The Thoughts We Cultivate Have The Power To Transform Our Perceptions
If we overeat, we may find ourselves feeling bloated, lethargic, nauseous and achy, especially if we’ve chosen toxic or junky foods. We quickly realize that we must release this excess in one way or another or our discomfort will worsen. We may realize as well that our overindulgence has little to do with nutrition and a lot to do with habitual patterns and a need to seek comfort.
The mind operates on the same principles as the body. When we take in too many negative impressions we become emotionally bloated and it’s often more painful than a terrible stomachache. Yet, in our culture, we lack effective methods for emotional purging.
Most of us have felt hurt or angered by the harsh words or actions of others. We have experienced holding on to our pain, chewing it endlessly in our minds like a never ending one-sided argument. Or perhaps we have found fear, anger or stress welling up inside of us as a recurring reaction to the ups and downs of our daily lives. In our current time of great economic uncertainty, this anxiousness is more pervasive and profound.
Millions of us end up in therapy or on antidepressants, leaving us less aware of our worries but also less aware of life in general. We are still out of balance, still aggravated, and now we are doped up as well. We might not feel our inner pain as sharply, but it is still there.
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali offers us a simple yet profound solution to this syndrome that can be deeply transformative when put into action on a sustained basis.
Vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam.
“When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive]
ones should be thought of. This is pratipaksha bhavana.”
––Sutra 2.33
Pratipaksha means opposite and bhavana means contemplation or meditation. By cultivating an opposite or positive thought when we are in the throes of emotional turbulence, we pave the way for self-healing. Patanjali is simply asking us to replace anger with compassion, violent thoughts with peaceful ones, hate with love, and even to replace our general feelings of tension and stress with a sense of relaxation and contentment.
While pratipaksha bhavana allows us to release our painful and destructive emotions and come to a higher place of awareness, any of us who have found ourselves in a state of deep anger or hurt know that shifting our feelings is much easier said than done. We actually become psychologically and neurologically habituated to these toxic emotions.
Some of the ways we can practice pratipaksha bhavana include simply removing ourselves from a negative situation and finding a place where we can feel safe, peaceful and calm. We can then put the incident into perspective. Is it really the end of the world? Are we overreacting? Is it really worth all this suffering?
We can sit for a few minutes and contemplate positive thoughts such as the beauty of nature, the life of a great sage or saint, or specifically focus on cultivating the opposite emotion of the one that has welled up inside of us. We also can explore what role we played in creating our drama, if it is a pattern in our lives, and how we might seek to react differently in the future.
While it is a simple and logical practice, the wisdom of pratipaksha bhavana lies in actually doing it. The healing powers of all yogic practices unfold with consistent practice and dedication, while we remain ever detached from the outcome.
On a deeper level, beyond the obvious self-healing that we can achieve through this practice, pratipaksha bhavana assists us with spiritual transformation and self-realization. The emotions of love, peace, contentment and compassion are the natural state of our souls. When we align ourselves with these principles we move to deeper levels of consciousness and grace. This is best accomplished through deliberate, consistent effort and commitment to ritualized practice.
One method of practicing pratipaksha bhavana follows:
Begin seated with the spine extended, the shoulders back and the heart open. Set the back of your hands to your knees or thighs, and allow the thumbs and index fingers to touch (chin mudra, see illustration above).
Allow whatever negative emotion or experience you wish to deal with to fully arise within your consciousness. Feel the memory of the situation permeate every cell of your being. Really live with it. Remain here for one minute.
Release the visualization and let your breath become deep and full, slow and smooth. Balance the breath by silently counting the inhalation and equalizing it with the exhalation. Remain here for one minute.
Remind yourself of what a true blessing it is to be alive and to be conscious of this fact.
Have gratitude for all of the abundance in your life, especially when compared with the rest of humankind.
Now, feel the grace of each inhalation. Visualize yourself drinking in precious life-force from the Universe. See this as a tremendous privilege and blessing. Let each inhalation fill your entire being with light, love and gratitude. See your body as the temple of your spirit, a sacred receptacle of your breath. Remain in this space for one to two minutes.
Continue the above practice as you also cultivate a sense that each exhalation is profoundly healing. Release any negative emotions or inner turbulence down into Mother Earth with every exhalation, as you continue contemplating the sacred joy and beauty of every inhalation. Allow her to absorb and transform this energy, opening to her healing embrace. Practice this for two to four minutes.
Now sit in silence as you notice the inner peace your practice has engendered. Bring your awareness to your heart by crossing your palms over your chest in an embrace of your devotional center. Feel love, peace and contentment glowing from the heart and permeating your entire being for one minute or more.
While it is a simple and logical practice, the wisdom of pratipaksha bhavana lies in actually doing it. The healing powers of all yogic practices unfold with consistent practice and dedication, while we remain ever detached from the outcome.
As you continue your day, try to remember the true nature of your higher self that you have experienced through your practice. Let an occasional inhalation beckon you back to the home of your soul. Allow an exhalation to be a healing release. Remember, over and over again who you truly are and rest in this awareness as you transform your anger into compassion, your hate into love, fear into courage and pain into joy.
