands in the night and I may feel a pressure or joy from the universe in and around me to let me do a work. Instead of a conscious decision of the mind, it feels like a natural action to do or to be what needs to be or done.... for Them.
“Some resources or tools or mantra (from the mother or Sri Aurobindo) to shift to the higher consciousness when we observe ourselves falling into the lower consciousness could be very useful. This perhaps simply be done by remembering their presence. An emphasis on how to make the inner shift could be good. As the guided session was very powerful, it would be good to know how to do this by ourselves. Thank you for an incredible experience. Love and Gratitude from the bottom of my heart.”
“It was a very enriching and powerful experience, especially the meditations guided by Dr. Yogesh we’re very deep.”
“The insight I got into how I partake in unconscious behaviour was very useful. And the insight on how to replace it with higher consciousness was incredibly powerful.
“Yes, it was a power packed session.”
“I felt a deep shift in my inner consciousness in the 2 and half hours.”
“Highly disappointed.”
“It motivated me to work upon in more systematic way with the Divine.”
“Value is teacher insight and also to watch for when the habit tries to enter.”
“Dr. Yogesh Mohan's Concentrated Consciousness is very healing and helpful.”
“The clarity of approach of Dr Yogesh is greatly helpful in sorting out emotions and getting in touch with reality.”
“Good things need to be repeated again and again and it refreshes and reinforces the truth . Helped a lot in aligning myself to the truth. That's the USP of all Dr Yogesh's workshops.”
