Sunday, May 08, 2016

Resistance Equals Persistence

Today's DailyOM brought to you by:
Click here for How To Overcome Depression
 

 
May 8, 2016
Resistance Equals Persistence
The Wisdom of Surrender

by Madisyn Taylor

Resistance tends to strengthen the energies it attempts to oppose by giving them power and energy to work against.


We all know the feeling of being repeatedly haunted by the same issue, no matter how we try to ignore it, avoid it, or run away from it. Sometimes it seems that we can get rid of something we don't want by simply pushing it away. Most of the time, the more we push away, the more we get pushed back. There are laws of physics and metaphysics that explain this phenomenon, which is often summed up in this pithy phrase: That which you resist persists.

Resistance tends to strengthen the energies it attempts to oppose by giving them power and energy to work against. Additionally, resistance keeps us from learning more about what we resist. In order to fully understand something, we must open to it enough to receive its energy; otherwise, we remain ignorant of its lessons. There is a Tibetan story of a monk who retreats to meditate in a cave only to be plagued by demons. He tries everything—chasing, fighting, hiding—to get the demons out of his cave, but the thing that finally works is surrender. He simply lets them have their way with him and only then do they disappear.

Now, this wisdom must be applied practically. We are not meant to get ourselves physically injured. Instead, this story speaks of how, in essence, our demons are inside of us. What plagues and pursues us on an inner level has a way of manifesting itself in our environment in the form of people, events, and issues that appear to be beyond our control. But all these external expressions are reflections of our insides, and it is inside ourselves that we can safely experiment with surrendering to what we fear and dislike. It may feel scary, and we may find ourselves in the company of a lot of resistance as we begin the process of opening to what we fear. But the more we learn to surrender, and the more the demons that plague us disappear in the process, the more courageous we will become.


DailyOM Course Spotlight

Claiming Your Emotional Well-Being
by Ana Holub

Are you jazzed about your spiritual journey, but notice a few things freak you out now and then? Do you feel awkward about yourself and hope someday you'll feel alive and comfy in your own skin? Are you curious about living fully, not just in your top 3 chakras? Do you simply need some help in the inner strength department? A genuine spiritual path includes truly feeling what's happening, including the sublime, the horrific and the just plain mundane. The power of our emotions has been so long denied, and they're insistently calling, cajoling, and sometimes yelling for our attention. This course is a loving answer to that call.

> Get the first lesson now


Top 10 DailyOM Courses:

1. Reinventing The Body, Resurrecting the Soul
2. Break the Grip of Past Lovers
3. 8 Week Whole Body Makeover!
4. Heal Yourself with Writing
5. A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back!
6. 21 Day Yoga Body!
7. 14 Day Yoga Cleanse
8. A Year of Rumi
9. Meditation for Beginners
10. How to Quiet the Mind

New Courses | All Courses


What do you think?
Discuss this article and share your opinion

Want more DailyOM?
Register for your free email, or browse all articles

  The Wisdom of Surrender

Share the OM:

Email this to a friend
Printable version
Save in My DailyOM
Discuss this article

Heal Your Money Karma

More DailyOM:

  • On-line Courses
  • Soul Readings
  • Today's Horoscopes
  • Shop the Marketplace
  • Join the Community
  • Home | Gift Shop | My DailyOM | Marketplace | Community | Archives | Share The OM | Contact Us
    Subscribe | Change Email | User Settings | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Help/FAQ
    Make DailyOM Your Homepage | Link To Us | Publish DailyOM On Your Website

    © 2004-2016 DailyOM - All Rights Reserved
    No portion of this site can be reprinted without express permission
    Artwork by Wang Chang-Ming

    No comments: