From the chapter 14, Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga
Avaneesh Sistla, Advaith Sankar, Niyati Bhaskar & Maliha Rajan, 9th Grade
In this chapter, Bhagawan Krishna gives us knowledge about mind management. What is mind management? It is the act of managing your body, mind, and intellect (BMI). BMI is what you think is “you”, your likes, dislikes, and desires (Vasanas). In reality you are but one with the whole, known as Atman (pure consciousness). Atman is what makes you, you; that’s your true identity. Imagine your Vasanas are a window, and when Atman shines through, it becomes you!
By practicing mind management, we can retain the choice to control our life’s wants and desires, allowing us to reach our full potential. Mind management falls into three categories: knowing the mind, tuning the mind, and transcending the mind. To begin to understand the mind, you must understand the difference between your apparent self and your true self. To understand the difference between your apparent self and tour true self, you have to understand the Gunas and how they impact you.
There are three qualities of Prakriti (creation). The three Gunas are the qualities that make up you. Each Guna identifies with its own Shakti (energy): Satva Guna (discriminating power, seeing things as they are), Rajo Guna (projecting power, distorts reality and prevents proper thinking), Tamo Guna (veiling power, hides knowledge and blocks our thinking). Each of these Gunas represent different qualities, and the one you predominantly identify with, determines the quality of your life. Here are the essential aspects of these Gunas:
Satva Guna: knowledge and peace
Rajo Guna: activity and ambition
Tamo Guna: inert and laziness
These three Gunas pervade everything and when one quality is dominant, the others are dormant. Practicing mind management helps us lead and reach a Satvik lifestyle. A way that you can live a Satvik lifestyle is to live simply and practice higher thinking, while giving back to your community.
Now, the real question is how do you practice Mind Management?
You must separate yourself from your BMI and being constantly aware of your true self is how you reach that. An exercise that can help you separate yourself from your mind, when a thought comes into your mind, think of who is aware of that thought, and stay with it; you must be aware of being aware. We know this sounds abstract, but the key to separating your true self from your mind is to practice and repeat this exercise.
The separation of your true self from your mind allows you to control your desires and live a Satvik lifestyle. This is the essence of mind management.
