Weekly Contemplations to Ignite the Soul
No. 12: Balance Your Being
My spiritual guide Walt Baptiste encouraged his students to be successful in both the material world as well as spiritually. The idea of balancing both aspects of oneself- the earthbound and heaven bound -is integral to his teachings.
Too often it is the material world that steals us away and demands all of our attention. When we lose our balance, we usually know it. We become disconnected from our spiritual essence and lose our peace of mind, our most precious possession.
But who is in charge here? Are we to be at the mercy of the winds of materiality or are we to be steadfast in our determination to do what it takes: to go within, balance ourselves and reconnect with Spirit.The moment is now…
Withdraw from this world of appearance your mind
And give up the thirst for the pleasures of life
With mind set at rest know the bliss of the Self
And never more fall into error and strife
-Atma Gita
Spiritual Practice
BALANCE YOUR BEING
- Sit comfortably on a chair or cushion with the spine erect.
- Feel both feet firmly connected to the ground and energy moving up the spine through the crown of the head. Establish a comfortable easy breath through both nostrils as you repeat the Sanskrit mantra So Ham with the tongue of the mind. So as you breathe in, Ham as you breath out. Practice for a few minutes until you experience clarity.
- Bring your attention to your connection to the earth and let the mind dive deeply down into the center of the earth. Dwell there for a few minutes until you firmly connect your energy body there.
- When you are ready, bring the mind, like an elevator, up to the crown of your head and with the eye of your mind gaze directly above as if you could look right through the crown into the heavens above.
- Finally, expand your awareness to include your connection to both directions: the earth below and the universe above. Feel yourself powerfully seated in the center of all directions.