What does it mean to you to be in alignment. We speak about this often as the seasons change but what does it really mean to you and how do you address it in your life, what changes do you make or is it just more words on a page. We are bombarded with blogs, quotes, sayings, social media and more on a daily basis. So much overload all the time that do we really stop, breathe and feel; or do we say no time, move on. Have we become machines that bleed and when that happens we stop. We stop and panic and add more stress to our overstressed, overfilled, overwhelmed lives. Enough! To quote the tag line in the movie Network, "I am as mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore!"
I have this amazing new coffee machine in my home that I love. I love it because besides making coffee for some household members it also make hot milk for my bedtime "Golden Milk". But mostly, I absolutely love it because when it is time to "clean the milkpipe" you need to clean the "milkpipe" or the machine stops working. Catput, nothing, nada happens until you clean the pipe. No more cappuccinos, no more lattes, nothing. I want one of those buttons for us. How beautiful would it be to have this button in your life on a daily basis BEFORE you are about to overload. Before you think let's do more, another 5 mile run, another trip to the gym, another hour on the computer, another hour of work, something more to feel guilty about, you name your demon and you are not allowed. The only thing you will be allowed to do is "clean your milk pipe" to recharge, rejuvenate, regenerate.
You have to spend time doing certain things, like maybe nothing, meditating, breathing, reading a book, taking a walk, you get the idea. When you have completed this activity for x amount of time, you can take up again with what is going on in your life. This activity might take 3 min. It might just be close the door and focus on your breath. Sit down and eat your lunch; talk on the phone without multi-tasking, just be present in your life for yourself and then others.
Ayurveda is my love and it has taught me so much. I learned that just to be free of disease is not the definition of health as many of us in the west have accepted as being healthy. I have learned a new alignment. I have just begun to dip my toes in this beautiful science but I remember one of the first words and meanings I learned in school and that word was "Swastha".
Swastha
“Samadosha, samagnischa
samadhatumala kriyaha
prasanna atmenindriya manaha
swasthya ityabhidheeyate”
Ayurvedic Definition of Health – Susruta has described the features of a healthy person in the above quote. It follows that the doshas must be in equilibrium, the digestive fire must be in a balanced state and the tissues (dhatus) and malas (wastes) must work in a normal state. The sensory and motor organs and mind, atma must be also in a pleasant state. Such a person is called a healthy person or Swastha.
So I ask you again, what does alignment mean to you?
Namaste