Triggers can be empowering

At certain stages of trauma healing, there is a real need to reduce or avoid exposing ourselves to triggers - stimuli that awaken survival reflexes stored in the nervous system. As we clear the energy of trauma from our system (an ongoing process) and develop resiliency, we begin to be able to relate to triggers differently. Through the practice of Yoga as discipline-self study-surrender (ref Patanajali’s Yoga Sutras 2:1), triggers can become a source of empowerment.

Self-observation reveals that triggering is happening more often than not. I witness complex psychosomatic responses to the daily influx of stimuli. Every stimulus is triggering some response, whether harmonious or disharmonious.

When faced with things I don’t like, it is easy to get carried away in mental-emotional reaction. “Away” from the flow of prana, life force, that is present in this moment. The further I deviate from awareness that it’s all energy, and I get to choose how I perceive and respond to this energy…the more I tend to get distracted from my intended way of being, pulled into a vibration that has nothing to do with the truth of who I am.

Conflict is alluring and familiar. It moves with the momentum of millenia of human experience. We are taught to feel justified in our outrage, justified in being upset about whatever horrible thing is going on “out there,” while we momentarily (or for extended periods of time) lose awareness that the horror is being reflected within us, instantaneously and ongoingly, as internal turmoil.

As I resonate with this frequency of turmoil, it ripples through every layer of me, generating sensations, thoughts, and actions. I end up reacting rather than responding. Reactive choices, no matter how well justified, propel me further from what my heart truly desires to experience and embody in this one precious life that is only, always happening NOW.

Reaction is a deeply ingrained habit. We are offered an opportunity to shift that habit in each new moment. As I reflect on “what is to be done” about chaos arising internally or externally, it becomes apparent to me that the work is ever the same:

Yogas chitta vrtti nirodhah.

Yoga is mastering / restraining / ceasing the movement of the mind-stuff.

- Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1:2

Reaction is an awakening. It is re-activation of energy stored in the past. When reaction happens, that stored energy is “up.” It’s in this moment that our opportunity to shift our relationship with the energy is presented. This opportunity becomes available when we have developed the discernment (viveka-kyati in Yoga) to differentiate between thought, attention, and awareness. If you are curious about developing this capacity, Yoga Nidra is one of the most powerful and effective tools I’ve come across.

Thought is the object moving through the mind space. Attention is the focus of awareness. Awareness is pure being, who we truly are beyond body and mind. Thoughts are like clouds. Attention is like the sun that illuminates the clouds. Awareness is like the sky.

When I know that I am not my thoughts; I am the awareness that is aware of the thoughts, then I get to choose how/to what extent I “entertain” the thoughts by giving them attention.

Entertain no thought that in any way will create disturbance in your mind, and all the energy that you disengage form the mind will flow more freely through your body. – Yogi Amrit Desai

It’s implied here that through the practice of liberating energy from reactive patterns, our physiology changes. As our physiology changes, our experience of ourselves changes. As our experience changes, our belief about who we are and the world changes. And the stimuli coming from the world land differently in our system. It’s a positive, self-reinforcing cycle.

What if it’s not about “getting rid of” the reaction OR THE TRIGGER? Gurudev would often say, “don’t try to get rid of the button pusher; instead, dissolve your button.” What if we don’t even need to “dissolve the button,” but instead simply be aware of the button: that is, be aware of the mind’s tendency to get triggered and choose to observe rather than react? Watch the cloud develop, shift, and dissolve back into sky.

Use the awareness of reaction as a prompt to redirect our attention. Where? Back to reality. I.e. the NOW. Breath, body sensation, and using intention to anchor the mind, pointing attention towards that which we truly desire to embody and experience now. This practice is not a denial or avoidance of what’s here. It’s claiming my power an an autonomous being to direct my own attention. Note that in order to be successful with this, we need to practice of being able to bear the discomfort of the passing cloud (be it in the form of conflict-creating thoughts, emotions, or uncomfortable body sensations) without losing track of ourselves.

The more I look around today’s world, the more I see the power to direct my own attention as the most valuable capacity I possess.

Don’t fight with the mind; simply redirect your attention. - Yogi Amrit Desai

In this way, the whole process of reaction, including that which serves as a trigger, the reaction itself, and all the energy it mobilizes within the bodymind system becomes a catalyst to illuminate intention through contrast, to ignite Self remembering, and to spur creative, responsive action.

Establish a whole new relationship with reality, regardless of how it begins to show up externally. – from the Integrative Amrit Method Yoga Nidra practice by Yogi Amrit Desai

This statement articulates the power to enter the presence - the awareness of I AM - in any given moment, regardless of whether what is in front of me is something I like or not, whether what is unfolding out in the world is something I can control or not. Going beyond what the mind can see or understand in a given moment requires trust. It helps to have a foundation of practice.

In practice we can encounter our triggers consciously and deliberately, experimenting with shifting our relationship to the energy that comes up. We learn how to relax into the intensity, breathe with it, and even keep the mind anchored in intention during the experience of being challenged or triggered. As we ride the wave of intensity through its peak, we train our mind to immerse fully into the experience of released energy, carrying us beyond all limitations into the bliss of presence. With repetition we develop inner knowing that this is the way energy moves. We develop trust to allow resolution of sticky situations through the same process of deliberate focus and deliberate action (and/or nonaction) in more and more areas of life.

To whatever extent we let go of reaction and move into response, we enter the unbounded territory of the unknown: pure creativity. In the freedom of being, we are empowered to invoke and embody the frequency of that which we truly desire to see, feel, hear, and know. Resonating with this frequency, we can attune our mind to grasp and follow expressions that align with our heart’s deeper desire. We become the conscious creators of our experience.

you have a wisdom warrior
within you
that needs no weapon
only creativity
to weave the new world dawning

- excerpt Lena Moon, WeMoon 2025

Now

The ancient Vedic texts containing the oldest sources of knowledge from India—and some of the oldest in human history—were preserved for thousands of years by chanting and memorization until they were finally written down.

Vedic texts are composed of rhythmic verses (in Sanskrit, shlokas), or sutras. Sutra means “thread.” Just as we can take hold of a thread and pull, each sutra acts as a handle for an entire line of thought, access into a rich tapestry of understanding. The potency of these teachings acts like a sort of compressed file; multiple dimensions of meaning can be unpacked from a single terse verse, a single word…even a single syllable.

In keeping with the holographic and fractal nature of the universe, the first verse of a text is considered to be an encapsulation of its entire teaching. Likewise, the first word of the first verse is deliberately chosen and revelatory. It offers a hint as to the entire teaching of that text.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is one of the main references I’ve learned to consult in regard to the practice of Yoga. The first word of the first sutra is atha: now.

Atha yoganusasanam - Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1:1

The entire teaching, and the entire practice of Yoga, unfolds from this moment’s experience. Now.

Now begins the discipline of Yoga. Now the practice of yoga begins. Yoga happens now.

All that has happened up to this point has led us to here and now. Now is the only place we can practice. Now is where we live and breathe. Reality is accessible only now.

When I realize I’ve gotten distracted or confused, whenever I’ve lost my way, this single word can bring me back, like a beacon signaling me where to focus.

Now is eternal, omnipresent.

When we bring attention into the present, suffering dissolves and resolves. Judgment transforms into appreciation. Anxiety shifts to awe. The mind quiets and the heart opens.

Whenever we find ourselves out of sorts even slightly, we can be sure that our attention is engaged more with thoughts of past or future, or with thoughts about what is happening, rather than being directly engaged with what is happening as it is, now.

Come back to now. And watch your world blossom.

The Root of Suffering

I grew up immersed in nature. From a young age I was concerned about humans’ abusive and consumptive relationship with the natural world. In my twenties, I served nonprofit organizations that worked on issues I thought were important: water and land conservation, education. After awhile, I noticed that although I was working hard on beneficial things, I was simultaneously experiencing high levels of stress that showed up as symptoms in my body.

Have you noticed how easy it is to generate conflict within ourselves and with others, even when we intend to do good?

Every war has been fought for peace. - Gurudev Shri Amritji

Now, I feel acutely the state of our world: the mass extinction of myriad life forms, our compulsion to ignore, deny, and lash out. I see us caught in cycles of “problem solving” that create more problems as they proffer solutions. I observe this collectively, as well as in my own life. What is it about human nature that prompts us to perpetuate suffering?

Yoga is a system that examines human consciousness and poses the possibility of alleviating self-caused suffering. These teachings resonate with me so deeply because I want REAL solutions that address the root issue from which all other problems arise.

Yoga and Ayurveda reach back thousands of years as intact systems of knowledge and practice. They contain lucid, straightforward explanations for the most meaningful problems we face. I trust these teachings to guide my explorations because they withstand the test of time, and they consistently demonstrate themselves to be true in my personal experiments within the context of my own life…as long as I understand and apply the principles correctly.

So what is the real problem with being human, and what is the solution?

We say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The same is true with problems. The problem is in the eye of the perceiver. - Gurudev Shri Amritji

Yoga clearly lists the source field of all types of human misery as avidya, often translated as ignorance. Sanskrit is a profound and powerful language with multiple dimensions of meaning. “Avidya” can mean “not knowing,” or not seeing. It implies going against what exists.

Our afflictions can be traced back to not knowing who we truly are.

It is from this root that all other suffering sprouts. This mistake of identity causes separation and disconnection. When we conjure changes outside by getting ourselves or others to conform to rules without doing the inner work to heal the rift within ourselves, at best, we have reformation. We might make the appearance of change, but the source problem does not go away; it simply takes another form.

Yoga is integration, connection. Yoga asks us to turn towards, to trace our pain back to its origin, to find our way by feeling in the dark to the very core of our own existence.

Here, stripped of countless layers of distraction and defense, we experience Being. We may feel it more than seeing it, like the subtle sensation of daylight seeping into a room where you have been sleeping.

There are many ways to reach into the core of ourselves, including some that may seem accidental; others, quite brutal. My theory is that life itself is a process of evolution that ultimately compels us toward this exploration. Yet the routes can be circuitous, defying all logic, and the timeframe is something approaching eternity. So we’re not likely to understand this journey with our mind.

Yoga helps not by giving us all the answers, but by providing us with the right tools for our journey, helping us to know what to look for, and to understand where we are going. These teachings are a map, and our life is the territory. We are explorers, adventurers in consciousness!

Yoga works from a paradigm of response-ability and self-empowerment, recognizing that we are co-creators with life. We have the ability to respond (response-ability) to what happens, and through this response-ability we can effect change. By learning the workings of our body, mind, and consciousness, we can actively participate in the process of transformation.

When we change from our core, transformation radiates into the world. This is what is means to “be the change you want to see in the world.” In order to reach transformation, we have to see differently. We must shift our perspective, what we believe about our selves, others, and the world. How do we accomplish this?

Gurudev would say that we must learn how to shift from conflict-creating, reactive interaction to co-creative harmonious interplay with who or what is present.

The practice of yoga is all about how to make this shift.

Start by noticing. Paying attention is turning toward. Turning toward is how we find our way back to the root.

First Things First

I have been a student of daily routine and committed practice for almost 23 years (more than half my life!). Over the course of these years, I’ve experimented, explored, observed, and struggled.

I continue to learn about myself, about life, and about health.

I continue to challenge my beliefs about freedom, agency, control, and what it means to be a conscious creator.

Inputs are among of the most powerful ways we influence ourselves. What we choose to connect with—and when and how we take things in or take action—affects our body, mind, emotions, and perceptions. This in turn affects how we interact and show up in life.

Gurudev often explained to me how unconscious patterns are built into our lifestyle as habits that support and reinforce inhibitions and false self-concepts. When I first heard this from him, I didn’t want to believe it; but after years of exploring, I have realized the truth.

Whenever we are struggling, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or relationally, we need to look to how we are living to find the levers that will allow us to create change.

I’ve found that the more important something is, the more essential it is to do that thing FIRST in my day. The more the day unfolds, the less likely it is for me to be able to guarantee anything getting done!

Waking up to who I AM and being fully alive is my #1 priority. Consequently, I choose to start my day by cultivating life energy and connecting with my Self through sadhana (practice). The specifics look different on different days, but the core of the practice is experiencing myself as a prana-Being.

Especially if you are struggling with stress or worry, I advise you not to tap in to what causes you stress as soon as you become conscious. Skip scrolling Facebook or the news first thing. Make your work wait until after breakfast. You can be of service in the world after you have fed yourself (unless you are a mom; this requires a whole different level of practice).

Instead, make a point to connect with yourself before you invite anyone or anything from the external world to take up space in your consciousness, or claim a stake on your precious life energy.

If you are wondering what kind of tools you can use to connect with yourself, try one of my guided practices on Insight Timer. Pick one that fits your available time and practice it as one of the first things you do in your day. Try it for a week and see how it influences your quality of life.

Sample morning routine:

1. Wake up

2. Go to the bathroom

3. Brush your teeth and wash your face

4. Drink 8-16oz warm water (squeeze of lemon or lime optional)

5. Connect with yourself through practice

6. Now you’re ready for the day! Let ‘er rip!

I’d love to hear about your journey.

Connect with yourSelf before you connect to anything else.

You are the key to your health, harmony, and happiness.

An Abundant Challenge

I often ponder the troubles we humans have and how we keep ourselves in a stew of problems. Getting to the root of a problem and discovering truth, if it is to be had, is one of my directives in life.

Closely examining any problem inevitably leads to an examination of our beliefs. Why?

What we believe filters how we perceive. How we perceive defines how we experience. Our experience reinforces our belief…and around we go.

I’ve learned from yoga practice (and verified this by doing things like riding my bicycle for 4,500 miles through record heat) that although there are obviously material limitations, these are not the ultimate factors determining what is possible. James “Iron Cowboy” Lawrence, an athlete who completed 50 full-distance Iron Mans in all 50 US States, in 50 days, said his achievement was 80% mental. The barriers invariably dwell within the mind.

In order to find new solutions to old problems, we need to see things differently. This means we need to examine the beliefs and assumptions that frame our options and actions. When we seek to make real and lasting change, we will inevitably come face to face with obsolete beliefs and the fears that guard them.

Here’s one belief I’d like to challenge that pervades our culture: we associate value with scarcity.

BELIEF: the more scarce something is, the more valuable it is.

CONSEQUENCES:

• “creating value” becomes about restricting or withholding resources

• value = exclusivity

• value is special and uncommon

• want what you don’t have

• compete with other life forms to “get” what you need

When I want to understand suffering, I ponder the man-made and mind-made world.

When I want to understand how life works, I look to Nature. Here’s what I see:

NATURE’S TRUTH: That which is most essential to life is abundantly available wherever life thrives.

CONSEQUENCES:

• Life is fed from the roots. As the mycelium and roots thrive, so does the whole forest. The biggest life forms feed back into the whole.

• When the river is allowed to flow freely, all life flourishes. When the water is dammed, a host of problems that need to be “managed” immediately appear.

• Every form of life provides a unique and precious contribution to the whole, whether we humans are aware of it or not.

In yoga, there is a practice called pratipaksha bhavana. It basically means “to cultivate the opposite.” This is a powerful tool we can use to disentangle ourselves from particularly sticky habitual patterns. So what would it be like if we reversed our concept of value = scarcity?

What if we built an economy based on the assumption that value = abundance?

What if we dedicated our efforts to ensuring that the things that are most valuable remain widely available and accessible—not only to humans, but to all life?

In yoga we learn that approaching our edge - the limit of what we know/believe/have experienced as possible - reveals fears we have held unconsciously. These fears have defined the way our world works. They have prevented us from exploring further by acting as boundaries for our experience. They are assumptions, not truths. Once they are revealed, we can challenge them with persistent, gentle, conscious experimentation. More often than not, I’ve discovered that these fears don’t hold up to the experiential test.

What comes up when we consider shifting our economy towards a model of abundance rather than scarcity?

“Doesn’t lack drive exchange? Doesn’t lack motivate people to better themselves? The idea that everyone could be provided for is ‘just unrealistic.’ The free flow of resources limits my personal freedom! How can we prosper without profit?”

My experience shows me with 100% consistency that energy and consciousness innately flow toward subtler, more complex, and higher levels of evolutionary function.

My hypothesis is that if we were to embrace an economy based on symbiosis, collaboration, interdependence, abundance, and reverence for life, we would not only begin the real work of healing our planet, we’d also see humanity access new levels of innovation, creation, harmony, and new realms of conscious experience.

What is the first step towards exploring this shift?

I’m offering it here. It’s to consider the possibility that we are operating under inaccurate assumptions, and that we have the response-ability to change it, using the choices that are available to use on a daily basis, starting now.

The bottom line (pun intended) is that we do not have to perpetuate limiting paradigms that cause suffering, whether personally or collectively. We can encounter our fears, courageously embrace new ways of being in and seeing the world, and take one step into the unknown. Then another step.

What is one way you could celebrate and elevate the value of something abundant in your life today?

What is one way you could ensure that something of value is accessible to everyone you meet today?

What is one tyrannical belief representing “the way things are” that you could challenge for yourself?