The Pagan Yogi

Meditation and mindfulness give you the opportunity to practice Being without attachment: when you can sit and simply observe, you realise that you don’t have to act on the feelings or thoughts that arise - but nor do you need to ignore or reject them. When the energy of an idea or an emotions arises, if we reject it with a mental ‘no!’ then we only suppress it’s energy - we don’t allow it to discharge or dissipate, but only push it back down (we literally ‘depress’ it into our subconscious) - this ‘pushing back’ only increases the urgency of the energetic pressure behind that arising, making it even more needy for expression. If, however, we regularly practice sitting in awareness, and allow whatever arises to simply ‘be’ - observing each emotional, intellectual, or energetic arising, acknowledging it with compassionate curiosity, but not actively engaging with it (neither reaching for it, nor pushing it away) - then that energy has the freedom to arise, bloom and express itself w

The trouble with having your head full of sunshine and rainbows, is you don’t see the shadows or the holes under your feet until it’s too late. Ignoring the ‘difficult’ stuff doesn’t make it go away - it just makes everything feel only 2 dimensional and hollow; any artist will tell you: you need the shadows as much as the highlights in order to help define the shapes and the edges of reality... But equally, if you’re only ever looking down at the ground, expecting only to find pot holes, you’ll overlook the beauty of the flowers amongst the paving-cracks - and totally miss the shooting stars overhead. Because the truth is, we see what we look for - and it’s our perceptions and expectations that shape the world we see and the life we feel able to live. So no matter how bleak your heart feels, remember to always take time everyday to look for the miracles - to smell the rose, or gaze at a star - or the warmth of a loved ones smile; because to allow yourself to find these simple bea