We all know the importance of physical immunity, which is our ability to resist disease, ward off pathogens, endure the dualities of heat and cold and seasonal changes, have physical strength and stamina, slow down the ageing process and heal ourselves.
But what is psychological immunity? It is similarly the ability of the mind to resist disease, ward off emotional toxins, endure the dualities of gain and loss, joy and sorrow, have mental strength and stamina, slow down the ageing process and heal ourselves.
Just as there are physical pathogens like bacteria and viruses, so there are mental pathogens, negative emotions like fear, anger, hatred, greed or desire that can infect us. Just as there are contagious and epidemic physical diseases, so there are mass psychological disturbances, such as we see in mob violence, dangerous ideologies or war.
For physical immunity to be strong we must have the resilience to face the vicissitudes of nature and the stress of hard work or exercise. For psychological immunity to be strong we must be able to endure like and dislike, opposition and conflict without losing our calm collected state of mind. We must have the resilience to face the vicissitudes in human behaviour.
How many have strong psychological immunity? Probably less than those who have strong physical immunity. This is because we seldom properly nourish, exercise, train or discipline the mind like we try to do with the body. We get caught in emotional reactions rather than responding with clarity to difficulties and opposition. We are intolerant of those who disagree with us. We indulge in name-calling rather than respectful debate.
There is a simple way to measure your psychological immunity. It is equal to your power of attention, how long you can focus on a particular topic in an observant way, letting it reveal to you what it is, not reacting with your mind’s conditioning.
True yogis can hold their power of attention when surrounded by distraction or criticism, uninfluenced by flattery or insult. This doesn’t mean we don’t try to correct the iniquities in the world, which are numerous, but that we do so from a place of inner peace and determination.
May we develop the attentive awareness that leads us beyond mere mental reactions. That is the basis of #Dharana in yoga practice, concentration aiming at a one-pointed mind, not simply imposing one point of view upon everyone.
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