"When we got there, they said we should all run in as fast as we could, grab as much candy as we could, and then run out without paying. I had never stolen anything before, but I was desperate to be part of this group. My heart was beating so fast, I thought, young as I was, I was having a heart attack. My mouth was dry. I kept seeing my parent's face in my head - the disapproval, the anger."
"I was the slowest one, because my guilt stopped me from going at top speed, but I made it out of the store and several blocks away without being caught. For a week I was shaking - but then, the feeling of shame went away. And, when that group asked me to come with them again, I did. My heart didn't beat as fast, I felt less shame, I got more candy."
A shy child sought acceptance and joined peers in shoplifting, experiencing intense fear, guilt, nausea, and shaking during and after the first theft. Repeated participation reduced fear and shame, increased ease and reward, and transformed stealing into a long-lasting habit. Yoga calls such enduring mental patterns samskaras, which reside in the mind (citta) rather than the brain. The mind functions as part of the subtle body and records imprinted tendencies through repetition. Habits become automatic through repeated action, altering emotional responses and behavior. The mind and samskaras remain malleable and can be changed through awareness and practice.
Read at YogaRenew
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]