Last week I got angry, not angry with the atrocities taking place in the world (that is a different kind of anger) but a full-blown Ego lead anger; I was being treated unfairly and unjust and I was not having it! But as an eager student of Yoga and the Vedanta, still in the midst of my anger there was space for my consciousness to observe and ponder. Why am I angry, why do I experience this anger as a physical manifestation in my body? I observed without judging myself, almost like finding myself in a dual state of existence.

The irony is that when I reflected over why this situation made me angry, it was because I perceived that the actions of the person who was giving me, in my opinion, unfounded criticism, to be an expression of their Ego. And even worse that; their male Ego (we cannot have that, right?)! Ego against Ego is the perfect storm…. But my spiritual practice came to the rescue, and I found how I could quite gently navigate myself back into a space where I could bring my thoughts forwards without causing further conflict and resentment. And then let it all go and sleep well.

We often take Yogic teachings to mean that we should aim to be detached, not reactive, and forgiving on default. But does that mean that we we should not stand up for ourselves? I don’t think so; as long as we exist in the manifested reality of this world we have to live our lives safely, set boundaries, stand up against and call out actions that are not right and just (Adharmic). The question is how, and to what extent, the way we decide to act is more harmful than productive, to ourselves, and other parties involved.

I think most of us have had experiences when we react in the moment only to later have some level of regret; ‘I wish I had not done or said that’.  This does not mean that we necessarily were wrong in thinking what happened was not okay, but it is about getting hold of that magic space between reacting and responding.  Where we take that step back and observe the emotion (I my case, rage!), how this feels in the body, and still decide that this is not the time for reaction. To allow those emotions to happen, without judgment, but to have the patience to bring yourself back into balance and then come up with a response that is fruitful and beneficial for you and the situation.  That is your spiritual practice in action.