What is natural is never extreme
“What is natural is never extreme.”
I read this sentence in my Ayurveda studies recently, in the course I’m taking created by Dr. David Frawley. I was taken aback by its simplicity.
Most of us are addicted to extremes. This doesn’t necessarily mean getting thrills from jumping out of airplanes, pushing our bodies and minds to the limit, though it could. I see this addiction, this tendency clearly, in equating natural peace and calm with boredom, or stillness and silence with underwhelm. We often feel at home amongst some sort of drama and conflict, whether or not we’re involved in it directly. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a person who jumps from one stimulus to the next, ever craving excitement and stimulation. Without stimulation, life can feel dull, pointless even.
We’ve become accustomed to an extreme world. Over-the-top flavours, tantalizing entertainment, a constant tsunami of information, cacophonous sounds filling the silence. The silence must always be filled! Sharp smells, touch that feels rough perhaps because it’s insincere. Polarization, Us. vs. Them. Emotional highs and lows.
Emotional extremes are at the root. Many of us are conditioned to automatically reject emotions that we deem negative, to not process them fully. When we suppress them, we imbalance the mind and body. The energy of these emotions is driven inward, instead of being expressed outward as they should. Many of us have been conditioned to make the “negative” emotions stop as soon as possible, in whatever way we can. In doing this, we allow these emotions to accumulate in the subconscious.
Fear and anger are a part of normal immune response to avoid or repel danger. When we dismiss our fears, or try to push our anger away, this energy is directed inward and suppresses immune function. It is perfectly “normal” to experience a wide range of emotions. Feeling sad or scared or low is no reason to be concerned. Emotions are like water, they are meant to flow through us, and it’s up to us to ensure the flow is uninhibited. Allowing and accepting them with compassion, kindness, and love permits the emotional river to move as it should. Pausing to truly feel them. Noticing where we sense them in the body. Breathing. Taking a moment to identify what we’re feeling. Maybe writing it down, maybe not. Doing our best to accept the situation and be as objective in our observations as possible.
When we reject our emotions, we allow them to fester and take on a more extreme form. Resentment builds, worries accumulate into what we call anxiety, sadness into depression. Our natural state is not extreme. When we feel these intense states, especially for an extended period of time, it’s a sign we have deviated from our own true nature. Personally, when I have found myself in this unbearable intensity, in these low lows, or even unsustainably high highs, it is usually because I have rejected myself, my emotions, and what is true to me. In examining choices I made that led up to these points, it is clear that I chose to numb myself instead of patiently sitting with my emotions in loving kindness and taking the time to untangle things with in myself.
Another related bit of wisdom I came across in the course is that when our tastes and senses are overstimulated, it’s hard to restore them to balance. We can also come to crave the things that further aggravate our condition. This can happen physically, for example in terms of taste - craving overly hot and spicy foods when in reality it’s causing inflammation in our body - but also emotionally. We crave dynamics with people that aren’t for our highest good, perhaps because it’s what we’re used to. The intensity of feeling provides an assurance that we’re feeling something, even if it isn’t right for us. If we’re not accustomed to sitting in silence and stillness, we might seek stimulation from being in constant communication with the social sphere of media, people we know and don’t know; filling our time with activities. We may crave these activities despite the fact that our body would really appreciate some stillness here and there.
“What is natural is never extreme.” May these words land within and cause a positive shift for you, no matter how small. May you embrace the natural in all its forms! I love you, thank you for reading. 💖
