(Anmol: I am very happy to present this great guest article from Kundalini Yoga teacher and extraordinary spiritual blogger and guide Sharlene Starr.  Be sure to check out her terrific Kundalini Yoga website and blog here:  http://www.SharleneStarr.com)

If you would like to be a guest author on Master of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com).

Welcome To Mind

Let’s have a “straight-up” chat about the purpose of the negative, positive, and neutral minds and which one is the most important for yogis to develop.

“What’s that I fear?” is the mantra of a negative mind.  It is protective and reactive.  The purpose of the negative mind is to signal danger and to protect you from harm.  When out of balance, you live in a fear state-of-mind and symptoms include hiding inside your head instead of living from your soul, seeing only negative aspects of every situation, isolation due to fear of life, and repeating patterns without learning the lessons.  If you are frozen by fear you will remain captive in the cage of your self-limitations.  Consciousness never lives in the space of a fearful, submissive mind.  It’s easy to let fear take over, with the expectation of staying safe.  The more you can begin to know your fears and embrace them, the more they will no longer hold any energy over you.  Everything then becomes a learning experience toward consciousness.

“Bring your wishes and your well!” is the mantra of a positive mind.  It is constructive and teeming with risk-taking initiative.  This part of the mind seeks fulfillment and possibility.  The purpose of the positive mind is to encourage optimism, excitement, and enthusiasm.  When out of balance, you live in a pleasure state-of mind and symptoms include not being able to think clearly, being over-optimistic, and pushing everything to the limit in order to get what you want.  If you are locked into this over-expansive mindset you will remain captive in “leap before you look” actions and never get to the full depth of any situation.  Consciousness never lives in the space of an over-focused mind.  It’s easy to let enthusiasm take over, with the expectation of genius.  The more you can synchronize your projection and work with perspective, the more you will be able to guide passion to purpose.

“A noble asking.” is the mantra of a neutral mind.  It is the uniqueness of the soul assessing and reflecting.  The purpose of the neutral mind is to weigh the information from the other two minds and makes a conscious decision.  Neutral mind is impersonally personal and sees things for what they really are.  Existing in a neutral state-of-mind is about seeing beyond the surface so you can respond beyond the positives and negatives.  It is about being simultaneously in your activities but not of them.  Neutral mind reacts on the basis of fulfilling you and your destiny, seeing the short-term and long-term effects of your actions. 

With this in mind, (ah the puns)…why is it important for a yogi to develop a neutral mind?  Without a doubt it is because that mind state allows you to evaluate the input of your negative and positive minds and access your soul.  This is what makes the neutral mind the ultimate “win-win” mentality.  As a yogi, it is essential to listen to and act on the voice of your soul.  Neutral mind is what will take you there and the way to a neutral mind is through meditation.  Let your neutral mind be your guide to integrate your experiences and find meaning in them.  The more neutral minded you become, the closer you are to being you and authentically coming into your mind, body, and spirit.

In the long run, understanding the nature and challenges of the mind is the key to opening up space within you to live from your soul.  In his book The Mind, Yogi Bhajan shares that, “You are here to be you and your mind is your best servant.”  The real game is to make your mind follow you.  If you can change your mind, you can change your life.  Welcome to mind.

Sharlene Starr teaches Kundalini Yoga classes for women and is the author of the *FREE* Special Report,” A Beginner’s Guide To Kundalini Yoga!”   If you’re ready to awaken your mind, body, and soul, get your *FREE* copy at:  http://www.SharleneStarr.com