{"id":23610,"date":"2020-12-18T17:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T17:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/18\/how-the-mind-distracts-us-and-how-yoga-can-help-us-return\/"},"modified":"2020-12-18T17:43:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T17:43:00","slug":"how-the-mind-distracts-us-and-how-yoga-can-help-us-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/18\/how-the-mind-distracts-us-and-how-yoga-can-help-us-return\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Mind Distracts Us and How Yoga Can Help Us Return"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"how<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

After describing the roadblocks to enlightenment<\/a> in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali invites us to consider their presence in our lives. He invites us to explore how the mind distracts us. A few symptoms, we\u2019re told, will let us know we\u2019re distracted.<\/p>\n

How The Mind Distracts Us<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we\u2019re distracted, Patanjali says, our bodies let us know. We may experience distress, despair, trembling, and disturbed breathing\u2014all symptoms of mental distraction. You may recognize these as symptoms of anxiety or depression.<\/p>\n

For millions of people, the stresses of modern life result in distraction from a more meaningful way of living. We feel distressed, hopeless, and anxious when the balance shifts and we find ourselves going through life without focus or presence.<\/p>\n

We may turn to medication, including self-medication with alcohol, drugs, and lashing out at others (to name a few). But what if there was a healthier way to deal with the symptoms of distraction?<\/p>\n

When we recognize the cause of these symptoms, we can begin to fix the problem by working with the mind. Instead of allowing the mind to distract us, we can yoke it and use it to return to ourselves. Then the symptoms will begin to fade. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Returning to Ourselves Once We See How the Mind Distracts Us<\/h3>\n

But often we misunderstand what returning to ourselves means. When we first experience symptoms of mental distraction, we may not look deeply to the root of our distress. We may feel as though the fix is to return to aspirations like career success, finding a relationship, or reaching another goal that our egos desire.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with a healthy ego that enjoys this life. But the real threat of the distractions of the mind is not losing those things. It\u2019s losing sight of our true selves. For many of us, the things we believe will make us happy are already distractions.<\/p>\n

When we experience the symptoms of distraction as anxiety or depression, we may seek counseling or coaching intended to return our focus to things like boosting our self-esteem or focusing on our goals.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019re rarely coached to give up attachments and seek union with the divine, which is the goal of yoga.<\/p>\n

Symptoms of Mental Distraction: A Yogi\u2019s View<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Patanjali knew the symptoms of mental distraction occur not because we can\u2019t focus<\/a> on getting what we want out of life but because we want the wrong things. When anxiety and depression take over our lives, do we suspect a spiritual cause? Or do we focus on improving our relationships, understanding our childhood wounds, or increasing our self-esteem?<\/p>\n

We may get a better job, make more friends, find a mate, start a family, get fit, lose weight\u2014whatever. But the symptoms of mental distraction Patanjali identified return. So maybe we switch medications or therapists, or we find better friends or change careers.<\/p>\n

Everything is great\u2014until it\u2019s not again.<\/p>\n

Patanjali had a different remedy for the symptoms of mental distraction. His solution, of course, is path of yoga. So, what does a yogi do when he or she is distressed, feeling despair, trembling, or having trouble breathing?<\/p>\n

Focus.<\/p>\n

In the sutra 1.32, Patanjali tells yogis to concentrate on a single subject <\/em>to overcome roadblocks to enlightenment and the symptoms that accompany them.<\/p>\n

We call this practice meditation.<\/p>\n

Beyond Symptom Relief With Yoga<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We know meditation can help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression. A regular meditation practice will help calm the body, steady the breath, and reduce mental agitation.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not enough to alleviate the symptoms of mental distraction, because they will return. Meditation is part of the whole yogic path. Staying on the path is the surest way to keep mental distraction and the symptoms it produces at bay.<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t find a permanent solution to distraction as long as we inhabit our human bodies. But we can understand how the mind distracts us and stay focused on our goal as yogis. The goal, remember, is not to have a better place in this world. It\u2019s samadhi\u2014union with God\u2014a state of being beyond<\/em> this world (even \u2014 and this important \u2014 while we remain in it). Dedication to the yogic path doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t enjoy life. As Reverend Carrera<\/a> says, \u201cThe moral is not: don\u2019t have pets, a business, or a spouse; it\u2019s: always<\/p>\n

The post How The Mind Distracts Us and How Yoga Can Help Us Return<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Circles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After describing the roadblocks to enlightenment in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali invites us to consider their presence in our lives. He invites us to explore how the mind distracts us. A few symptoms, we\u2019re told, will let us know we\u2019re distracted. How The Mind Distracts Us When we\u2019re distracted, Patanjali says, our bodies let us … [Read more…]
\nThe post How The Mind Distracts Us and How Yoga Can Help Us Return appeared first on Yoga Circles.Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After describing the roadblocks to enlightenment in the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali invites us to consider their presence in our lives. He invites us to explore how the mind distracts us. A few symptoms, we\u2019re told, will let us know we\u2019re distracted. How The Mind Distracts Us When we\u2019re distracted, Patanjali says, our bodies let us know. We may experience distress, despair, trembling, and disturbed breathing\u2014all symptoms of mental distraction. You may recognize these as symptoms of anxiety or depression. For millions of people, the stresses of modern life result in distraction from a more meaningful way of living. We feel distressed, hopeless, and anxious when the balance shifts and we find ourselves going through life without focus or presence. We may turn to medication, including self-medication with alcohol, drugs, and lashing out at others (to name a few). But what if there was a healthier way to deal with the symptoms of distraction? When we recognize the cause of these symptoms, we can begin to fix the problem by working with the mind. Instead of allowing the mind to distract us, we can yoke it and use it to return to ourselves. Then the symptoms will begin to fade. \u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23610"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}