Chapters of Freedom: How to manifest

Manifestation is a recent “hot topic” that I stumble upon almost everywhere I look. From articles and books to online courses and one-on-one coaching on “how to manifest your reality” – it seems like more and more people are cracking the code of human mechanism. However, it also seems like a pretty good industry, preying on the basic human desire to get what we want and avoid what we don’t want. No one can teach you how to manifest – as you are already doing that just by being human. It is one of the ground rule of the Game – our reality is a product of our mind. How you perceive your reality is directly linked to what is in your mind. The more disconnected and identified we are, the more pain and misery we experience. On the other hand, the more we unravel and connect – the more we begin to live in synchronicity and with ease.

This should not scare you – it is just how it is and sooner we accept it and take responsibility over our minds, the better lives we will lead. Human nature is based on the principle of duality – hence the “negativity” is inevitable. Hardships are great – they exist so that we can learn and grow. They burn the impurities, identifications and conditionings. They unravel you towards your true self, towards the being. You might also perceive it like this: whenever a difficult situation presents itself in your life – that is just a part of your mind expressing itself so that you can let go, heal and expand. Don’t try to avoid the negativities and difficulties – it is impossible, as this is what makes us human. Embrace the challenge and next time try to approach it from a different angle – as you know that with each new hardship, you are setting yourself free.

However, we don’t need to only go through hardships to grow and expand – we have the power to unravel our minds in a more gentle way. That can be done through deliberate self-work and practice, in whatever form serves you the best. The path of yoga is my tool of choice, however, there are so many different tools today, both formal and informal, which serve towards unraveling. The only thing you need to check from time to time is the direction – is whatever you are doing to “work on yourself” leading to less, to the being, to simplification of your life; or does it add more complexity and identification to it? For example, if I am using yoga to dismantle my belief of not being good enough, but at the same time add on this “beautiful, spiritual yoga person” to my identity – it didn’t really do much.

In this direction, in this path between the awareness (the being) and the identification (the ego), lies embedded the principle of manifestation. The more we move towards the identification, the more out of alignment we feel with life. We may attract hardships or feel unsatisfied, as our reality is a solid projection of the content of our unconsciousness – and we have no idea what is there. Here is where the most manifestation techniques fail – as we cannot manifest just from our conscious mind (i.e. positive thinking or endless visualization of desired outcome) if we do not know what we hold in our unconsciousness. Our conscious mind is just a tip of the giant mind iceberg – and everything else under the surface is our unconsciousness. The mere size ratio between the two is a good indicator of which part of our mind holds the greatest power – and hence manifests the reality we experience. I am not saying you cannot change your reality by changing what you think – of course you can – but that takes quite some time and effort and is pretty difficult to completely dismantle your whole conditioning that is limiting to your reality in just one lifetime. It is like trying to move a big, heavy stone sculpture by pushing it – you will need to push really hard before it moves just an inch. All the progress achieved through such manifestation techniques is marginal compared to the energy invested. What I am saying is that there is a much faster way – there is a lever to lifting your stone sculpture just in changing how you think.

First of all, manifesting something from the position of wanting it is still manifesting from desire, from the ego. Did you ever experience how, as soon as you almost give up on your desires, they all of the sudden come to you? That is because you have started to move to the opposite direction – to the direction of awareness – and by doing so allowed the manifestation mechanism of the human mind to materialize the concept in your mind. Notice the difference – before you were manifesting from the desire, the grasp, the identification – which means pain (not getting what you want) – and by moving away from the desire, by releasing the gasp and deidentifying, you released the space for your natural manifestation powers to materialize the concept you had envisioned in the first place. Deidentifying and letting go is the key. This is how you allow yourself to drift to your natural state – the state of being, of pure awareness, from which all things emerge. And the more you progress towards the being, the more you can experience (not have – as possession is identification). You can experience anything you envision (not get what you want) – because the awareness is plenty – it is all there is. By doing so, you allow life to surprise you by brining you experiences your ego-self does not even have the capacity to imagine. You experience so much more then you could have ever wanted. You surrender yourself to life – you become what you are – the vessel of the limitless creation experiencing itself. Check your direction guys, that’ all there is to it.

Householder yoga: 2# Morning meditation

Householder yoga series is a set of practical tools rooted in yogic tradition to help moms build up their daily practice amidst their new role, busy schedules and limited time for themselves. Each tool is integrated in the regular daily activities you are already doing with your baby, in a way that it builds on and expands the mom-baby relationship to directly serve your growth and development. The aim of this practice is to cultivate more awareness, enhance your wellbeing and integrate the power of motherhood; as well as to collect precious moments and have some fun with your baby.

For years now I have been starting my day with morning practice – meditation, pranayama, asana. Having a dedicated, disciplined routine helps to set my day, as well as to provide a container for consistency of inner work. After I became a mom, and especially in the first couple of months, it seemed impossible to find the time for myself, let alone to dedicate it to practice. However, as I was craving my inner peace more and more, two things happened.

First, I realized how, in the light of my new caregiver role, I don’t need to set aside a specific, dedicated time slot for when I meditate or work on myself. The meditation, the work should happen 24/7 – not just during couple of minutes/hours per day when we do our practice. Taking our practice off the mats and into our daily lives is the core of householder yoga. For example – we can cultivate focused awareness during any of our daily activities, just as we do so in meditation. As we carry out our endeavors with conscious presence, we begin to nurture the connection to the being, bringing more meaning and purpose to our daily lives.

Second, becoming a mother endowed me with beautiful intelligence supportive to the practice. I find it easier to connect to myself through the endless love for my baby, as well as to stay in the present moment through the joy she evokes in me. I have never been more motivated to practice focused awareness in order to be able to hold the space for my baby (more on that one soon), as well as to overcome my conditioning and expand my being in order to be the best mother I can be.

As a result, my morning practice evolved in a way that it builds upon our mom-baby morning routine, cherishing our connection, nurturing my baby’s development and supporting me in the work. For this beautiful morning meditation you do not have to set up designated alone time – you just need to include it in your “regular” encounters with your baby. Here is how:

Choose the activity: This meditation is recommended to do during the morning play time. However, as each mom-baby have a unique schedule, you will know best which of the morning activities you want to turn into your morning meditation. I choose playtime because it is enjoyable and spontaneous.

Prepare the space: Make sure you the two of you are comfortable and uninterrupted for the next 20 minutes. Set your meditation bell at 20 minutes for optimal timing.

Set your intention: Now, for the next 20 minutes, the goal is to stay fully present and to cultivate awareness. Decide to give your full attention to your baby while interacting through play.

Ease into meditation: You can start by looking at your baby and acknowledging your presence in the space. Observe how beautiful and magical he or she is. Listen to the sounds he or she is making. Connect to your heart through the love that naturally emerges.

Connect with the breath: Start to observe your breath. Take a couple of deep, long breaths, feeling how your diaphragm expands and contracts with each. During the meditation, the breath will be our anchor in the present moment.

Expand the awareness: As you start to play with your baby, bring awareness to every activity you perform. Be in the now. In order to give our full attention to what we are doing, we just need to observe it. It is that simple.

Keep the focus: Try to stay focused for as long as you can. If thoughts arise, just observe them come and go. If you catch your mind wandering away, gently bring the awareness back to breath first, and then expand it to whatever you are doing at the moment.

Wrap up: End by thanking your baby and your self for this moment. Remember the practice doesn’t stop here – you are invited to keep cultivating the awareness throughout your day. Just remember yourself. You can always use breath as your anchor to the present moment.

Tip – During the meditation, acknowledge the silent observer, the presence emanating deep within you, that which enables the space in which all things manifest. Whatever we do, the aim is to cultivate the connection to this part of ourselves, to our being. This is how we return home to our true selves.