“At your core you are pure potentiality” – Deepak Chopra

I’m re-re-reading the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra. This is based on his Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, just with a yogi twist.

His first law, the Law of Pure Potentiality, goes a little something like this:

We come into this world with pure awareness and endless potential. This law of pure potentiality represents the realm of our knowledge, intuition, balance, and harmony with nature.

It is throughout our life that our pureness becomes not-so-pure. Right from birth we are exposed to different things, thoughts, and ideals and start to open up to the influence of the external world. This is something that happens naturally, just by living. But through this growing-up, through these influences we start to move away from our Self and begin to refer to our life based on external, fleeting experiences and labels.

In finding stillness, we may be able to locate our true Self. Deepak Chopra has coined this as self-referral, a state in which our internal reference point is our soul. Our true, unbiased, unjudging soul. Our beautiful soul which is “immune to criticism, fears no challenge, and feels neither beneath nor above anyone.” What a place to be.

But for most of us, where we spend most of our days is in a state of object referral, in which we base who we are and where we are going on the external world. Our job title, our assets, and the people we surround ourselves with.

Ego.

Fear-based state of being.

There is a constant search for approval, looking for power and control. And once these things are accomplished (or we think they are), we become afraid at the thought of losing them.

It is in finding a little stillness even for just a moment that we get to come back to our true Self and be free of all of this. That we open up to our true potential. We are able to shed the various masks we wear throughout the day and take a moment to just exist, just as we are. Not as teacher, or mother, or daughter, but just as you. Pure, natural you.

Wearing these social masks is unavoidable. We play different roles to different people. I think the main point is to not lose sight of who we are within these roles – at the core, to not lose sight of our Self.

Everyone has their own way of finding stillness. Whatever it looks like, it is a way to connect with your true being and in this we start to see our pure potential. The goal is to find as much stillness in your life as you can and to spend as much time in this state of pure awareness as possible.

Revelations come from stillness.
Love comes from stillness.
Happiness comes from stillness.
Acceptance comes from stillness.
Change comes from stillness.

Deepak suggests that you try these three things to help find your pure potential:

* Cultivate stillness in your body and mind

* Take time each day to commune with nature

* Practice non-judgment (this is not just judgment of others, but judgment of yourself)

Om Bhavam Namah
I am absolute existence.

How are you slowing down and tuning in?