Day 147 – Meet Life from the Spine
I’ve shared that working with Mohanji is highly dynamic. Many activities take place simultaneously, and new activities come up all the time. There are many things to handle daily and often at the same time. A lot of different situations and scenarios arise with various people who we are interacting with daily.
It means that I’m constantly switching from one context and the next. Sometimes situations can be extremely unpredictable; the most unlikely things will come up, and you have to handle them and move things forward.
Mohanji shared a simple yet powerful practice with me, which I’d like to share today. The practice is useful for anybody, especially those handling many things simultaneously. He said that what you can do in those situations is to practice meeting life from your spine rather than from the front of your body. This might take a bit of time to understand, but rather than experiencing things from our frontal orientation, we can always root our awareness in our spine.
When we experience life from our front rather than the spine, we meet life with all of our prejudices, opinions, concepts, and ego. The ego is always in front. When we meet life from the spine, we are slightly aloof; there is a slight detachment, giving space to respond accordingly. We listen more and then provide the appropriate response at the right time. It also has more power because you’ve considered what someone has said to you and assessed the situations as they are, rather than through the lens of our concepts, opinions and prejudices.
I found that my usual reactions are reduced when I’m practising this. Rather than escaping or ignoring, that small bit of time gives a small bit of aloofness or detachment. That space means that there’s more time for listening, and when the response comes, I’ve taken into account as much as possible, and I’m usually more effective. It’s not just on the face (taking it with all the opinions and prejudices); you can see the situation as it is.
I’ve begun to practice this. I’m still practising, and it’s genuinely helping. I’m trying to be more oriented from the spine in every conversation and situation and have awareness there.
I’ll leave that with you today. I’ll be interested to know those who practice this technique, how they find it, and if it yields any benefit.
Have a great day ahead.
Day 148 – Motivation from within
Today I wanted to share some of my interactions and experience of being with Mohanji in relation to motivation – developing self-motivation within, rather than relying on something external. Especially with Mohanji, as he’s not the type of person who gives much external recognition to push and motivate you.
I wanted to share an observation that came to mind yesterday. We were walking with Mohanji, Mila and Devi; we’d gone out just after lunchtime for a walk in this small town where they live in Slovenia. It was a lovely sunny day but very cold outside. We’d just had some snow a couple of days before, so there was still some coldness to the air. Devi and Mila had gone back to their apartment, and I walked with Mohanji through this small village for some time. It’s beautiful; there are sloping hills that come down; you can see vineyards and trees in the distance; it’s very quiet, and there are not many people around.
I remembered other times I’d also travelled with Mohanji when he would become really invisible at times. He could be the most inconspicuous person when he wants to be. It’s interesting for me because knowing some of who he is, and I say some because I don’t know all of the dimensions. People would pass him on the street as though he was a very ordinary person.
This is also the same in airports; I find it amazing that he can blend in and disappear. For example, if he’s gone ahead and maybe waiting for the baggage at the baggage belt, sometimes it won’t be easy to find him. You’re trying to pick him out in the crowd, and he is inconspicuous. I think to myself; no one really knows who they are walking past in the world; you would never notice. That’s something I noticed yesterday as we walked through the town up to the mayor’s office.
Working closely with Mohanji means self-inspiration is incredibly important because he has work to do and a vision that will be achieved. I’ve said earlier that when he needs a task done, he’ll ask once, give clarity, and the opportunity for any questions so that you can understand what he needs to happen. Then he might prompt twice, “Okay, is this done?” Then he’ll find another way to make it happen by the third time. You’ll see something happening, or someone’s doing some work, and you’ll realize, “Okay, I didn’t do this.”
Like this, he’s also had many frank conversations with me, where he’s told me that if I don’t want to do something, no problem, but he’s going to find a way because things have to be done. He’s not there to push; he’s not there to encourage; he’s not there to coax. It is being self-reliant to find that motivation to keep moving forward. He’s also not interested in person or personality, in me as Chris; he doesn’t work that way. He respects everybody, but when it comes to work, doing what needs to be done, he doesn’t dislike or like a person or prefer someone over somebody else; it’s who is available and can take things forward.
This means that he rarely praises. This is fine because I’m happy knowing I do my best. I surrender everything that I do. “Okay, this is as much as I can do; I leave the rest at your feet.” I have that type of attitude. If someone needs to be praised, encouraged or motivated, it could be challenging for them to work closely with Mohanji.
I think the most praise he’s ever given me is probably after something I thought had been really, really good, and he simply said, “Good”. Or if in very, very, very rare cases, he might say, “Very good”, but that’s the exception. Cultivating this self-motivation, I say cultivation, can come over time; I’ve experienced this now, recognizing and knowing that the work is always contributing towards a great purpose.
I find motivation which aligns with what he’s shared and his teachings – doing your best each day without worrying about past mistakes, carrying that burden on my back of what might have gone wrong yesterday or what I didn’t do. Starting each day afresh and looking forward to the tasks, planning them well and seeing, “Okay, I have this in front of me, what’s the best that I can do with it?” then seeing that through. This has come over time and almost daily practice. It’s like a muscle that’s being developed.
I have a different motivation, too; I’ve switched tasks slightly since we arrived in Slovenia. We’re helping out on the land, moving forward with all the tasks we can. This is motivating because I’ve often sat at a desk in front of a computer. I enjoy being on the land, hands in the soil and that type of thing.
I hope you have a great day ahead with much motivation and we will speak soon.
|| JAI BRAHMARISHI MOHANJI ||
Edited & Published by – Testimonials Team, 31st July 2022
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