UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO THE TEACHER WITHIN:   1st SUTRA

 

 

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Have you been asking “Why”….   “Why is this happening to me? “Why me?” “Why is there so much pain?” followed by “When”… “When will all this end?”  “When will I get my break?” “When will I xx?”

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I’ve been there. I’ve shed many tears asking these very questions.

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I had it all: great education, wonderful relationships, children, rewarding career, opportunities to travel and the capacity to help others. I had all the trimmings of a successful life.  I worked hard work and persevered to make my home “appear” together.  But no matter how wonderful my outer world looked I was also aware of a deep sadness within. Time and again the universe would attempt to show me the falseness of everything I so proudly counted as “my” achievements, but in the busyness, I ignored the gentle and not so gentle knocks.  Finally, when I faced the loss of a relationship and the job I so treasured alongside a major health issue, I fell to my knees, literally.

Guided by a deep longing and a desire to find answers to the pain I was feeling, I started a journey to self discovery….  Who was the real Jas?  It was like peeling the layers of an onion. I discovered deep dark feelings of emptiness, loneliness, betrayal, grief and my own limiting beliefs such as “I am not good enough” “women need a man to survive in this world” “I don’t matter” and “no one loves me” to name a few.

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Even though I wasn’t aware of these beliefs, these subconscious beliefs were leading my life.  Situation after situation in my world would confirm these deep-seated beliefs.  As I started taking responsibility for my life and watching how these beliefs were guiding my life, I was able to retrain my mind to see the truth of who I was. As I connected with the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, meditation, Kundalini Yoga, a multitude of courses, I learned new skills.  This is what would help me become more aware of my thoughts/feelings and emotions. I no longer felt like a victim, I became confident and started living a life in alignment with my purpose. 

One of the key principles that allowed me to unlock the door to The Teacher Within was taking personal responsibility for the life I had created.   This started with understanding projection and embracing the sutra “recognize the other person is you”.  This principle was pivotal in helping me understand the misinformed beliefs I was holding onto. I was like most who blamed others for all my pain.  When things go array, most will either blame others or we start judging ourselves.  The truth is, we hold the source of our pain, our misinformed core beliefs. If someone says you’re green, you would probably just laugh or walk away thinking this person doesn’t know what they’re talking about.  However if the person says something that ignites a core belief within us, you will no doubt have a reaction.  If we are more aware of our triggers we can “choose” how we are going to respond.  When I’m “triggered”, I know I have received a healing “gift”…a gift to go within and see what belief I am still holding onto. Even though I was not conscious of the beliefs, they were driving my life. As I took responsibility for my life, and let go of my limiting beliefs at all levels - mind, body, and emotion, my life started changing. I no longer blamed others for how I was feeling, I no longer “needed” things or people to help me feel better.  This allowed me to be more authentic as I made room for more self-love and acceptance of who I was.