The Atman Mandala - How Does Your Mindset Work

[Sara]

How Does your mind speak to you?

Do you identify with your true self when a dark cloud appears in your mind?

What are your mind mantras? Do they balance on a higher vibration or a low one?

Is your inner Mandala taking your foward or keeping you in a cycle of unwelcomed patterns?

Welcome to this article on YOUR ATMAN MANDALA.

As you read the first 4 questions, now pause......take a deep slow breath

and read them again.

Now get a pen and paper and read the same questions a third time, if you feel inspired, write down whatever comes up for you. Take a few minutes before reading on go inside your mind.

Our minds are so very powerful and more often than not we must give our mind a loving bath and allow ourselves to go through our inner mandala, dancing through our patterns of being.

We are all talented, creative, loving and powerful human beings.

You can do anything it is you wish to do in this life, but part of that path to accomplish this is to untangle the mind when it takes charge.

Your spirit is the center of your Mandala. Rooted and strong and centered.

Our lives, our family, our upbringing, our cultures, our relationships, society and all our experiences shapes our opinions, our choices, our beliefs and helps guide us all on our induvidual journeys.

However, sometimes we may find ourselves stuck, feeling depressed, not where we want to be professionally or emotionally or spiritually or just having a crapy day, or we lack belief that we can achieve anything!

This is when the mind feels like an enemy.

If we can how change out internal dialogue and recognize the patterns of our mind you can transform any part of your life and connect to a higher energy.

I was going to expand on this tonight but instead I am going to leave you to comment and be with the inner dialogue of your mind. Observe it over the next 2 days and on Tuesday I will continue this post with effective ways to change your negative thought patterns, stay in bright zone of your mandala, and lavishly decorate your mind for success!

May each of you glow within your own light and allow this light shine beyond.

Om shanti,shanti,shanti

Sara

[treezilla]

To answer your question about the mind and Atman I guess I'll start from where I have come from. When I first started with yoga I had found a book "Yoga for Americans". This was to be my teacher for quite a while for being young I was always told I was too young to take a class.
Then in college I took a class of Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan. What I learned about the mind and mantra has been with me for the past 30 years.
My practice these days begins in the morning before the sun rise. With yoga and chanting I have a wonderful beginning of the day, and my mind is ready for anything I am given.

[yogarocks]

Hi Sara,

These are great questions. I also try to start my day with a morning sadhana (based on Yogi Bhajan too!). But when things come up during the day, I try and watch my mind and question the thought patterns come up.

I find breathing and releasing the pattern is helpful. If it is very gripping I remember that death can happen at anytime and all the events that occur are for our awakening. I try to look at the person in front of me that may seem to be irritating with compassion and remember how often I'm irritating.


Debbie

[jane hb]

wow - that's beautifully thought provoking - thank you.
Om Shanti

[Sara]

Hello everyone,

Thank-you for sharing your thoughts on this topic.

It is a very complex topic.....our minds and where they lead us to.

I specifically wanted to write about this because so much of what we do , how we do it and why we may not be doing something is related to our MINDSET!

Our o minds travel to so many different place in a day.

Sometimes we head for the dark closed(our past) or we think we can plan exactly how we wish our future to be (walking foward before we've been shown where to go or we repeat a tape recorder in out head ( a repetative voice than pushes our spirit to drown in fear, negativity and insecurity.)

Maybe one of the above visits you occasionally or is a permanent resident in the house of your mind and you never gave it a invitation.

When you think of the word mandala, What do you see?

What does this word represent for you in your world-emotionally, Physicallly and spiritually?

When I thought about a title for this discussion of our inner self and our mind I immediately pictured a Mandala.

There is a beauty and complexity to a mandala.

There are patterns and colors to a mandala.

In each of us there are many sides to our personalities and colors that expose or hide who we are and where we desire to go in our lives.

There are thought cycles that our minds play out like characters in a Broadway play and we usually take a front row seat and allow the same play to repeat itself over and over again.

It is only when we want to change the plot or bring in a new character that we reawaken and that inner voice tells us its time to change the script.

As your read this think about your personnal play with in the maze of your mind.

To achieve success to whatever degree this means to you in any are of your life You will need to be open to changing your mindset.

If you have a daily meditation or chanting practice, and that brings you peace and a grounding way to start your day then I say that is a blessing. But when I talk about your thoughts and mindset, this is very different than your personnal spiritual practice.

I know that since I found yoga at 20 years old, I had now idea it would become such a significant part of my life.

The more I got into yoga the more yoga began to work on me. It has helped me in so many areas of my life.

But over the past 4 years I discovered that my mindset was the biggest obstacle I had not been able to conquer until I searched and read and surrounded myself around people who had powerful MINDSETS.

The day I turned of the old tapes, discovered old unserving patterns, and really looked at the inner dialogue, then I turned on my own power to grow and change.

Your light emanates from within. when you access and conciously turn this light on, strength and power merge, courage replaces your fears.

As Buddha said " Be a light unto yourself." I love this quote. Every time I read it I say to myself AHHH, so true.

Some more things to think about:

What is you self image? How do you feel about who you are.

What old tape recordings do you have playing over?

Are you doing what you love?

How do you relax or de-stress other than Yoga?

What is your negativity bar( high or low or non-existent)?

Do you have goals and what are your 3 biggest ones? Remember to dream big!

What is holding you back from achieving one thing in your life. (eg: raising you prices, getting more teaching jobs.)

It all comes down to coloring you atman Mandala with your colors of you choice.

Redefining you self image will provide the inner foundation for you to fly effortlessly to success in you life.

Share you comments and thoughts.

blessings and smiles,

Sara

[jane hb]

Beautiful and inspiring, I thank you and Harlan ever so much for all that you do and all that you are. Peace, Jane

[treezilla]

In answering what is my self image many things come into play. Myself as a parent, as a manager at work, as a husband, as a yogi. Each facet of my life has its own veneer and how I react in each of those circumstances is part of the total me.

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From the first light to the last light of the day I am conscious of my mind and the Universal Mind. I start each day with my yoga practice (sadhana) and everything I deal with throughout the day...whether it is a crying kid to an irate customer...to an emotional yoga student..I see as a part of the dance of the Universe.

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As I spend time driving to work I play spiritual tapes in my car. The same mantras I listen to on the way to work I also hold with me during the day...oh of course there are matters that take me away form my active meditation, but at those times I try to breath and focus on what is before me so I can understand and be part of this dance.

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Once home again I often encounter things that need my attention, and with each and every circumstance that is thrown at me I respond with from that place of spirit. We are only given as much as we can handle I always tell myself. For with all of the things going on around us I see my thoughts reacting to this and that. I realize thoughts are things, and I try to use the law of attraction to bring good things into my life.

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I realize I am doing what I love...of course there are things that are a blip on my radar. Everything is not always rosy, but each facet of my day comes with its own struggles as I get different things thrown at me I can only respond the way I felt is appropriate.

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You ask how do I de-stress other than yoga...well I love to garden and during the spring and summer I spend a lot of time in amongst the plants. During the winter I take my de-stressing to task by slowing down my breathing...Pranayana has been very important to me, and often you will find me chanting a mantra or singing to a series of mantras as I'm cleaning or working on different chores around the house. I find when I chant the breath normalizes itself and even slows way down so each action becomes a meditation f sorts.

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The last piece of the puzzle which I call my dreams or my goals is still in being worked on...I have so many options that I haven't decided on exactly what it is I want and when do I want it...this part of my life is full of exploring...this is why I get up in the morning ...this is why I love life so much...this is why I love yoga and every one that comes in contact with it!

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I think I answered your questions ...I will take a breather now!!
treezilla