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Control Your Emotions With Yoga By Bharata Many people assume that their temperament is something that they are born with, something that is as unalterable as the color of their eyes. Everyone knows people who have quick tempers, who fly off the handle at the smallest disturbances. We also know people who aren’t bothered by major problems or large upheavals. Sometimes we attribute this to genes, some people claim that these individuals picked up their calm mannerisms during childhood from their parents. Most agree that it is almost impossible to change these tendencies in people. Most people mellow with age and appear to handle stress and tension better. Stability seems to be one of the benefits of the aging process. Many emotionally unstable people also mellow with age. But is age the only solution to dealing with uncontrolled emotions? Yoga disciplines in its many forms offer many means to bring the emotions under control. Meditation, yoga breathing exercises (pranayama), yoga postures (asanas), the yogic vegetarian diet (which is different from a normal vegetarian diet), and karma yoga (serving humanity) are all very effective in steadying the mind and bringing the emotions under control and thus creating a more harmonious and peaceful life. Meditation is a powerful tool for changing mind, for making it stronger and calmer. With meditation we use the mind as a tool to change itself just as one might use a thorn to remove another thorn. Through the regular practice of meditation one creates new, positive and uplifting mental habits. As the mind becomes quieter, it also becomes more focused, more powerful, able to accomplish whatever task is placed before it more easily and quickly and more effectively. Yogis have known for thousands of years about the intimate connection between the breath and one's mental state. The breath and the mind (especially the emotions) go together like the gas pedal in your car and the engine. If the engine is running fast, it means the gas pedal is depressed. If you're not stepping on the gas pedal, the engine is idling. The state of one always reflects the state of the other. The same is true for the relationship between the breath and the mind. Let's look at some examples. You are having a strong emotional argument with someone. Voices are getting louder, tempers flaring. Both parties are loosing control. Stop! What is happening to the breath?.... In this highly emotional state the breathing has become irregular, shallow and rapid. The breath matches the mental state. Conversely, on the positive side, let’s consider how a good mental state is reflected in the breath. Imagine that you just woke up from a Sunday afternoon nap. You feel fantastic. Rested. Refreshed. Not a care in the world. What is happening to your breath ? It's slow, deep, and rhythmic. Your breathing matches your mental state. The breath and the mind go hand in hand. As one changes, the other also changes. In yoga there are techniques for controlling the mind. These techniques are difficult and mastering them takes a long time. The mind is non-physical and elusive. Its a difficult animal to tame directly. But the breath is something tangible. You can control your breathing. You can use your breathing to control your mind and your emotions. Yoga asanas (the postures or stretching and bending)have a significant effect on the emotions. The asanas which are combined with special yoga breathing techniques are so effective that blood pressure is significantly lower at the end of a yoga class than it was before the class. With all of the yoga practices, we try to do as many things as possible to permit the mind to become calm and peaceful. The yogic vegetarian diet plays a significant role in this process. The yogic diet is different from the normal vegetarian diet in that it is not only concerned with the health benefits to the body, but it is also concerned with the subtle influences that food has on the mind. Yogi have found over thousands of years that onions and garlic and heavy spices strongly influence the emotions and make the mind restless and more difficult to control. This influence is subtle but is readily noticed if one abstains from them for a while and then tries them again. It is not unlike drinking coffee after having abstained from it for a long time. We suddenly realize what a powerful influence it has on our consciousness. It should be noted here that the yogi particularly abstains from these things in order to facilitate his or her meditation and a raising of the consciousness. Lastly, karma yoga (service of humanity or selfless service), is a techniques followed by many paths and spiritual disciplines. Whatever self-improvement effort one is making or whatever spiritual path one is on, servicing others with the consciousness that we are all part of the same human family is the mortar that binds all of our practices together. This consciousness breaks down the barriers that separate individualss and, eventually, even nations. This practice, by focusing on helping others, instead of being self-centered is one of the most effective means of developing a quiet, peaceful consciousness. |
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