Śunya, surrender

Every time I share the theme for the week, I make a point of practicing it as much as I can. I have been very busy with school, and as I feel overwhelmed, I remember to come back to śunya, the openness pregnant with emptiness, to ground  and calm myself. I have realized that connecting with it requires a great deal of letting go and surrender.

I was reading about how we all react to what arises in our lives, both internally or externally. Something appears, a stimulus, which is evaluated and given meaning. An emotion is then attached to it, which in turn triggers a physiological response. Once this occurs, the mind creates a narrative that sustains the emotional state, and in this way the loop is kept alive. The mind is extraordinary, as all of this happens with remarkable speed.

As long as the loop continues, awareness collapses into content. The field of knowing contracts and identifies with thoughts, emotions, and sensations, so that experience is no longer witnessed but inhabited. Practicing śunya restores awareness without content, allowing the whole system to self-regulate organically, so that action can arise from clarity. 
 
This week we will be focusing on upper body as a way to expand and strengthen it.
 
Breathe easy,

Blessings

Jorge Nihāl