Hell is a Real Place
Cut out the middle man and save….save money, time, and energy. Perhaps this advice is helpful for drug deals and fruit, but it’s not so helpful when what is being dealt is the quality of the experience of your life. The citta (pronounced chitta) is the space that lies between your inner light and your outer physical experience. The condition of this space will determine whether or not you experience heaven or hell.
It makes sense to clean your home, your car, or any other space that you reside, otherwise, what you experience in those spaces is littered with dirt, flavored with expired condiments, and perfumed with sweat soaked gym clothes that sat in your bag for a week.
Our inner environment will most definitely become sullied with dad’s political views, our culture’s standards of beauty and success, grandpop’s biases, and social media’s distortion of reality. If we allow this rubbish to sit and marinate in our heart/mind space (citta), then every single experience we have, will have a rubbish aftertaste. There is no amount of curry that can cover up rotten broccoli!
It is essential to attend to this space with your undivided, compassionate care, on the daily. If we want to have the opportunity to experience the infinite possibilities of the present moment, then we have to make ourselves available for that moment. If our hands are full of rotten fruit, and our ears are plugged with repeating soundtracks of the presidential debate, then we have a 0% chance at tasting the rich, unique, homemade taste of this moment, of which will never, ever, be cooked again.
We must be committed to consistently cleansing our heart/mind (citta prasadana is what this process is called). This means daily baths, weekly soaks, monthly closet clean outs, and annual overhauls. Our thoughts, emotions, and ‘ways of being,’ must be subject to routine constructive criticism. So much so, that this kind of self regulation actually becomes our habit. We have the freedom and responsibility to implement our own self-cleaning program into our psyche. We have the ability to shift the autopilot of our mind from complaining to clarifying.
When the citta is clear, the power of, this now moment, is charged and actualized as pure limitless potential. Stagnation is transformed into illumination.
Our light requires no battery and the only charge it needs is our acknowledgment. The only time to shine, is right now. Be willing to shine. Shine so bright and so big that you light up the stage of your life. With each breath you breathe, become the living invitation to all, as the Broadway of today.
I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity to study and translate yoga (to my current understanding) with you. The practice has literally saved my life and has gifted me with the guidance to continuously ask the important questions that act as the navigation system in my life, all with an attitude of curiosity and non-attachment. I am grateful for your interest and attention.
Blessed Be!
Andrea Dawn
