Self Mastery

Having mastery over our mind and emotions does not mean repressing and controlling thoughts and feelings, it has more to do with self regulation, mental strength, emotional balance and knowing ourselves more deeply.  It requires that we cultivate a state of self awareness and self observation as well as introspection and self reflection work. On the path to self mastery there is nothing to fix, repress and resist, there is only acknowledging and welcoming all emotions, feelings and sensations without judgement or expectations. Mastery of mind and emotions does not involve not thinking or feeling as this will be quite unhealthy, it's about learning not to react or act upon our thoughts and emotions impulsively. It's about understanding the purpose and the reason for our thoughts and emotions.   Self mastery ensures that it is our  intentions, determination and clear visions that are driving our decisions, actions and behaviours and not an imbalanced mental and/or emotional state.  It takes some degree of discipline of the mind and body but most importantly self awareness and self compassion and a great deal of patience and acceptance with oneself. As with any other practice it is with time and life experience that we achieve this state, there is no short cut or speedy pass.

Many cultures and civilisations have given great importance to self mastery and developed throughout the ages great techniques and contemplative practices that are still being used to this day.  In the western world, there has been great research and development to understand the workings of the mind and especially the connection between thoughts, emotions and behaviours. Therapy modalities such as CBT  have been developed to offer guidance and support, although these are often used in response to specific cases of emotional, mental and behavioural struggles. It is now becoming more widely accepted that yogic techniques and contemplative practices aiming at quietening the mind and deepening emotional awareness should be implemented as daily or weekly routines for optimal wellbeing - but are we allowing enough of our time for these practices? And if we do, do we tend to keep them separate from our daily activities and therefore not always getting the benefits from these practices when it’s really needed. Should these practices be more integrated into our daily activities ie at work, school etc... ? With the constant pressure of living in an ever fast paced world evolving so quickly, and the ever growing distractions and over stimulation we are exposed to ,  maintaining a state of inner balance is vital in every aspects of our lives. In our modern world, Self Mastery is more relevant and more required than ever before.