Take a step back

Sometimes the mind can feel like a very dark and enclosed place, where everything seems overwhelming. Any of you ever feel this way? I certainly do!

Often when a lot is going on in our lives we become anxius and our minds fill with thoughts. This overload of 'stuff' in our brains can fog up our vision.

I find myself getting so caught up in my own dramas at times, that I forget the space that vast space that surrounds me. Sharon Salzberg tells this story about the opera in the open air: once she went to see this opera, as she watched the drama on stage she couldn't help but noticing the vastness and spaciousness of the sky in the background. The complexity of the drama got lost in the backdrop of this open sky. The actors and their sadness seemed so small in relation to the infinite space of the sky around them. 

This story reminds me how important it is to nurture the"immensity of vision". When we feel our vision becomes narrow and stiff it is good to take a step back and make an effort to rest in what is actually happening.  

Sadhana, or meditation practice, trains us to take that step back and be aware...mindful. When I feel stuck, I roll out my mat, and I create the opportunity for space. Practice enlarges our perspective and improves our quality of mind.

How can you create an opportunity for space?

It can be something as simple as training ourselves to take a deep breath, when all feel dar and enclosed.