addiction

Addiction has been coming up a lot this week, on tv, with friends and even in yogic circles.

There was a guy on a news story at my hotel in Knoxville, TN about a man who runs now, having replaced his drug and alcohol addiction with that. The story was about replacing one addiction with another and is it better to have the healthy addiction or the unhealthy one or is an addiction an addiction?

I think an addiction is an addiction, because even if you have an addiction to a healthy thing, too much of it can be bad. Its about the balance right?

This weekend my roommate and I were in Tennessee for another White Tantric Yoga: a Kundalini Yoga day long event that incorporates movement, chanting and pranayama into a 9 hour or so extravaganza of energy building. Its quite and amazing thing and the energy you feel traveling through your body during and after (for about 40 days) is palpable. Almost feeling high, all of the time, to the point you have to really concentrate to function in regular life, as well as do a lot of grounding work. I've been walking in the park and doing hatha yoga to balance it out. It also has life changing qualities if you can maintain and handle the intensity of the energy moving through your life. It will change and for the better, maybe bringing out the bad stuff, or less desirable stuff in the process. But its intense for sure.

Anyhow, the point being, after taking part in this and feeling its effects I can see where it could be an addiction. Feeling good, what can be better than that right? And so you get attached to it, and attachment is not what yoga is about. Its about using the techniques and the energy created, built up or let free from its bindings within your body to find non-attachment to the things of life. Not its bad having or doing things, or wanting things, but being attached to them seems to me not such a great thing. When you can't let go it can become a problem. For sure.

Not judging anyone for being attached, for gods sake we're all human and attachment is part of it. Finding ways to let go can be part of it, especially if you're following a yogic path, since it teaches you tools to become less attached to things.

Addiction seems to me to be just an over-attachment to things, or people, and lack of presence in your daily life, moment to moment living. I know, I know, that has got the be the hardest thing but if you're not giving your present the awareness it deserves it will become something you think about with regret later. Maybe, maybe not.

I say stop thinking about it so much. Thinking about the people, places and things and just being. Just finding ways to feel good in every moment, thinking the thoughts that will help you feel better rather than dwelling on those things that are not making you feel good, which we are wont to do right?

Oh well, I'm done. I can talk about it forever but either you'll get the idea or you won't and think I'm crazy and thats okay too (I may be crazy) but I'm just like you, trying to get through life with as much happiness and peace as possible and leaving as little in my wake as possible.

So find a little happiness, right now, even if its just a thought that makes you feel better. If not, go on my facebook page and watch the old lady give her raunchy and abrupt version of advice and if that doesnt' make you laugh and feel better, nothing can.

Take care, sat nam!!!