The tendency of the mind is to hold on to something negative. If ten compliments are given and one insult, the mind holds onto the negative, that one insult. So when we know this, we’re already one step out of it. Time and again, we must realize, “Oh! I was going on a negative trip!” Immediately come back.
1. Why Embracing Negativity Is Positive
Just give a tight hug to the negative thoughts. If you keep resisting negative thoughts and try to push them away, then they will follow you like ghosts. Shake hands with your negative thoughts. Tell them, ‘Come here and sit with me. I will not leave you’, and you will see how they quickly disappear. Thoughts are scared of you. If you get scared of negative thoughts then they will control you. But if you shake hands with them, then they will disappear.
2. Transform Your Morning, Transform Your Life
Whomsoever you think of, that’s what your brain immediately catches on. You can think of a very negative person, immediately your whole psychology and brain cells start behaving like them. Hasn’t this happened to you?
That is why enlightened masters are called pratah smarami in Sanskrit, which means they have to be remembered in the morning as soon as you wake up, so that your whole day, your whole system is tuned to them. Good or wise people are called pratah smarami, that is, worth remembering in the morning. The reason one remembers them first thing in the morning is because the whole day goes with what you start with. Every morning you should think of them so that your brain gets set up like them or in that direction, in that positive vibes.
3. Eat, Move, Live….Happily!
Too many negative thoughts are coming,
- If your blood circulation is not good if the lymphatic system is not ok. Do a lot of exercise. Move Around, get up, do your exercise, sing, dance.
- You have too much free time to sit and think. If you keep yourself busy, less of negative thoughts will come.
- If you are constipated, if bowel movement is irregular for sure you will have negative thoughts. So, set your bowel movements correctly. That will also help you. You can take 2-3 Triphala tablets at night, and something to soothe your nervous system, like Shatavari. These herbs calm and soothe the system. Do Shankh Prakshalan (intestinal cleansing).
- If vatta, pitta or kapha imbalance comes, then also you will have too many negative thoughts. Ayurveda herbs will help with that.
A strong mind can carry a weak body, but a weak mind cannot carry even a strong body.
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
4. The Power of Prana
Prana is present in everything. We are floating in the air, in prana, an ocean of prana. Stones have got one unit of prana. Water has got two units of prana. Fire has got three units of prana. Air has got four units of prana. Plants have five units of prana. Animals have six units of prana. Human beings are capable of holding from seven to 16 units of prana. The expression of prana is the whole universe.
States of prana
Low Prana
When prana is lower than one, that’s when you feel depressed. Self-doubt arises. When prana goes further low then you feel suicidal. The mind starts complaining, and depression, lethargy, and suicidal tendencies arise. That is why when people are depressed and low, just giving counselling doesn’t work, what needs to be done is to raise the level of prana.
Normal Prana
When prana is normal, you feel normal.
High Prana
When prana is higher, you feel enthusiastic. When prana is very high, you feel energetic and blissful. There is joy, vibrancy, and understanding.
All is play and display of prana. Commitment, courage, confidence, compassion. Everything comes up in life when the prana is flowing uninterpretedly in the central channel that gets activated during yoga, during meditation. Any spiritual practice falls weak when we overuse any of our senses. If you eat too much, if you worry too much, you can’t focus, you can’t learn, you can’t express.
The breath has been burnt down due to excess usage of our body externally; too much food, sex, sleep (even lack of it), too much watching; too much of anything burns down the Prana. And when the Prana is burnt, then you can’t find yourself; it is as though there is a crowd inside, and you feel you don’t exist there.
Fueling prana
Prana can be increased through: Fasting, fresh food, Pranayamas, Sudarshan KriyaTM, meditation, silence, cold water baths, presence of the Master, singing and chanting. Giving without a givership, service without a doership.
The more the Prana, the more energy increases and the less negativity that will be there. You know, when there is no energy, that’s when you feel more negative and you have enthusiasm and energy, negativity is nowhere. It’s gone. So the best way to get rid of negativity is to be youthful. Youthful is, “I take the challenge. Not, I have a challenge.” First, change the problem into a challenge. and then, nothing is a challenge. We have energy, we have enthusiasm. So with this, when we move our whole action takes a different course.
5. Are Your Friends Your Enemies?
The company you are in can also affect the mind. The language we speak is imitation. We are just like parrots of our company. If you just look at the phone bills you will see 60% of your phone calls or you are talking your problem out. That too to people who cannot do anything about it.
Scientists today talk about mirror neurons. When you are in front of a person, the neurons in your brain start imitating the neurons in the other person’s brain, and 25% of the neurons, start reflecting. Your mind becomes a mirror. That means it starts behaving like the other person. For example, if you are sitting with someone who is very angry, your mind also it picks up on the anger and it will start reflecting. It’s a physical phenomenon. Like negativity, positivity also does the same thing. When your mind is positive, you start compassing the positivity in other people.
You need to judge your company. Your company can pull you up or pull you down. The company that drags you towards doubt, dejection, blame, complaints, anger, delusion, and desires is bad company. The company that pulls you up towards joy, enthusiasm, service, love, trust, and knowledge is good company. When someone complains, first you listen, then you nod, then you sympathize, then you complain.
Collective consciousness is generated when people are there together in Satsang. That is why it is ‘Satsang’— the company of the truth; of the real, of the true. When you are in this company, it’s all positive, vibes are positive and thoughts are positive. There is hope. No complaints. That type of atmosphere is there.
People who are miserable, don’t keep the misery to themselves. They spread it to others around them. If you associate with them, you also get sucked into that negativity. So they always used to say keep away from those, not to blame them, not to feel they are down, but to say that they are releasing stress. Keep away from them. Don’t let that stress get into you. When you feel troubled by others, see them as rag dolls.
Don’t put people with negative tendencies above you. Know that they are under you. It will give you a lot of solace. Because if you think people above you are negative, that makes you very uncomfortable. You want to run away. If you think people who are equal to you are negative, you want to change them, which you can’t do anyway. And so if you consider them just below you, then you’ll go to help them. You are there to bring positivity in such an atmosphere, why don’t you take up that responsibility, and have compassion on them? So negative people are negative. Don’t have a friendly attitude with them. Only compassion.
Your company can create Hell for you in Heaven — or Heaven for you in Hell. Judge for yourself.
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
What We Learned?
Do not be afraid of bad thoughts. These thoughts are similar to the dark clouds that come and pass away. Lots of thoughts come if there are impurities in the body if there is aavaran (artificiality) in the mind. Having too many thoughts indicates some weakness in the body. Consult an Ayurveda physician and take herbs to cleanse the body. Through pranayam, the mind is purified. Through meditation, the consciousness gets purified. Sometimes the thoughts come because of the surroundings or company.
At certain times, certain planetary positions and certain cosmic energies can all affect your mind. But all this will pass. Don’t be paranoid about anything. Just know that time moves on.
Be wary of what you let into your mind for it will determine who you are. Whatever thought you engage your mind in, the mind becomes like that.
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
