Implied in maintaining balance is the active practice of remembering what is helpful and forgetting what is not. This idea goes hand in hand with the concept of spiritual amnesia—a state where we forget our true nature and wholeness, leading to feelings of separation from our authentic selves, others, and nature.
As the saying goes, “The concept of forgetting the things that should be forgotten adds happiness to your life. But the flip side is knowing what not to forget.” This reflection can guide us in our journey toward wholeness.
The Importance of Self-Reflection
Today is a good day to reflect and ask ourselves:
1. What Are You Comfortable Revealing About Who You Are?
The aspects we show to the world are often referred to as our solar side—the visible, external part of ourselves. This right solar side energy represents who we think others want us to be.
2. What Do You Keep Hidden That Is True About Yourself?
Conversely, our lunar side consists of internal, unseen truths. This left lunar side energy represents our inner feelings and who we believe we truly are.
3. How Would You Describe Yourself Completely to Someone Who Didn’t Know You?
For some, this is an easy task. For others, describing our complete selves can be challenging. We are often adept at highlighting a single aspect of our personality or role, but when it comes to describing our wholeness, we may struggle. We might shy away from revealing our most vulnerable sides or the parts of ourselves we feel ashamed of. It’s easy to share our best traits, but what about our shadow sides?
The Practice of Wholeness
Practicing wholeness can become a habit, helping us to avoid losing ourselves in the process. Donna Farhi, a renowned yoga teacher, was once asked, “What is yoga?” She responded, “In its broadest sense, Yoga is a return to wholeness. There is an uncompromising belief in yoga philosophy that wholeness is our implicit birthright. But most of us forget our wholeness, or in yogic terms, we forget our true nature, and we live in a kind of illusion that we are alone. We suffer from a kind of SPIRITUAL AMNESIA that makes us feel separate from our authentic selves, separate from others, separate from nature.”
Personal Experience with Forgetting
I had amnesia four years ago. I understand what it means to forget a part of myself and my life. But you don’t have to. Forgetting who we are or how our solar and lunar parts go together is like not remembering. When we are on the yoga mat, coordinating the democracy of ourselves into a pose, we regain this connection. We practice remembering our wholeness.
Returning to Wholeness Through Yoga and Meditation
The experience of wholeness is like coming home after experiencing a variety of different things, much like a bee visiting flower after flower. There is a real sweetness, known as mudhurya, in this return. My hope is that through anchoring ourselves back into our bodies through Yoga and becoming present to our thoughts through Meditation, we can use these practices to restore a feeling of wholeness to our lives.
Ultimately, our sense of connection to the world is strengthened as we stop forgetting ourselves. Give peace a chance, give your whole life a chance, and seek to bring wholeness back to yourself, your families, communities, and the world!
Love yourself, love your day, love your life!
