Being the Change
Aligned Motive #3
Dear Students,
There are several things that tie this community together. One is curiosity and a love of learning. Another is the desire to make a difference, to be a catalyst for change, not just for ourselves but for those close to us and all around us.
Making a difference can be within family and friends, through clients and business, or working for a bigger cause like social justice, animal rights, healthcare, the environment.
Each person in this community is a miracle maker in their own way. And that’s why we need to pay close attention to Misaligned Motive #3: practicing for powers. Traditionally the word siddhi was used. Siddhis are supernatural powers gained through practice like flying, mind reading, charisma.
We need to do a little translating here because while most of us aren’t striving for powers like flying, we can easily slip into striving for control or power over. Like control over your body and mind. Power over your immune system and aging. Ever obsessed over why you got sick? Or what “karma” brought about an undesirable situation?
Tradition says this type of inquiry is not only fruitless but arrogant and ego-centric. I agree and I find myself in it all the time.
What’s the antidote? Aligned Motive #3 is practicing to be of benefit to all beings. The key word is “be” and not “do”. All too often we get that wrong. We focus on the doing at the expense of our being. We end up in subtle (or-not-so-subtle) manipulation. Doing this to get that. Rather than being the change we wish to see.
A focus on being doesn't mean we don’t have goals or habits or opinions. It does mean a loose grip on expectations and a strong internal compass. As the Bhagavad Gita says, “you are entitled to your actions but not the fruits of your actions.”
In other words, do the thing for the sake the thing, not what you think you’re going to get from the thing. Harder than it sounds! because it demands clairity and consistency with your energy and actions. It takes Aligned Motives. Then there is freedom and lightness in your being. Plus power with your actions.
In the last email, I shared that doing, striving, accomplishing, achieving "feels good" for me. Often to the detriment of being, softening, resting, and restoring. This pattern is lathered with Misaligned Motive #3. The doing is often an attempt at control and power over. Prioritizing being is another leap of faith. Can I trust that it's enough?
This is a work in progress. Grappling with it on the mat has generated traction off the mat.
How about you?
Do you value your doing over your being?
Why? What’s the story or conditioning?
To embed this principle in your body, use the Benefit to All Beings 20 Minute Miracle in the Toolkit.
To make Aligned Motives come alive on and off the mat, take the Make Practice Miraculous Challenge. You'll learn to have power with (instead of struggle for power over) your body, breath and being. The 6-week journey starts August 19. It’s self-directed study with a teachers touch and community support. Set up a call if you’re curious about how the Challenge would fit into your practice and goals.
May your practice have power with,
Alison
