WHEN EFFORTS FAIL..

Dear Balarishi,

We often try to cultivate a new beneficial habit. It may be a  regular morning walk or morning yoga. We start with all enthusiasm but as days pass by the commitment withers away and we helplessly watch our inability to cope up with our own commitment. How do we overcome this?

Your life pattern is mostly sculptured by two things. One is your Samskaara. The other one is your Vaasana. They seems to be the same but they do have a subtle difference. Your thought pattern and stubborn instincts are mostly out of your samskaara. If you regain or rebuild certain interests, talents or relationships again after an interval it is because of your vaasana. You would have been a good singer in the previous birth. If it comes naturally to you in this birth, it is due to your vaasana. These two factors contribute to certain thought patterns and life patterns which are rigid enough to interrupt any reforms you bring in.

To overcome this you need a deep understanding of this karmic back up and with total awareness you need to replace an old habit. For this it takes lots of analysis and action. This is something more than vairaagya and shradhha. For example if you cannot go about without an afternoon nap and if you want to overcome this, you must know the right alternate to break that habit for instance you cannot try reading a book at that time as it will make you apply your mind more and chances are there for you to fall asleep.

Some would try to start meditation at four am and would fall asleep. It doesn't mean they cannot meditate. Instead, they should start with yoga, do some physical exercise and then settle down to meditation.

Whenever you start something new, if there is some resistance in your inner system, just realise it is because of a certain life pattern which you have got used for years together or may be for lifetimes together. Stay aware and bring in an alternate activity with enough commitment and you will be able to replace the old habits with the new life style.