Where Do You Place Your Mind the Most?
My former philosophy teacher, Douglas Brooks said once, “Wherever you place your mind the most, that is your religion.” He went on to talk about how the Greek root of the word religion, “religos”, means “to re-link.” By this definition, cell-phones would be our modern culture’s Gods with all the texting and social media we do. It is common to see (and I fall prey to this as well) people with their faces in their phones all the time. At the same time, we have this device that appears to connect us, while our society feels more disconnected than ever. Do we really want this to be our religion?
Both Yoga and Ayurveda teach that living mindfully is the way to create balance and good mental health. In fact, the true definition of Yoga is: Whatever we do mindfully with full awareness is yoga. One of the many meanings of Yoga (and the first way it was ever used) is, “to yoke.” When we do an action mindfully, we are yoking ourself to it. When I reflect on my behavior, I want my actions to align with what I feel is most important in life. When I find myself falling short, thus, praying to the wrong gods, I need to right myself with the anchor of remembrance and discipline.
Where do you place your mind the most? What are you linking yourself to? Does this align with your values? I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on this.
If you need help refocusing, both Ayurveda and Yoga give us great tools. Give me a call and we can work on reinvesting in what you find most meaningful.