awareness

Living with Beginner’s Mind

by Swami Ramananda

Experiencing the Infinite Possibilities of the Present Moment

Are we truly free to act with full awareness in the present moment — in harmony with our true nature and our interconnection with all of life?

This is the heart of our spiritual experiment.

To choose freedom means learning to respond to life without being driven by the hidden “shoulds” that may have taken root in childhood. Many of these inner directives operate quietly in the background of the psyche. They are so familiar and so deeply embedded that we rarely question them. Yet they shape our reactions, our decisions, and even our sense of self.

For example, do I hesitate to admit a mistake because I fear what others may think? If my self-worth depends on approval, I may subtly distort the truth to protect my image. If I am unconsciously governed by a need for security, I may rationalize behavior that compromises my integrity. These patterns are rarely deliberate. They arise from conditioning — habitual beliefs and thought forms accumulated over time.

Yoga offers us a compassionate laboratory for self-observation.

Even on the mat, we may notice the impulse to look good, to compare ourselves with others, or to measure our practice against some internalized ideal. We may judge a class as “good” or “bad” depending on how it matches our expectations. These reactions reveal how automatically the past overlays the present.

But Yoga also gives us another possibility.

During Hatha Yoga practice, we can move with attentive awareness, tuning into the raw sensations of the body without judgment. Instead of pushing toward an image, we respond with care to our actual capacity in this moment. In meditation, we practice disengaging again and again from the stream of thought we normally identify with. As the mind grows quieter, more focused and open, it begins to perceive clearly. We respond to events as they are, rather than through the colored lens of memory, hope, or fear.

Gradually, we learn to pause.

In that pause, we discriminate between anxious reactions triggered by stress and the deeper, neutral voice of Spiritual Consciousness. This transformation does not occur instantly. It unfolds over time through steady effort, patience, and a willingness to practice without demanding specific results.

When we begin to experience moments free from habitual thought patterns, something shifts. We see ourselves — and our relationship to the world — freshly. We feel our connection with others and with all of nature. Compassion arises naturally. Wisdom no longer feels forced; it flows from a deeper place.
With continued practice, even the subconscious mind is gently restructured. Old beliefs lose their grip. We are no longer compelled to repeat familiar patterns. Instead, we approach life with a sense of belonging, inner contentment, and wonder.

This is the essence of beginner’s mind.

To live with beginner’s mind is to approach each day without being dulled by routine or distracted by constant mental rehearsal. Habit has its place — it helps us tie our shoes or follow simple procedures — but it cannot guide us creatively through the living complexity of human relationships and life’s unfolding events.

Each day offers countless opportunities to delight in ordinary miracles: the rhythm of breath, the play of light, the presence of another human being. Yet our mental landscape is often crowded with plans, goals, and future projections. Leaning anxiously toward what we hope to acquire or achieve, we overlook the quiet completeness already here.

When we release that anxious leaning into the future and meet this moment fully, we discover something profound: the present is not lacking. It is alive with infinite possibility. It contains an inherent sense of wholeness that becomes evident when we feel our connection with all things.
Every moment invites us to begin again.

And in that willingness to meet life freshly — free from conditioning, open to possibility — we align with the true spirit of Yoga: living in awareness, acting in harmony, and experiencing the boundless richness of the present.

Marilyn Russell2026-03-05T16:49:22-08:00March 6th, 2026|Tags: awareness, beginner's mind, habit, Present Moment|

Meditation for Mental Purification

by Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP

“A person can rise up through the efforts of his own mind; or in the same manner, draw himself down, for each person is his own friend or enemy.”
– Bhagavad Gita, 6.5 chapter The Yoga of Meditation

Yoga offers a method for purification of the body, the energetic field and the mind.

Most are familiar with the physical asana practice which conditions the body to make it a better functioning vehicle in our lives. Asanas help develop strength and flexibility. They improve circulation, function of the internal organs and balance the nervous system. Purification of the body and toxin elimination is part of the process. We let go.

Pranayama, breathing practices help to purify the energetic field. This is a more subtle region which is perceived with clarity by only a few. The process usually brings a little level of disturbance that is hard to pinpoint. When continued, pranayama starts to “clear the waters” and we begin to feel lighter and yet grounded. We start to think with clarity.

Mental purification comes indirectly from the practice of these two mentioned methods of yoga. The most direct path is through meditation. Some would say the mind is also purified through other paths like selfless service, prayer or spiritual study and inquiry.

What happens when meditating?
We cultivate attentiveness in two forms, concentration and open-awareness state. Practice of concentration creates a one-pointed mind which allows us to stay present with what we choose rather than a mind which is being constantly distracted and tossed around like a leaf in the wind. On the other hand, the developed broad sense of awareness allows many aspects of our being to coexist; the perception of the body’s sensations, the input from the senses and the mental world of thoughts and emotions.The practice of meditation gives us the ability to move with life while being aware of what is happening within us and around us with clarity. It gives us an opportunity to stay focused on what is important to us, what gives our life meaning.

What is this mental purification process in meditation?
As we meditate, we direct our attention to a chosen point generating positive and steady vibrational states. The ancient yogic text, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, recommends focusing on something that is uplifting. As we focus, the mind comes in with stories and narratives. Such thoughts distract us. As soon as we realize it, we recover our point of focus. We do this over and over again. In this process, the mind starts releasing echoes of old emotions and thought patterns. Some meditations can be very relaxing, soothing, even blissful, and some will expose our unconscious mental tendencies which can be startling to us and unpleasant. We let them out and let them be.

Just as detoxification of the body brings a bad taste to the mouth and perhaps some body odor, as we start purifying the mind, there is debris of the old, which we need to release. We also get a view of our current mental patterns. We expose fears and discontents and recognize how they affect our life. We learn to accept them and let them go.

Our developed one-pointed mind allows us to stay focused, and the broad, all encompassing awareness helps us to find clarity of the big picture. It is from this place of clarity that we have a choice to cultivate new mental tendencies, such as joy, wonder, compassion and tranquility. We invite these positive emotional states to accompany us in life.

Tara symbolizes pure compassion and is believed to possess the ability to guide followers, like a star, on their spiritual path.

Please join me for upcoming online meditation programs:
●      weekly online Guided Meditation on Sundays, 5:30-6pm PT,
●      celebration of World meditation Day online on Sunday December 21st all day
●      21-day Meditation Challenge online, Monday, January 6 – Sunday, January 25 2026 –  21-days @ 7:15 – 8:00am.

Marilyn Russell2025-12-17T08:22:06-08:00December 17th, 2025|Tags: awareness, meditation, mental purification, Sutras|

Gratefulness

by Swami Ramananda

Imagine waking each morning with a palpable sense of gratitude — simply for being alive, for having another opportunity to engage in the great adventure of life. Imagine approaching every moment with gratefulness as the very foundation from which you meet the world.

In a time when we witness so much suffering and injustice, this may seem difficult to envision. It’s easy to lose heart, grow cynical, or retreat into self-protection. All the more reason we need a practice that restores perspective, renews our intention for growth, and strengthens our capacity to help transform this troubled world.

Practicing gratefulness can truly reshape our lives. It invites us to see each day as another chance to learn, to awaken, to love more fully. Every interaction becomes an opportunity to recognize our limitations and selfish tendencies, and to open our hearts wider.

This practice is rooted in present-moment awareness — the capacity to notice the daily miracles that so often escape our attention: the glory of sunrise, the smile of a baby, a hummingbird hovering midair, the comforting embrace of a friend.

Yet gratefulness is more than listing the blessings of the day. It is an appreciation for all that life brings — the joys and the sorrows, the light and the shadow, the bliss and the heartbreak. Rather than resisting pain, we can practice welcoming it as a messenger, pointing us toward what needs healing. Even if it doesn’t come naturally, we can experiment with the faith — echoed by many wisdom traditions — that everything which comes to us serves our highest good.

As Rumi wrote in The Guest House:
“The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

Gratefulness also means learning to be content with life’s plateaus — those times when visible progress seems to stall. We often reserve gratitude for moments of success or celebration, yet its deeper power lies in sustaining us through the long stretches of quiet effort, when no applause comes.

This practice includes remembering all those whose efforts have shaped our path — our parents, ancestors, teachers, and the great spiritual masters who devoted their lives to transmitting the light of Yoga, including the founder of Integral Yoga, Sri Swami Satchidananda.

Thus, gratefulness is not merely an inner feeling of appreciation; it calls for a response. When we pause to reflect on the immensity of our blessings and allow our hearts to fill, a natural impulse arises to give back.

We can express gratitude through simple words of thanks, but also through our way of living — through service, mindfulness, and devotion. We can never repay the gift of life, the earth that sustains us, or the grace that allows us to seek awakening. Yet we can dedicate ourselves daily to the practices that dissolve the confines of ego and reveal the peace of the Self. We can listen to the quiet voice of conscience and follow its guidance to serve where we are needed.

In this way, gratefulness becomes an inexhaustible source of nourishment, inspiring us to persevere on the spiritual path despite the distractions of modern life. It gives us the courage to embody the values our world most desperately needs.

If we cannot be at peace with what we have now, can we truly expect peace from what we may gain later?

Perhaps the highest form of gratitude is not found in what we say, but in how we live. When we pause to see the magnitude of all we have been given, our hearts overflow naturally in service. May we each, in our own way, express our thankfulness by making peace within ourselves and sharing that peace with all around us.

Marilyn Russell2025-11-05T10:21:24-08:00November 5th, 2025|Tags: awareness, gratitude, Rumi|

Unraveling Our Conditioning

by
Kia Meaux

There is a constant force shaping our experience that we usually don’t recognize: we are often “at the effect” of everything we encounter. The reactions that arise within us in response to these experiences are called the “effect.” For example: we might see a steaming cup of coffee. We experience the effects of this encounter as: craving, a rush of energy, and the internal thought “I need that.”

We typically don’t realize that we are controlled by our own biases and reactions to everything we come across. Every perception—whether dramatic or subtle, physical or mental—affects us in some way.

One of the key roles of the mind is the ability to decide what is beneficial and what is harmful for us. This allows us to steer clear of negative experiences and embrace positive ones. However, much of this decision-making happens automatically, without conscious thought.

This process plays a dual role: not only does it help us navigate life, but it also shapes the very sense of who we are. Because of this, the origins of these decisions often remain hidden from our awareness. What we do feel, though, are their consequences. By closely examining these consequences, we can begin to uncover the deeper patterns or “programs” that drive our behaviors and responses so persistently.

It can be a very powerful practice to begin noticing everything you are at the effect of and understanding what the effects are. The more fully we observe the ways we automatically react to events, the better chance we have for slowing down such impulses and making more conscious choices.

Marilyn Russell2025-08-12T15:02:17-07:00August 13th, 2025|Tags: awareness, conditioning, consequences, craving, Kia Meaux|