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In yoga we often talk about elevating our consciousness. We know that throughout our lives, there are moments when we have become more aware of things going on in ourselves or in our world. Those Aha! moments. There is a yogic concept that has meant alot to me-- a definite Aha moment... The idea of a seed containing all the information that it needs to become what it was meant to become. Think about that.  Take a moment to look at an apple (or other) seed. Consider how this little seed will become a full-grown tree producing delicious apples simply because it is written or coded within that seed. It isn't trying to become a lemon tree or a pine tree or a Sequoia. It couldn't! If it had our human capacities to try to change itself, it would be a miserable little seed going after a futile, ego-centered goal. Think about this as a human being and that we also have a "seed"-- it is our creative source. When we go against our soul's purpose, as is coded within our seed, things do not flow, things come out sideways. Even our cleverness cannot fool the soul, although it might fool others and even yourself.....for awhile. This is when dis-ease sets in-- physically, mentally, spiritually. The reason this is so remarkable is if you consider all the struggles we go through in our lives to find meaning and direction, to get out of our own way, to get to our flow or "in the zone" so that life will be easier and more meaningful. I'm not saying it isn't hard work if we're in that space, but there is a lot more ease and joy and much less inner conflict or obstacles to living our lives when we are. This concept I understand through the mantra Har Haray Haree. Har refers to the seed; Haray the flow or growth; and Haree the manifestation of that seed. I love this concept! Just being aware of this helps to see more clearly and motivates me to do the things I need to do to stay connected with that "seed" (Hint: it's about your ability to still yourself enough to listen from the inside and gain that inner peace. [See the “Happiness Is Your Natural State- a mantra” post]). All of this does lead me to wonder though….. What about seedless fruit? Here's a video I found about it. Perhaps I won't be going for that convenience any longer. What do you think about all of this? 
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Happiness is your natural state". - GuruMeher, in his book Senses of the Soul. I define happiness as a baseline of inner peace. A space where you have total equanimity no matter what the tides bring in. Happiness is not all flowery and giddy smiles and like everything is a party. Sometimes there could be anger and sadness, and still there is happiness. This might be easier to understand in the opposite state: Sometimes on the outside you appear happy-- and might actually be feeling happy in a moment, for instance during a celebration or having met a goal --but inside, you don't actually feel peaceful, you might feel as if you are only projecting a fake happy. How's that? "Happiness is your natural state". Why is this a good mantra? We don't always pay attention to our emotions when they alert us, and emotions are our friends. They are there specifically to guide us, just like our sense of touch guides us away from the hot stove. Repeat the mantra to help you remember: whenever you find yourself in a state of feeling Not Happy, or that state of inner peace is disturbed or not to be found, ask yourself: "What am I feeling?" Knowing that happiness is your natural state, then “not happy” means you have something to check in on. Respect the senses, identify your emotions. They will always lead you toward the right path. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A kriya for releasing your emotional patterns and programming: Working on your frontal lobe helps you release stuck negative emotional memory-- or the patterns and programming from your childhood and into adulthood that harden and form your personality. Negative emotions get lodged in the body creating physical pains while the patterns and programming harden in the frontal lobe. Try this kriya below to help relax and loosen that stuck emotional memory. Here’s a great article relating to this: Kundalini Yoga and the Frontal Lobe : Navigating Overwhelming Emotions.  When you interview for a job, a common question asked is: what are your shortcomings? Interview coaches will use the example of perfectionism as “a positive shortcoming”. While it’s considered a fault, it also sounds like you strive for better. How is that really a fault? Seth Godin recently put out a post called “On feeling incompetent” (--it’s worth reading!). At some point, we get tired of feeling incompetent. This is where I found myself. I was anxious over the quality of my work-- or of me. While I didn’t realize I felt incompetent, I felt like my work was not good enough, even though people supported and praised the work I did. Could they not see the faults in my work? This feeling made it very difficult to pursue my work with any consistency. I would have bursts of feeling productive and profound, followed by a lot of debilitating, “I have no idea what I am doing. I’ll never make it.“. I wanted my work to be perfect. My problem wasn’t lack of talent or skills; my problem was that my need to perfectly think through every possible angle was insatiable. This was highly unproductive and a waste of time and energy. And I was tired of feeling incompetent....though it pushed me at last to change.  Perfection may perhaps be necessary in certain types of work like creating tools for safety such as designing a seatbelt. But for most, perfectionism is not at all helpful. Good enough is a lot better than you think. It has been said that bringing a bit more wisdom-- just a mere 1% --to the person seeking your message or service is all that is necessary to make a difference.
So is perfectionism truly a fault? While I might have made sufficient contributions in my past work, I feel it safe to say that I could have brought a lot more value and had a lot more fun then, without the bondage of perfectionism to which I was shackled. Sat Nam! |
AuthorI am the Essential Soul Mama. I am a mama, a soulful-spiritual teacher, an intentional storyteller, and a lover of stories of all kinds, in all forms. I write about emotions, parenting, natural health options, mind-body-soul connections, and anything that elevates our lives. Archives
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Every other week I post a blog on my Substack on relevant topics including breathwork, healing, emotions, kundalini practices, and showing up for yourself. Monthly-ish I share events+updates you may be interested in. You can unsubscribe at any time. I'm happy to have you join my free Joymail!
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ESSENTIAL SOUL MAMA / Anna SachKiret Gratzl
Chicago, Illinois
Latitude 41.959740 Longitude -87.704821
established 2017 / copyright 2025
Chicago, Illinois
Latitude 41.959740 Longitude -87.704821
established 2017 / copyright 2025