Description
Mitra Somerville and Avi Gordon discuss how we find peace, and the practical advantages that come from it.
Quotes From the Interview:
- Fortunately in yoga there’s a lot of different techniques, and the more techniques that we know about and the more that we practice, then we can choose the right technique at the right moment.
- I like to get peace and listen to my inner guidance and just follow that, and let that deeper spirit work through me and let the divine plan work through me rather than my own plan.”
- What actually happens is when we’re serviceful and giving, the mind gets really quiet, and that is the reason we start to feel really good. It’s because the mind just relaxes – there’s no conflict or second guessing like ‘was that a good bargain?’
- If we’re connected to our peace, we can keep everything in perspective, and then if we don’t get what we really wanted, “ok, well, maybe something better’s coming but it doesn’t really matter because I feel content.
Mitra Somerville has lived and trained in Integral Yoga communities in Australia, New York and Yogaville, Virginia. He is a trainer for the Integral Yoga Basic Teacher Training and a Meditation, Raja Yoga (Yoga psychology), Stress Management and Hatha Yoga Teacher. While in Hawaii he opened a yoga studio and he self-published a book, Treasure Within You, and a guided CD, Treasure Within You: Guided Meditations and Exercises. He currently resides in Yogaville, VA.
Podcast Transcript
Avi Gordon
Well, welcome. I’m very happy to be joined today by Mitra Somerville and a little bit about Mitra. Mitra has lived and trained in integral yoga communities in Australia, New York and yoga Ville, Virginia. He’s a trainer for the integral yoga, basic teacher training and a meditation Raja Yoga, stress management and hatha yoga teacher as well. While in Hawaii, he opened a yoga studio, and he also self published a book titled treasure within you. So thanks, Mitra,
Mitra
it’s great to be here. Avi, thank you. I’ll start out with
Avi Gordon
that book title. Because I just find it interesting treasure within you. Why did you choose that title?
Mitra
It sort of just came to me. But a big part of the yoga our teachings is connecting with that deeper part of us, with our peace and joy. And I feel like that that’s part of the treasure that we all have within us, but we’re not necessarily experiencing that treasure. It’s a little bit the idea, you know, buried treasure, and that we need to uncover it somehow. And so, yeah, in the book, I was giving different ways of coming, getting in touch with that our treasure, which we all have, it’s not something exclusive to one or two people.
Avi Gordon
So you think we all have a treasure within us, and is the task of life, kind of, you know, uncovering that treasure? Or is it more apparent when we’re children, and then maybe some other stuff gets mild on top of the treasure, and then we’re trying to uncover it and going and go back to maybe more of a child like existence. What do you think?
Mitra
Yeah, yeah. Good, good, good ideas in there. I think, honestly, it depends on the person. Some people may view their treasure as something more normal, like a, you know, having a nice house and a good job and a family which, which is, which is fine, that might be a treasure for some, some folks, and for me, I feel like my treasure is more my peace and feeling content and at ease relaxed. So I think it depends on the person and what their goals are. So it’s not for me to say one person’s goals are better than somebody else, but Yeah, certainly, you mentioned childhood. I think, yeah, there is, there is more of a feeling of joy, especially joy and just being present and not worrying about things as a child. But as a child, we didn’t necessarily know how that happened or how to get there. So as an adult, yeah, there is a lot of things that have been piled on top of that treasure that maybe need to be cleared away so we can experience it more and and all of the yoga teachings you really help us uncover our treasure or our peace.
Avi Gordon
Okay, so for you, you mentioned your treasure is your piece kind of this relax existence. What was the process for you discovering that? Like, how did you discover that that is the treasure that you’re interested in uncovering? Maybe again and again.
Mitra
Yeah, that’s, I think, for me, I I was when I was in kind of college, around that age. I I was, you know, doing my work and things. But I did feel like, What’s life? What’s the meaning of life? And I did feel a bit confused about, you know, what’s it all about. And as I when I first got my my first job, I was extremely stressed out with being kind of in a real job in the real world. And to relieve that stress, I started doing meditation. And I think that was the first time I started to feel, you know, a sense of peace and at least a lot of stress relief in the beginning, but just I started to connect a little bit more with with that peace, but, and not a lot in the beginning. But it was, it was something, yeah, so
Avi Gordon
meditation was kind of the vehicle for experiencing that peace.
Mitra
Yes, it was, and I did it for a different purpose, to relieve the stress I was under. I felt like I was on extreme stress because one of the my bosses was picking on me, and I didn’t know how to deal with that. I’d never worked in a place like that. Was a, you know, a bank. It. So it was very helpful. Yeah, a friend of mine had been meditating. So he said, Well, you know, you try, you know, might it might help. You know, it really did. It really helped a lot.
Avi Gordon
The title of your upcoming workshop, I know, is, is called letting go is easier if you know. How is that, right? Yeah,
Mitra
when you know, how, when you know, yeah, yeah, right.
Avi Gordon
So is that what we’re talking about really? Here is like knowing how to let go, when, when I let go. Is my piece there waiting for me?
Mitra
Yeah? I mean, essentially it is depending on how much there is to let go. So if I have a lot of stuff and I let go of half of it, it’s half still there. So it might be, it’ll still be blocking to some extent. But I think every time we’re able to let go on one level another, physically, emotionally, mentally, we’re going to feel better, more relaxed and happier, and we in it, and we’re going to it helps us to connect more deeply to our peace. So there’s yet, in the Yoga Sutras, which is part of Raja Yoga, there’s two ways to get to our peace. Well, two ways to still the mind. When the mind becomes still, we feel our peace naturally. And the two main ways is practice and letting go. So in my workshop, I’m going to focus on on the letting go or non attachment, and which, in a sense, is a type of practice too. And I remember Sri Rami Satan is saying of the two, non attachment and practice non attachments more important, because if we can, if we can let go or have non attachment, we don’t need practice. Because, as you kind of said, If we let go everything that’s an obstacle to our piece, then it just shows up. We don’t. It’s not like we’re getting our piece from somewhere else. It’s already there, but we’re just uncovering it like it’s like on a sunny day, if the sun is our peace, you know, if there’s no clouds, the sun comes completely through, and we see it and we feel it fully, so we feel our peace fully. But if there’s light clouds, it blocks a little bit. If there’s a dark clouds and hail and snow and everything we you know, there’s very little experience of our piece. So, you know, there is different degrees there. For me, it
Avi Gordon
brings up the question too. Is like, what is it? What does it mean to let go? What are we talking about when we say letting go? Yeah, good
Mitra
question. Um, well, it depends what level that we what level of our being that we’re talking about. And of course, everything’s related. So if I have a certain belief that everything I do fails in That’s my belief. Everything that I try fails that’s going to that’s going to block. It’s a certain creation. You know, all beliefs are creations. They have they have a form. Just like this chair has a certain form. All creations have a form, and that has a form. Everything that I touch fails, so that’s going to tend to manifest failure. So if I want to let if I want to let go of that pattern, I have to let go of that that belief pattern. If I’m holding that belief pattern very strongly and consistently, I’m going to create that reality. So letting go would be letting go of that belief. So there’s different ways of letting go of the belief. One way is just stop. Stop feeding it, not stop energizing it. Because of all beliefs for them to continue to manifest, need to need to have energy. They need to have attention and energy. So they need the same type of thoughts. You know, I need to think the same kind of thing. Again, everything I touch fails regularly to keep that going. So if I put, if I, if I stop feeding into that belief, then it starts to dissolve, and then the effects of it start to dissolve or and I can also bring in the opposite thought. Things work out well for me, which is another, another approach, also when we become aware of that belief, many times beliefs are operating, but then we don’t know what they are. They’re transparent. So once I become aware that everything I touch fails, it’s almost like a breath of fresh air, you know, oh, wow, I see that. That’s why things are not working out for me. Like that awareness we, you know, bring so light onto that and thinking, well, that is just not that I don’t have to, I don’t have to believe that. I don’t have to buy into that. It’s just an idea. So then I can say, Well, I’m gonna, I’m gonna believe the opposite. Why can’t I? This is my life. I can. I can choose whatever belief I want. So the belief, I start to choose things work out for me. You know, it’s and then there’s also, in the workshop, we do this fun exercise. We it’s a fire ceremony. So we take that belief, write it on a piece of paper. You know, with our imagination, everything fails. Everything I touch fails for me, and throw it into the fire. So it’s like a release. It’s it’s like a way of letting go of that. So there are different ways of there are different ways of working with the beliefs that don’t help us. So some of them are working directly and releasing it. Others are just bringing in the positive when the minds full of like a mantra or a positive belief, there’s no room for those other ones also. So fortunately, in yoga, there’s a lot of different techniques, and the more that we the more techniques that we know about, and the more that we practice, then we can choose the right technique at the right moment, the right technique at the right moment and right now. The two examples of of techniques, one is replacing
Avi Gordon
a negative belief with a positive belief, and the other one is just simply letting go, maybe and and just not having any beliefs, just existing in that realm of emptiness or peace, right?
Mitra
Yeah. Well, that’s, that’s kind of an ultimate. It’s kind of a, quite a high or subtle round.
Avi Gordon
So you think that one is kind of even it’s maybe easier to replace the negative belief with a positive belief first. Yeah,
Mitra
yeah. I think, I think you really, you’ve hit on a very important point that, you know, like a lot of things, schooling you get, you go grade one, grade two, grade three. We don’t go normally. We don’t go grade one grade six. And that’s the same in yoga, we often start with more simple, straightforward things, like, you know, do some stretches and postures, rather than going to the most subtle Raja Yoga, you know, practice or teaching. And so what you’re saying there is that, yeah, the step. You know, when I have a belief, I when I discover a belief, maybe through reflection. That you know this, for example, this arguing with my boss, like I think about I had an argument, say, I had an argument with my boss right during the day, and then after work, I reflect, and then I realized arguing my boss, it’s not working for me like and there’s a belief there that, you know, maybe I know better than them or something. And so I discovered that, and I’m able to say, well, I don’t really want to repeat that the next day. Let me. Let me bring in a different belief that, you know, I work well with my boss, you know, we I listen, we know, I listen to him all his feedback, you know, with openness or something, you know, like, kind of start to turn that around. So I don’t have those, you know, stressful arguments, you know, at least reduce it, you know. And so I’m bringing in a positive kind of new behavior, new thoughts. But what you are suggesting is, ultimately, yeah, no thoughts. You know, you know, moving from negative to positive, and then from positive to not no thoughts is, is also part of yoga, because we have no thoughts. That’s what the Yoga Sutras are saying when we still the mind. So we first calm the mind, the minds more calm when it’s positive and still in the minds a whole different ball game that there’s there’s nothing happening, and then we really start to feel the peace at a much deeper level. Yeah, so that’s the that’s a but that’s a hard jump from negative to nothing. It’s just not possible, not not for most people. I don’t think, right, but Okay,
Avi Gordon
my question still is, what’s between me or any person and letting go of all beliefs, experiencing that nothing like, Why? Why is that so challenging? Like, why is the nothing such a high level, like level six, like, it seems like it would be a very simple thing. Like, well, just don’t, don’t think about anything, or don’t believe just just exist in that realm of nothing. It, it seems amateur, but you’re saying it’s a very high level, and I agree with you. So why is it such a high level? What is between me and experiencing that?
Mitra
Yeah, well, what’s in between is that we receive a tremendous amount of conditioning from our parents and our religion and our culture and our teachers and our family members, like a lot of it’s just basic conditioning, like, this is a chair, this is a table, but it’s also beliefs about all sorts of things. So we end up as a baby, we just like relaxed and peaceful, you know, most of the time, but then we get fed all of this conditioning, and that’s what’s in the way, you know, because some of that’s positive and some of it’s actually not helpful to. Us, you know, it could be all the things we watch on TV, all the, you know, things that we absorb. We absorb a whole lot more than what we would know. It’s just continual absorbing of beliefs and attitudes and most of that we we it’s not through the words of our parents, it’s through the actions, you know, as children. We absorb all that, and so that. And then, you know, in yoga point of view, we’re also bringing past life, mental stuff, you know, it’s such a perfect description of the thing. As you said, the what’s in the way, mental stuff. And I think we can all relate to that, that, you know, like that, you know, I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, Oh, I’ve got a lot. I’m, one of those people that has a lot going on in my mind. I am thinking, sometimes I say to him, Well, you plus everybody else, like you’re not the only one, right? And that’s what you’re speaking to. That there’s a lot of mental stuff, but it is possible, you know, through letting go, and also through practice, which, like meditation and other practice to to start to to, you know, start to release the what’s in the way. And it is for most people, it’s not a it’s not a weekend workshop that, you know, you can have a lot of breakthroughs in a weekend workshop. But you know, it is a year, years and decades, for most people, where this slowly, you know, let go, and they do their practice, and their mind becomes more steady, and they start to feel more of that peace, and their bodies are more relaxed. And, you know, it’s just, it’s a win win situation. Is
Avi Gordon
it getting comfortable with this life experience that we’re having. Like, is it this, like, kind of settling in? Like, okay, I’m accepting this situation. I’m okay with it. There’s maybe not as much I need to figure out, not as much that I need to do. It’s not as much pressure or feel a fear. I can, I can just let go and and just and just be. I don’t need to. I don’t need to think about anything. It’s not, it’s not necessary.
Mitra
Yeah, well, yeah, when my experience is, whenever I start to feel centered in my peace, there is, there is a sense that everything’s okay. And one of the nice things, least for me, is that once I start to feel that peace, then I also feel the guidance. So sometimes in my jobs, that my mind can be very active, but I’m also still peaceful because the activity is not personal. They don’t have any agenda, necessarily, of getting my way or not getting my way. It’s just like the next thing, the next job, the next thing, it sort of keeps coming through my mind. What’s the next thing to do or say or so that that’s one of the things I’ve noticed that when I when I stay my center, you know, like, keep that feeling that I have after I finish meditation, bring that into my day. Then there’s a there’s a flow. Even when I’m very busy, I can still feel content, yeah, so that’s a nice thing that I’ve experienced. So
Avi Gordon
you mentioned your center. Can you explain a little bit more about, like, returning to your center? Like, how does that happen? Do you like you notice that, okay, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve gone far out away from my center. I’ve journeyed and, okay, I’m gonna bring myself back in. Like, what is, what is happening there? What is, what is your center? How do you come back to your center?
Mitra
Yeah, well, I think the center is just another word for peace or contentment. There’s different ways to come back to my center. Usually, yeah, usually, if I notice that I’ve got distracted or I’m starting to feel agitated, like that, example of arguing with my boss. You know what, often what I do is I just stop feeding into it. I stop arguing, like, I like, I step back and I know, I start to become aware of what I’m doing. And I can re I can see where this is I can see where it’s going. It’s going to get worse, like, I’m going to feel more upset. They’re probably going to get more upset, and it’s a lose, lose situation. You know, this is just what this is one example. So I sort of become more of a witness and see what’s going on. And there’s a little bit of quick reflection there and say, Well, what, you know, what’s the next step here to help to, sort of, like, scale this down, you know, drop back. You know, may not come back into my center, but I’ll start to feel more, you know, more myself. You know, like there’s less agitation. And then what I do sometimes, if I’m still feeling quite a bit of agitation because I’ve let it go too far, then I just I feel that I feel the agitation, or I feel the the UPS or the. Frustration or the upsetness, like I just let myself, I just close. I mean, I just, if the phone’s not ringing, I just go, you know, around the corner and there’s just, like, be very present and not think about what happened at all, but just move into feeling. So I just feel my feelings. And if I do it really well, if I’m 100% just in feeling, it can, it can move a lot of that frustration or agitation within a few seconds, and not just then I start to feel, you know, it is using the breath as well. I start to feel my scent. I do start to feel more centered again. You know, there’s still a little bit of, you know, like in the body, especially, a little bit of, you know, maybe tension or agitate, you know, it’s a little bit left. It doesn’t, like, completely disappear, but I it’s night and day from being in the middle of that argument. Like, five minutes later, I’m back and I can start, you know, doing my job again. And so I’ve moved back a long way towards my center. Of course, if I haven’t, if it’s just a little bit of like, I’m talking to somebody on the phone, and I just start to feel irritated. And I just noticed at the beginning of it, it’s so much easy to come back to my center, because I haven’t let it go very far. So I stopped. So that’s a big I won’t have to feel my feelings. All I’ve got to do then is just maybe take a couple of deep breaths and notice and not just be, you know, just just come back and make sure that I’m you know, treating that you know, saying you know, the words you know, patiently and calmly. So it depends a lot on how, how far the agitation or the stress has gone. The further it’s the further I’m away from my center that the long route is coming back. And that’s okay, because we all do it. It’s not and one of the most important things of not being in the center is not to judge yourself harshly, because we all do it. Because if I judge myself harshly, then there’s just something else I’ve got to undo, like I’m just piling more on top of what’s already there, right,
Avi Gordon
right? Yeah, yeah, wow, so much there that I want to talk about. But the final thing, especially, I think, is a is a really important point that you mentioned, is, is that it’s okay, right? And what is my relationship to those kind of negative feedback loops, those beliefs that maybe aren’t serving me so well. How am I allowing it to be okay? You know, what is? What is my relationship to those, to those things? And I think that that’s tricky, because it seems hard to not make them the enemy that, oh, this is happening again. Like, why am I doing that? Yeah, it’s so common to berate the self there, but it seems that when I do that, that’s not it either, like I’ve lost something, like, that’s that’s not really helping things. When I when I feel bad about who I am, that’s increasing the the separation that’s not getting me closer to to my peace, right?
Mitra
Yeah. I mean, those thoughts are not wrong or bad. You know that? You know, God’s created those thoughts. The Divine is still underneath it all. It’s just that they’re not, you know, just a smart person doesn’t cultivate those kind of thoughts because they lose, lose thoughts. Nobody wins from, you know, like, you know, like having the belief that everything, everything turns out crap for me, like, who, who’s going to win in that I don’t win, I don’t win, and nobody else wins, either you know, things keep falling apart, or something you know, or you know, so it, it’s just, you know, it’s just part of wisdom that we we want to cultivate those type of thoughts as loving thoughts being useful, kind of thoughts and beliefs that that that are useful. I mean, I mean useful to us, but it’s a win. Win. You know, it’s nobody’s losing from positive thoughts. Yeah,
Avi Gordon
on a societal level, do you think we it would be wise of us to to shift kind of the common practice of being down on ourselves? Because, from my perspective, it’s very socially acceptable to judge myself harshly, right? I noticed that going going on a lot people talking badly about themselves. Somehow that has become a very socially accepted practice to do. What do you think about trying to kind of shift that culture to a place where maybe we call each other out more when we do that, it’s like, you know, no, Mitra, I don’t, I don’t believe that that’s true, you know. I think you Hold Value, you know. I think you’re being too hard on yourself right now, or whatever needs to be said.
Mitra
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think it’s, I. Obviously self criticism. I mean, there’s a there’s obviously a place for reflection and saying, hey, yeah, I think I screwed up in that situation, like, but, but not beating ourselves up, but just being honest, yeah, but just yeah, just getting into a pattern of self judgment and criticism, yeah. Obviously it’s not work good. And I think, you know, we can help each other with that, with a good enough, close enough friends, we can, we can, you know, not not only that kind of belief, but anything. You know, if we feel like our friends getting off track, you know, that’s part of being a friend in terms of society. I mean, you know, we can only be really a good example. And you know, maybe, you know, maybe, if we have a little bit of training and we can, we’re teachers, or teaching a yoga class, or a Raja Yoga, you know, series or something. And, you know, those who are interested and ready, you know, they can come along and but you know, certainly the way that we’ve been taught is that we’re not out there, you know, pushing anything, you know, like everybody comes to, you know, wanting to grow at their own pace. So those who are not ready to grow probably won’t, you know, the world will the world provides a lot of opportunities to grow. And, you know, it’s not my job to try to change everybody will change the world. I mean, I think, I think when we, when I do get in my piece, though, the divine works through me to bring positive thing, you know, outcomes, but that, in a way, that’s not even my chore. I don’t feel like that’s my choice either. I’m not consciously choosing. I’m going to be, I’m going to do this and change the world. I’m going to do this and change the world that’s not, that’s not the most peaceful, that’s not the way that I like to do it. I like to get peace on, listen to my inner guidance and just follow that, and let my, let the, let that deeper Spirit work through me, and let the, let the divine plan work through me, rather than my, my own plan. It’s a little bit not that the other way of doing this wrong, but this is more to me. This is more peaceful, because then I don’t have to decide everything
Avi Gordon
takes me back to letting go and what happens when I do that. From my experience, when when I let go automatically. There I seem to be connecting to the divine force walking through me, working through me. Yeah, and it’s, it’s so comforting. It’s like in in that moment, I realize, as you said, How far out maybe I was right, how far away from operating on that level I had been. And it’s so comforting, like it’s so like the word light comes to me like a feeling of lightness, as opposed to, you know, pressurize. I need to figure out what’s next? Next, I have to figure out what to do. What I hear you saying is like real peace comes when I kind of allow what’s already happening. Yeah, to happen.
Mitra
Yeah, yeah. I think sometimes I find myself, I think I don’t know what to do next, and I think sometimes it’s just good to take a little break, like, I’m not talking about a day off or something, but just say, Well, I’m just waiting here, you know, I’m just waiting here for a little bit of guidance, you know, because I’m not sure, you know, maybe have a cup of tea or something. But, you know, Swami Satchidananda often did that like he was, you know, he’d have, he’d have his cards with all the questions on, and he’d read the question out, and then then nothing like blank, you know, he wouldn’t say anything for quite a while, and then something would come through. And he said, well, people are then people would ask the question, why were? Why didn’t you answer that question straight away. And he said, I’m waiting. I’m waiting for the answer. I’m waiting for the lady said, it like a download, you know, just because it’s funny and you know that sometimes it’s like that, you know, it’s like, I mean, sometimes, you know, the that guidance. I mean, the guidance is always there, but sometimes it takes a while for it to, you know, to be maybe it’s just my mind’s too busy for me to hear it, so I just need to relax and take a little break too. That might be it. But maybe sometimes the God saying, I don’t have anything for here right now, just take a little break and I’ll have the next thing. I’ll be waiting in five minutes. And often when I sit down, then something, something comes, and I get the idea, oh, yeah, somebody asked me that I remember that email now that somebody sent me, you know, you know, money. And then then I’m sort of back in the flow of one thing after the other. But, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s interesting, man, it’s a whole, it’s, I love this topic of. Inner guidance and how to listen for the answers. And it’s a great topic. It means a big, you know, and I think for me, it’s a lot of it is about, you know, having a quiet mind. And it the easiest time for me to hear my inner guidance is at the end of meditation. And sometimes I ask a question, and what, what? What do I need to do here? Or what, you know, like, I asked a question. Sometimes that question is a good way for me to help connect with, you know, what the answer is coming, you know. So it’s interesting topic, yeah,
Avi Gordon
to maybe take it to an even deeper place, like, where is that question coming from too? Like, can you say I ask a question? Well, where is that question coming from? Where? What’s the origin of it? Right?
Mitra
I think most times for me, it the questions coming from my mind. But I think, yeah. I think Yeah. I think perhaps sometimes, well, I think if it’s coming from the Divine, there isn’t a need for a question, like, it’s just an answer. It’s just, like, guidance. It’s not really even an answer, it’s just guidance. So I think for me, when I ask a question, usually it’s, you know, like, it might be a an issue I’m having in a relationship, or or, or just, I’m just confused about something, and so I think it is more coming from my mind at that point. But
Avi Gordon
do you do you enjoy kind of having these deeper conversations, and has that always been the case for you, or did you kind of develop a taste for, you know, really probing more, more deeply.
Mitra
Yeah, I think I’ve always, you know, not always, but once I got to that, you know, like college time, and I started to question more, and because I wasn’t really sure what life was about, well at all, really. And I did a few different personal development, breathing things. And then I started the meditation. And then in my early 20s, I moved into an integral yoga, like a yoga bill in Australia, and there was a swami there. And this is, this is when it really started. I, you know, I had a lot of crashing, you know, what is that? What does that mean? You know, what’s that practice? You know this. And so, yeah, I did have an interest in in the, you know, just finding, you know, the learning about the teachings and understanding at them, and then practicing it. And that’s what, one of the things I like about, you know, our spiritual groups that we have, is that somebody will bring up a topic, and then it gives me a chance to play with that topic, you know, during the week. And I enjoy that, you know, just to go, go deeper, or just, you know, try things from different angles. Yeah. I mean, it is interesting for me. You
Avi Gordon
mentioned learning from, from the teachings. What’s your relationship or balance between taking lessons from, you know, a spiritual teacher or text and your own self discovery?
Mitra
Most of it’s probably just my own practice. Now, I enjoy listening to the teachings, but I don’t really read them a lot. You know, we have the teachings on audio at lunchtime, so I enjoy listening to them, but I don’t really read the books, very the scriptures, very much. I kind of enjoy more the human contact with the teaching, how people experience the teachings in their life. And then, yeah, more, I’m probably more into doing the practice, you know, the Hatha meditation, Kirtan, and, you know, doing mantra Jack like I, I feel like that’s probably more important than reading about it the practice, yeah,
Avi Gordon
but even the practices, right? Like those were you learned those or you didn’t develop those on your own. So you took something from an external source, maybe it sounded wise to you, and you incorporated it into your own life.
Mitra
Yeah. Well, you know, part of the part of learning those teachings from a teacher or from a book or something, is that I I learned also that we need to be regular in that the benefits really flowed much more when we were when I when somebody’s regular in their meditation and the yoga practice. So that’s what I’ve tried to be regular. And fortunately for me, I’ve lived in communities, spiritual communities, a lot where the practices were going on, you know, group practice and so that helped me get steady in those different meditations. Do you find that
Avi Gordon
what the culture is of the people around you really kind of affects your state of being? A lot like, you’re very influenced by the people around you and what they’re doing.
Mitra
Yeah, I I think it’s huge. I feel like it’s Oh, think it’s huge, honestly, because a little more than a year ago, I was living in a big, really large city, and I didn’t really have any spiritual community to speak of. And, you know, it was a lot harder than it is now, because there’s a lot of, I just feel a lot of support here, you know, and a lot of that comes from just crossing somebody on the street and just saying, Hi. We know some of our groups, and, you know, just just on the phone, connecting with people. I think as I got older, I see even more clearly the power of the Sangha and being together and supporting each other, yeah, and plus, I have that contrast, because if I’ve always lived in spiritual community, I wouldn’t have the contrast of being out there by myself and having to, you know, just like it’s, you know, continually practice, which was working for me, but I never had the support that’s just here. And of course, you know, in the in the ashram here, there’s a support, not just from the people, but, you know, throughout this, the vibe, peaceful vibration of Swami Satchidananda. This was his main home. You know, we live in the country too, which has a special vibration and all the practice that’s been done here over the years. So it’s a combination. It’s a great combination that that it does make it easier. I mean, you know, things still come up, challenges come up. But I really see that clear, how how important Sanger is and and so not everybody can live in an ashram or community, but finding, finding that support wherever, wherever folks are living, you know, whether that’s now through zoom or or by emails and, you know, WhatsApp or Skype or, you know, different ways of communicating, you know, or groups and things like that. It’s, it’s so important to to have that support, yeah, spiritual support, yeah,
Avi Gordon
I think so too. That’s what also led me here was an awareness of how important community is. I just kept getting that message again and again. And also, one thing that became important to me was looking at my life from the perspective of what would be best for Avi right, which I had not ever really done before, like seeing myself from the point of view that I’m speaking right now, that I’m, in a way, my own safekeeper, right? So how can I set him up for success? Do you have that at all, where, you know, you, you’re looking at it from the point of view of, like, what is, what would be best for Mitra right now?
Mitra
That can be part of it. Yeah, definitely, that meant just look, reflecting and saying, Well, you know, like even comparing, you know, I could live here, I could live here, I could live there. What’s, what’s the pros and cons? Yeah, I think ultimately, for me, there was, there was part of that, like in moving back, but there’s also part of Guru has really guided me here. Like, on a deeper level, there’s a there’s also a guidance this or this is the best, this will be the best place for you. And fortunately, what’s best for me is also, I feel like it’s also best for everybody else. It’s a win win situation when we come back to, you know, when we come and live in a spiritual community, because as I as I get more centered and more and more happy then, then I’m more useful as well than if I’m, you know, in some big city or somewhere and I’m stressed out, I’m, you know, just getting by day to day, I’m not really contributing, you know, much the piece of the community I’m I’m just another person that’s, you know, half stressed out, you know what I mean, you know, maybe a little more peaceful because of my meditation. But still, I’m not really, it’s better for me to be here, have the support, and then, you know, contribute from here, you know, like the Yeah, I
Avi Gordon
think that’s such a really important point. And Guru Dev talks about this too. It’s like, Why? Why am I doing what I’m doing? Like, why? Why am I trying to become a healthier version of myself? And I think it’s, it’s because of what you just mentioned. Like, I’m not, I can’t help anyone else, if I’m the one that needs help, right? Like, yeah, first you have to, you know, get yourself to a healthy place, a strong place. And I think even automatically, without, even just, just by doing that, it will be doing. Good for for other people, yeah, yeah. Do you find that as well? Oh,
Mitra
absolutely, yeah. I think, yeah. I mean, if I’m not feeling relaxed and peace, or I can’t be really friendly and, you know, like, patient with somebody on the phone, you know, calling in for with a question or something. And
Avi Gordon
does that, like, add that added purpose? Does that give us fuel on our path to like, all right? Like, if I do this, if I make strides, like, that’s going to help the people around me too. Is that a nice, a nice perspective to kind of connect with that can that can help us along the way? Yeah, I
Mitra
think it’s great. I mean, you know, one of the things about spiritual community, you look it’s easy to look around and be inspired by this person or this person, you know, maybe somebody’s been here for two months, and they’re really they’re really doing their best, you know, to get, you know, their service, and you can see that they’re really trying. And then you see somebody’s been around 40 years, and they’re, you know, like this. They’re steady with their practice. And you can see that they’re peaceful, you know. So each person can be inspired by all these different people. And the energy is just, I mean, it’s not like it’s perfect here, you know, we all have our, you know, the our mental stuff, still, or, you know, degree of her, but it’s just, every time I go to town, I feel like, mostly what I feel is that is a business vibe, you know, it’s like, it’s a transaction, you know, it’s all about to do, to do the list is about a trans abuse, going to some business, getting something and leaving. I try to be friendly. I mean, I’m friendly, but, but here that it that the baseline is more like just, oh, hey, how you doing? You know, like, there’s the purpose is to connect, not to transact. You know, there’s nothing wrong with transaction. You know, we, you know, we’ll have to go and buy clothes, or, you know, you know, get things. Or, you know, it’s nothing wrong with that. But the vibe is different. The vibe is more like, hey, you know, it’s nice to see you. You know, there’s, there’s no agenda, you know, usually, I mean, sometimes it’s a gender Well, you know, you know what, you know, like, there might be a question for somebody, and that’s fine too. There’s nothing wrong in that. But
Avi Gordon
yeah, well, I think, I think the mind wants to transact like that, because it’s easy, the mind can understand it, right? Like, okay, I pace a certain amount of money, I get this product. Like, bang, there’s the transaction right there, yeah, the mind can’t really understand that. If I, if someone’s lost, and I help them find out where they’re going, that there is another transaction going going on there that I maybe feel good about helping that person, yeah, but, but normally, the mind is not operating on that, on that level, because it’s, it’s harder to quantify, right? Like, what am I if I help someone else, and I don’t get anything like material back from that, am I benefiting? You know, I can’t see it. So,
Mitra
yeah, yeah. I think you’re speaking to different parts of the mind, yeah. The the what, what we often call the ego part of the mind is, is thinking, oh, you know, I give this to the person I’m gonna, you know, what do I get back? But when you said, you just, if someone was a bit lost, and you and yours, we assist them, you know, to find their way. There’s, no, we’re not trying to get anything back there. That’s a, that’s, that’s a higher part of the mind, you know, like a lot more, you could say, a selfless part of the mind, where the ego tends to be, you know, more self centered in, you know, looking out what’s in it for me. And you know, I’ve got to take, I got to protect my stuff. And you know, you know. So it’s more, more thinking about what’s you know about ourself, whereas the second is thinking about the other person’s needs. And that’s what we that’s what we taught in as part of the yoga teachings, is that the more we can, you know, just stop not you know, we do need to think about our needs and take care of the basic needs, but mostly we want to think about the other person and what their needs are. And, you know, be serviceful and helpful, and then, as you say, We’re just naturally going to feel good, because what actually happens is when we’re when we’re when we’re service all in giving the mind gets. It’s a it the mind gets really quiet, and that is, that is the reason that we start to feel really good. It’s because our mind is wow. That felt like the mind just relaxes like this. There’s nothing, there’s no conflict or or second guessing, you know, like did? Was that a good bargain? Did I? Did I bargain too hard with that person talking about
Avi Gordon
needs that serves a deeper need that we have, like we, from my experience, we have this need to quiet the mind, right? Like that is, that is definitely a need that I have once I experience it like i. Need to stop thinking, like, right? Like, that’s very good for myself to do that. Therefore, helping other people and serving is a great way to meet that need. It is,
Mitra
yeah, I’m not sure if everybody has that need or focus for quietening their mind. I think it depends on where the person’s at, because often, often, a lot of human beings are looking outside for their happiness. So their their minds are very active and and it’s at a certain point though we realize because the happiness outside is so transitory that and sometimes, you know, we get disappointed or upset because we didn’t get what we wanted. Or many times that happens, then we start to what’s going on here. Sometimes I get sometimes I get what I want, sometimes I don’t. So, so I’m like, I’m on this roller coaster ride. They must I’ve got to get off this. What? How can I get off it? And so how we get offered is through the yoga teachings, which is what we’ve been talking about as being instead of just looking out for ourselves, we start to look out for others. So that, you know, things start to smooth out, and you know we do our meditation in all those practices. But there is, you know, human beings have a natural, you know, maturing process, you know, it’s an organic process. And we all go, we all need, we all go through that process of really trying to get happy in the world. And it’s a mixed bag. And then when we start to find our happiness within, it does feel so good, you know, and then we can still enjoy the world, as long as we just got to be careful not to get caught into it. You know, it’s okay to enjoy the happiness of, you know, driving down the road, the windows open a nice, warm day in the car, you just enjoy it, and the breeze is coming in, and you’re seeing the nature, you know, like, enjoy it. There’s nothing. But, you know, if we’re in the office the next day, and we can’t do that because we’re in the office, we don’t want to get upset, oh, yesterday, so much fun, because we’re then we’re living in the past, holding on to, yeah, we’re holding on to the, I wish I was back there that was instead of, you know, we could be in our piece and enjoying, you know that that inner peace, or just, you know, really enjoying what we’re doing in the moment. So, yeah, it’s not the world’s bad. It’s just, you know, we, if we’re connected to our piece, we can keep everything in perspective, and then if we don’t get what, what we really wanted, okay, well, maybe something bad is coming, but it doesn’t really matter, because I feel content like it did. I didn’t get what I want, but I still feel content so I’m okay still, right? I mean, in that situation, yeah,
Avi Gordon
the word that comes to mind for me is maturity. I think that’s, that’s that’s mature to have that perspective that I can’t live in peak experiences all the time. Yeah, yeah. Mitra, thanks so much. Really enjoy this. Yeah. Any any information that you’d like to share, or any way that someone might be able to get in touch with you if they’d like to.
Mitra
Well, yeah, as it happens, I do, I do have a workshop coming up. It’s called letting go. I think I mentioned we mentioned it earlier. Letting go is easier when we know how. And that workshop is a weekend workshop coming up on February 27 and 28th and so we’re going to it’s very experiential, very practical. Of course, there’s some theory just to lay the foundation, but yeah, I’m looking forward to sharing that with our our group. So you’re welcome to to come to that. You can check out the yoga for website. But yeah, it’s um, yeah. Just just encourage you to explore what, what teachings and practices resonate with you find. You know, we all find our own path. It’s we all have a different path, even, even if we say we’re all into yogis, we we still have an individual path, so that can all be guided from within too. So don’t sweat it.
Avi Gordon
I love it. I hope the program is great for you, and thanks again for this time.
Mitra
Thank you. Avi Shanti, appreciate it. I’m Shanti. All right, good. That’s it. Was fun.
Avi Gordon
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Clear Mind, Warm Heart
