So on Saturday I spent a very interesting afternoon at Brahma Kumari Raja Yoga centre in Manchester city centre. I took part in a very well attended workshop run by Mike George on why we feel guilty.

We also did three separate little sessions were we had to work with others to go through little life events such as when was the last time you felt angry, guilty, hurt, what happened and why? Really good stuff but you had to be up for it as it was challenging stuff. I made 7 pages of notes in my Moleskin. In a nutshell this is what I learned:

1. Feeling angry and guilty stems from our own mistaken view of what we perceive and think should happen. We know all about illusions in yoga (Maya) and so how we choose to act in relation to an event is down to you. There is no such thing as good or bad, these are implied labels…there just ‘is ‘(a really tricky one to get round). Beliefs, labels and assumptions get in the way.
2. Feeling bad, ashamed or guilty is the ‘belief’ that I have dome something wrong. My inner self, my trueness is neither good nor bad it just is. Don’t mistake yourself for something you are not. Act from your inner self, your ‘Trueness’, as Mike George called it. Then our lives are aligned with our true purpose. That is happiness.
3. As we know happiness, joy or love are not emotions or something we can add. They are already there and come from within. They don’t come from the outside via other people, cars, Ipads, clothes, etc. Wanting stuff just brings more sadness and when this happens we are moving further away from our centre and out alignment.
4. Again as we know in yoga the self-created ego is our biggest problem.  The ego is dependant on others for self-respect. If other make you feel hurt, angry etc…its not them its you and your ego. Accept them, as they are. Its not their issue it’s yours. Every event is lesson. Learn it and move on. No one can hurt you, but you can use others to hurt yourself.
5.  Learn to give. All the time. Decide is your life for-taking or for-giving. When we give we are aligned. When we take we are scared, angry and fearful. Remember the purpose of life is to discover what you are good at, what makes you happy and then give it away.
6. And finally, no one can do this for you. It’s down to you. We can help, guide and show, but in the end you are the only being that can do it for yourself.

The most amazing thing is that you and I have power over how we feel. It’s not down to others; it’s down to us. That is a truly liberating thought and one that leads back into our Selves, free from stress, hurt, anger and tension.  Making choices about whom we are and what we do is an example of a true human being at work.