In this devotional space with Krishna Das, we learn that we can always come back home to the essence of the chant.
Rumination // Fighting Your Thoughts
Do not try to stop rumination, this is not possible. We are human, and at times we all struggle with negative thought patterns. We do not know where our thoughts come from and where they go, so we should not fight them. All of us have the power to return to centeredness. We can notice when we are ruminating and redirect our thoughts.
“Every once in a while we notice that we are not paying attention and that is when we simply let go of that thought and come back to the chant. That’s why the chant is there, to give you something to come home to.” – Krishna Das
Tune into Ep. 440 of Mindrolling with Raghu Markus and Nancy Colier to learn more about letting go of our thoughts: Can’t Stop Thinking
Isolation, Grief, and Returning to Practice (34:58)
Even though Covid is winding down, many of us are still suffering from the effects of isolation. When we are alone we are often forced to deal with things within our psyche we have put off. There is tremendous pain and suffering that we experience individually and globally and we may not understand how to work with this. Chanting and practice are resources we can use to learn how to live presently regardless of what is going on in the outside world.
“That’s what chanting is about…how do we stay open and available and present for ourselves and others in the face of all the suffering. That’s why practice is so important.” – Krishna Das
Check out Ep. 154 of Heart Wisdom, Awakening In The Midst Of Life, to discover ways to navigate life’s twists and turns with a fearless heart.
Living in Harmony with Desires (52:30)
We will never not have desires. Even our most basic needs like food, water, and socialization are our bodies’ desires. We need to make peace with this fact. However, through practices like chanting or meditation, we notice the impact that clinging to desires can have on us. We should be able to recognize when we have had enough of something and let it go. Overindulgence and clinging will take us away from our true purpose in life. Stick around for another chant performed by Krishna Das at the end of this podcast!
“Do some practice, try to be a good person. Practice will give us the strength to live in a good way, it changes us from the inside.”– Krishna Das