Peace Beyond the Judgments

Sitting at my father’s bedside in hospital this holiday season, I found myself surprisingly peaceful.

• No drama.
• No wishes that we were anywhere else.
• Not worried about the future or comparing with holidays past.

I was just being as present as possible with Papa when he was awake, and meditating, reading, or texting reports for my out-of-town family while he napped.

When we decided to go to Emergency, we thought a quick stethoscope test and antibiotics would do the trick.

It turned out, however, his heart needed a tune-up that required two hospital stays of 3-4 days each and the draining of fluids in his lungs and legs.

We were both impressed and grateful for the quality and efficiency of care he received both times. He even liked the food!

Luckily, immediate treatment and a medication plan are all that are expected to be needed for him to eventually return to his active 92-year old lifestyle.

We’re back at his house now and returning to our routines. We haven’t done our usual 7 km walk to church and back yet, but maybe we will before I return to Newfoundland at the end of the month. And if not, that’s OK too.

Right now, as I write this, Papa is making shepherd’s pie for supper.

I’ll admit, my calm through the whole hospital experience surprised me (and perhaps others too…).

My father’s good spirits and the hospital’s efficient and kind staff certainly contributed.

So did my week of  yoga & meditation practice prior to our hospital experience. I’d actually managed to do my 2-hour routine more regularly while on holiday than back in Newfoundland …

Sitting in the hospital, I was reflecting on this calm acceptance of what was happening, when I turned the page in my “Lessons in Meditation” book to find the following passage:

“(W)e judge the world according to our likes and dislikes. It is this, above all, that keeps us enslaved in the dream world of matter. The heart’s energy becomes involved and we create an endless stream of desires and repulsions. While we are usually unaware of our constant judgments, they determine our level of happiness more than anything else. They determine whether the world pleases or disappoints us. If in meditation you can pull back from your likes and dislikes and simply observe your mind, you will quickly be able to focus your energy. In fact, Pantajali, an ancient and universally respected sage, gave as his classic definition of yoga, “Yogas chitta vritti nirodh” – ” Yoga is the neutralization of the vortices of likes and dislikes.” The blissful state of union with God waits in the silent calmness just beyond our likes and dislikes.”

I then remembered mention of this during our karma yogi classes while volunteering at Ananda Village last spring.

Since then, every time I listen to the yoga classes I’d recorded during my trip, I’ve been practicing letting go of my instant judgments when the teacher announces certain previously disliked poses.

I still have the momentary “Oh no, not that one!”, but then I smile and ask myself how I would feel if I let go of that judgment. Then I do the pose and keep moving through the practice with much greater ease & grace.

This training served me well in hospital.

Ananda yoga is also accompanied by mentally repeating affirmations. Each pose has a corresponding affirmation.

As I continue my almost-daily practice, I can easily recognize the impact these affirmations and my whole practice have had on my inner peace.

• “Calmness radiates from every fiber of my being.”
• “Secure in my Self, I accept whatever is.”
• “I relax from outer involvement into my inner haven of peace.”
• “I rise joyfully to meet each new opportunity.”
• “At the center of life’s storms I stand serene.”
• “I offer myself fully into the flow of grace.”
• “I relax and cast aside all mental burdens.”
• “I offer every thought as a bridge to divine grace.”
• “I welcome every opportunity for further growth.”
• “I am calm, I am poised.”

I’ve got far to go to master any of this, but I’m glad I got the opportunity to witness the power of the practice.

If any of these affirmations speak to you, I suggest post-it notes on your mirrors.

We live in very interesting times- be it in the realm of politics, the environment, rapid technological changes, etc. I don’t want to judge them as good or bad. They simply are.

May you too, in 2025, find or deepen the practices that help you connect to your peace beyond the judgments.

May you love what is, and follow Guidance when needing to take inspired action for your Highest Good and the Good of All.

And if you’re looking for a good book that also helps with this, I recommend Byron Katie’s “Loving What Is” that had a huge impact on me 20 years ago.

As usual when I leave for holidays, I write and pre-schedule my blog posts so that they continue to publish every Tuesday.

Last week’s Love Oracle 38 was the last I’d prepared before leaving Newfoundland as I was planning to return January 8th.

I’m not sure when my next post will be. I don’t want to force it. So I invite you to peruse my Blog index or Free Resources when you’re in the mood for some more art and inspiration.

Until the next time, peace be with you.