We all have sacred seeds that lie deep within us and these are our unexplored potentials or truths that can be developed daily for great accomplishments.
When we develop these seeds properly, these potentials can help with creating a life we desire and give us the fulfillment we long for.
A sacred seed can also be a quality that we can cultivate to bring day to day harmony in the way we handle and manage our career, business, family & relationships, wellness routines and spiritual practices.
Yoga & Ayurveda teaches us to grow and cultivate these seeds in order to help us nourish our mental, physical and emotional well being. They are sister sciences which promote longevity and spiritual evolution so we can fulfill our purpose and highest potential.
Each seed that we plant into the soil and nurture has the potential to create a beautiful garden which will eventually bear fruit to enjoy and share with others.
Here are 3 sacred seeds and life practices that can be followed to awaken your hidden treasures and to experience your inner garden of peace, tranquility and happiness.
Seed #1 Patience
Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. In contrast impatience is the tendency to feel frustrated, irritable, let down and restless.
When things don’t go our way, we exert effort to change circumstances. We often project into the future because our present is unpleasant. This is often caused due to our desire for instant gratification.
Instant gratification is a need to experience pleasure or actualization without delay. So, when we don’t get fulfillment right away, our psychological response is anxiety, anger or tension. And, when we end up resisting these emotions it brings about more resistance creating chaos, restlessness and discomfort.
One of the best ways to cultivate your seed of patience is to start your day with the affirmation “I am calm, cool and centered. I am practicing patience today, I am patient”.
When you find yourself becoming impatient or wanting instant gratification, repeat the affirmation and mantra above as well as taking some deep breaths. Feel the tensions in your body and relax them. Notice and accept any emotions that arise and simply be okay with those emotions without reacting in a way gives you more tension.
Seed # 2 Acceptance
Acceptance is the ability to be okay with what is happening in the moment and to not become bound or stuck by our expectations.
When we lack acceptance and have expectations, we limit ourselves from experiencing the unknowns and mystery of life. Expectations are our superimpositions on the way things should be and we build up a reality to suit our desires and mental perceptions. If this reality does not meet our imposed standards, we then fall victim and moods of anger, frustration, despair, and anxiety arise.
The lack of acceptance prevents us from engaging in life fully and enjoying the moments as they are. As a result, we often become tense in the body and can cause others to constrict and tighten. We become stuck, rigid and solidified in our projections.
One of the best ways to cultivate acceptance is to practice the yoga principle Sakshi (being the witness) First, we simply acknowledge that our egoic limited mind need not always be right or have its way.
The next time you feel the need to change a situation, circumstance or event, instead of taking an action or exerting your opinion, see if you can simply be the observer or witness.
Allow for a spaciousness and an uncertainty around expected outcomes. With practice we can begin to trust in the process of life and let things be. This will begin to bring in a sense of peace and serenity into our daily events. It becomes the ground for a relaxed and composed body and mind.
Seed # 3 Cleanliness
“Just as fruit is hidden in the seed, butter in milk, virility in boyhood, so also various shaktis (powers) remain latent in man. If you purify your mind, all these powers will shine forth.” Swami Sivananada
From the view of Ayurveda and Yoga cleanliness refers to purity of heart and mind. The Sanskrit word for cleanliness that is often refereed to in yoga is Saucha. It is an internal and external state of being that reflects our inner and outer world.
Absence of cleanliness can represent clutter and lack of clarity. Clutter is not just physical stuff. It can be old belief systems, toxic relationships and bad habits that we neglect to change. Clutter leads to difficultly in seeing clearly and thus becomes difficult in seeing and developing our positive attributes.
Cleanliness therefore involves freeing ourselves from mental and physical toxins in order to function with full vitality and capacity. It allows us to move beyond greed and fear and thus gives us the ability to reflect clarity and wisdom.
“If we don’t pull the weeds out of the garden it is hard to see the flowers or trees we are trying to grow and nourish.”
To keep the body clean Ayurveda suggests we follow a sattvic (balanced and clean) diet which is conducive to our keeping our mind and body clear, focused and strong.
Therefore, one of the best ways to embody cleanliness is to eliminate or reduce eating meat which is not sattvic and consume more plant-based foods. Start by changing your diet gradually and eating less. Begin with eating more nuts and seeds like almonds and sunflower seeds.
You can also practice specific Yogic techniques which help create a clean inner environment. This include pranayama, mantra, mediation and yoga postures.
Yoga & Ayurveda are wonderful and transformational because through regular daily practice, it allows us to consciously and continuously grow, nurture and develop our garden. Then one day we notice the beauty that we have created through our own will and the will of Mother Nature or the Divine.
As a result, we gain the numerous fruits that appears in the form of many positive benefits that significantly increase our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, ascending us to new heights.
Namaste