The world is a confusing place, which isn’t helped by the bombardment of information we are expected to process on a daily basis. We get conflicting messages all the time about who we are, who we are supposed to be, and what’s essential in life. It can be we know ourselves pretty well, the data deluge can easily throw it all into doubt.
Regardless of where you’re at on your life journey there’s never a better time to cut the noise and practice an ancient technology that has worked for generations.
Meditation
Meditation is perhaps older than time, it’s certainly older than recorded history. The first evidence of humans meditating are carvings and wall art in ancient India that depicts people sitting in lotus positions. Fast-forward 5000 years and there are seven billion people on the planet, most of whom are plugged into the internet. Practising meditation might take a lifetime to master but accessing these ancient technologies has never been easier. There are many types of mediation to choose from, including: mindfulness, movement, and transcendental. Not all meditation types will work for everyone. The key is to try out some different ones to see what you like best or what meets your goals.
Enneagram
For those unfamiliar with the Enneagram, it’s an ancient mathematical model for determining your personality type. Some think it came from the Sufi tradition, others that it’s from ancient Christianity, or related to Pythagoras. The Enneagram is a nine-sided shape each of which represents an archetype of worldview of the way people think and what they value. It is much more than a simple personality test.
Using questions the Enneagram can dig deep into the core traits, motivations, defence mechanisms and fears that live in the unconscious layers of our personalities. Find out what your Enneagram number is and it will empower you to be a more conscious human being, someone happier, and able to understand others much better.
Yoga
Yoga is another ancient human technology that has come into fashion in a big way. When you think of yoga you might think of the cobra pose, the downward facing dog, of the child’s pose. You might also think of people striking impressive poses on rocky vistas. This is how yoga is presented to us in the 21st century, but in reality, it is more than that – and much simpler also. Yoga is an appreciation of the natural world and our place within it. It is simply bringing awareness to our breath and controlling it in a skillful way. Yoga is also lifestyle – how we eat, how we choose to exercise. All of these practices will bring you closer to who you are and improve your life.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a much lesser known life science that is starting to gain popularity among those interested in tailoring their lifestyle to their specific mental, physical, and emotional characteristics. It is an ancient Indian science of medicine that promotes health through prevention using lifestyle choices and a selection of herbs. The theory is that everyone has a particular energy pattern which comprises their own constitution. This constitution is determined by a number of factors and remains fairly constant throughout a lifetime. By analyzing this energy pattern, best practice choices can be made about what foods to eat, when to eat, among other things.
