How do you define yourself? As a mother, daughter, wife, friend, husband, son, teacher, student, lawyer, accountant, or any one of a myriad different titles? Or do you define yourself by others' perception of you? Do any of these come close to your own knowledge, your own personal experience of who you really are?
In your quiet moments, in times of inexplicable joy, have you had the overwhelming and yet clear and lucid feeling of total invinciblity - a feeling that nothing can hold you down, that you CAN accomplish ANYTHING and EVERYTHING if you put your mind to it? Well, that feeling is not a random one.
What is it that gets in the way of your exquisite power? Consider for a moment an iron bar that has magnetic power inherently in it. It will attract or repel things based on it's own intrinsic magnetism. Over time, if this bar begins to rust, it's power will begin to diminish. The oxidative damage from the environment that the magnet has not been able to resist, will render it ineffective, eventually. This in no way means that the iron bar is not capable of it's latent, original power. All it needs to do is shed it's rust. Or, consider if you will, a light bulb that is lit, but covered with soot. As long as the soot remains, it will be unable to fulfill the very purpose it was meant to serve - to radiate light.
According to ancient Vedic texts, this is in effect what happens to the human experience. The infinite power that is naturally present in each and every one of us by virtue of our own consciousness, can be rendered ineffective if not tended to properly. The stress of our lifestyle, the pollution of our environment, and the collective stress of our world keeps us from functioning at our full potential.
But there are remedies: incorporate modalities in your lifestyle that effectively combat stress and help keep you centered. Some of these options are:
Be aware of what you eat, and what you use - both on yourself, and in your environment. Choose natural, organic products.
Live a life of kindness, compassion, and charity - it keeps you connected to your center, your source, that infinite reservoir within you that is your powerhouse.
Don't judge people, or situations - approach each moment with the knowledge that it contains within it the potential of any number of possibilities.
To connect with your real nature that is unbounded and invincible, practise yoga and meditation.
Once you are in touch with your true nature, then nothing is beyond your means - you are truly empowered. And THAT is an accurate definition of YOU!
Anjali Mahaldar is founding President of Shivani.com. She has
lectured widely both in the US and abroad on Ayurveda, Vedic Science, and Meditation, and has been interviewed extensively in the print, radio, and television media. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Microbiology, and can be reached at:
Email address: Anjali@shivani.com