As I ended Yoga practice last night, one member of the class asked that question. I’ll always end with a motivational or thought provoking quote. Last night’s had to do with diseases of the mind being more destructive than those of the body (Cicero).
Well, I’m not a psychologist. And even though I teach Yoga, I’m not a Hindu. But I am a life-long seeker. So I shared some of the wisdom literature such as has been the topic of my last several posts. Seek contentment. Try to remove attachment to worldly things.
That wasn’t enough. So I thought about it. The trouble with wisdom tradition is that although it’s universal, it lacks grounding. First, you must have the foundation of walking with God. Historically, monotheists (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) practice a personal relationship with God rather than having a pantheon of gods or union with a mystical “Divine” that is sort of nameless.
New Age people–who are all around us–mix up a lot of that. Take a mix of a measure of Wisdom literature, a dash of Asian religions (without the “religion” part), a piece of Christian teaching, stir well and live some sort of peaceful life. Trouble is, there is no foundation. One of Jesus’ parables warned about building your life on unstable ground rather than a firm foundation.
So, our discussion last night went back to a grounding in God. Then you turn to your mind. The ultimate freedom humans have is the freedom to choose what we think about. We can choose our response to the situations life puts us through. For more than 40 years I’ve practiced the technique of diverting my mind from worries and negativity by focusing my thoughts on something positive or pleasurable.
I was raised by a worrier, it’s in my genes and my early experience. I had to learn to overcome it. That’s how I did. Although you never are “cured.” You just live each day. With God. Choosing to set your mind on the things of heaven, not the things of the world.
Faith Venture 
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