The ancient practices of yoga and meditation teach us that we live in a universe that is invested in our success and that functions in certain predictable, yet mystical, ways.

As the first line of the Yoga Sutras reminds us, life is suffering. The great message of meditation is that there are universal laws in place in this world that give us the ability to control the amount of suffering we experience.

These universal laws conflict in no way with religion—quite the opposite. They are a vessel for which our higher source becomes undeniably visible in our lives. These principles allow us to wrangle the wild animal of free will and not be victims of a chaotic world, but wielders of it.

People who understand these laws can live fulfilling and empowering lives. Those who don’t will continue to suffer in a never-ending fight with themselves and the world they believe they live in.

Here are the three laws of the universe, each independent, while relying completely on each other:

Law #1: What you think regularly becomes your belief system about this world.

As children, we took in information at such an incredible rate. It was as if we were trying to drink the ocean. That information helped to form the way we see the world. We inevitably adopted some thought patterns from our parents and the people around us, and as kids, we didn’t have much control over that information.

Our minds are like record players and the thoughts we play the most are the ones we dig the deepest groove into over time. As our mind scans its needle across the possible options, it passes that deep groove and falls right in, playing the same, old, familiar song. What we repeat, we will believe, no matter how crazy it is. It doesn’t matter if we know intellectually that it isn’t true—if we repeat it, we will believe it.

Law #2: What you believe becomes your reality. Every time. No exceptions.

The human mind is exceptional, but it is also highly impressionable. People can be convinced of crazy things simply through repetition, like kamikaze pilots or cults. Although those are dramatic examples, the same principles are happening in our lives everyday. What we think, we feel. What we feel, we believe.

I added “no exceptions” to the title of this law because many of us will be tempted to say that we constantly think certain things that we know aren’t true, so we have them under control. This is a lovely hope, but can never really be true. Our intellectual grasp of how crazy something can be is powerful, but at the end of the day, if that understanding isn’t strong enough to stop the repetition then it is not under control. We may believe something more subconsciously, but that is an even more dangerous place to hold a belief.

If you take one thing from this universal law let it be acceptance of the fact that what we repeat in our heads is what we believe about life and our place in it. Those repetitive thoughts are the best mirror we have into exactly the kind of life we will experience.

Law #3: You have the power to manifest any reality in your life.

We do have control over how we choose to think, even though it doesn’t feel like it sometimes. If we don’t accept responsibility for that truth then the first two laws don’t matter. Our ability to utilize these laws lies completely in our willingness to take control of our internal landscape. If we want to use these laws to create the life we want, then we must first stop blaming people or experiences, and take charge of our own lives.

Once you’ve taken responsibility and begun to design your own thoughts, you will find that the universe is actively working toward bringing you anything and everything you believe to be yours—that is the key.

The universe is not conspiring to bring us what we desire; it is working to bring us what we already believe is ours. If we believe we lack something, the universe will prove us right. There is no limit to how much abundance the universe is prepared to deliver to each of us. We are only limited by the thoughts we create, the tapes we play and how big we are willing to see ourselves.

Everything from love to wealth to creativity is not a person, amount or object we seek, but a sensation we desire. Know that it is yours and the sensation becomes available to you.

As you live in that sensation, the more it will recognize itself in you and the more it will seek you.These laws teach us that reality is what we decide it is. By incorporating a regular practice of yoga and meditation, we can see our quality of life being crafted with our every thought. We have been given tools to navigate our minds, hearts and lives. It is up to us to decide if we want to guide the ship or row in the back.

Your life wants to open up to you because it craves your participation. But the universe is a gentleman. It will hold the door open, but you have to walk through it.

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Assistant Ed: Jamie Khoo/Ed: Sara Crolick

{Photo via Massimo De Candido on Pixoto}