Episode 56: Making the Unconscious Conscious_A Tale of Sleep Deprivation in the Land of the Rising Sun

Welcome to Episode 56 of The Life Right Here.

Today’s episode is inspired by my trip to Japan and particularly by a challenging part of my trip that I wanted to share with you and what I learned from it. 

The practice of yoga and meditation is ultimately about gaining clarity and awareness, first in the body but then in the mind and in turn this changes how we show up in the world. 

As a starting point for this story I want to share an idea from Jack Kornfield a meditation teacher, clinical psychologist, trained Buddhist monk and spiritual teacher. 

The reason I share this is because I read this passage not long before I went to Japan and was contemplating what it might mean for my life and it came in very useful when I was over there and faced with some challenging sleeping conditions.

'Without mindfulness we will simply reinforce our conditioned habits and desires, keeping ourselves stuck in their patterns, giving unconscious power to the forces of grasping and anger. With mindfulness, our actions can lead us to Freedom.'

A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life

Reflective Questions to Consider:

• Can you pause next time you’re reacting to something with anger or a sense of grasping and just sit and breathe, step away from the situation and choose a different response? How can you create space around it?
• You might ask what pattern is playing out in my reactivity here? Or  ‘What story am I telling myself?’ ‘How am I contributing to me own suffering here?’
• Is there something playing out unconsciously here that I can shed some more light on?

Please get in touch with questions or insights - I'd love to hear from you. Email me here amalayogashala@gmail.com or DM on Instagram @amala_yoga_shala.

Back soon!
Em xx