Courage - What is its greatest challenge?

Courage is seen as an attribute of good character and is respected. We equate it to a mighty warrior or someone who goes to battle. Yet courage is not just about physical bravery. Courage also means the ability to speak out against injustice, to take risks in the face of adversity, to open yourself to life's vulnerabilities, and to believe in your convictions even when met with mockery and contempt. Nothing in life is ever accomplished without a dose of courage. That’s because courage is the engine of ingenuity. Attempt something new and above the mediocracy of everyday life, and you will be met with opposition, criticism, and ridicule. Rise above this, soldier onward, and you will discover the treasure of courage. It takes courage to forgive, to be humble, and to be respectful and compassionate in a world that equates courage with brute force and domination. It takes courage to speak your mind and be true to yourself when faced with conformity. It takes courage to love and be open to vulnerability. Courage, therefore, is the ability to remain strong within yourself even when the outside world is nebulous and moving. But the greatest challenge of courage is to overcome dis-couragement. Courage is the only antidote for failure and disappointment. To develop the capacity to endure suffering and hardships requires both faith and courage. END: It takes courage to forgive, to be humble, and to be respectful and compassionate in a world that equates courage with brute force and domination. It takes courage to speak your mind and be true to yourself when faced with conformity. It takes courage to love and be open to vulnerability. Nothing in life is accomplished without a dose of courage. It is truly a great gift when used to overcome failure and combat fear. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend out the index finger – the ego. Our fiercest enemy is the ego. It is a mighty force and not easy to control. That is because it takes courage to look within and find the strength to successfully manage the challenges of life. Pull your finger in and place your thumb on top, take a breath, and surrender to your soul. Courage requires nothing more than letting go of fear while holding on to unfathomable, unshakable faith and believing in yourself. Remove fear, and the warrior within you will stand courageous rather than as a hapless victim. Thus, the warrior with courage conquers all. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the conquest of it. WILLIAM DANFORTH (1870-1955) Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Doctor Lynn

How to find your potential energy

Potential energy, unlike kinetic energy, which is energy in motion, is stored energy that exists by virtue of its relative position to everything else in the universe. Just by your existence in relationship to everything else in the world, you have been given the treasure of potential energy. That means you have the potential to create, and your potential is only limited by how you position yourself in relation to everything else in the world. Self-acceptance is fundamental to discovering your potential. You are who you are, so you should make the best of it. Don’t compare yourself or your life to others. Instead, encourage yourself to attain your highest potential. Life is abundant with potential energy. Realize this, and you will never go without. Nothing can exist that doesn’t exist as potential energy. We could never travel to faraway lands if the potential to do so was not already there. We, as humans, have the potential to create on a very high level. Our brains allow us to master the complexities of life. An insect, on the other hand, is limited. But it does have wings and can fly. It’s biomechanically designed to do so. However, the creative potential of our brains has allowed us to build flying machines, and now we can fly. When used as a form of strength, balance, flexibility, and peace, potential energy is limitless. END: Potential energy is not simply positive thinking or mind over matter. However, potential energy is best served with a positive outlook. Potential exists everywhere, and it is up to us to turn it into kinetic energy or material form. If your energy is negative, you will attract negative, destructive energy. If you are positive, you will attract positive energy. For example, people are drawn to the positive energy of a smile. This is essential if you wish to prosper. No one ever prospers in a place of negative energy for very long. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend the index finger – the ego. You have been given potential energy as a gifted treasure. It is very powerful, but useless without conscious thought and action to bring it to fruition. Self-acceptance is fundamental to discovering your potential. You are who you are, so you should make the best of it. Don’t compare yourself or your life to others. Instead, encourage yourself to reach your highest potential. Pull your finger in and place your thumb on top. Take a breath and surrender to your soul. Just by this act of surrender, you are consciously drawing positive energy into your life. Consciousness needs a vehicle, such as the brain, to bring thoughts into material manifestation. But it needs nothing to exist. It is potentially waiting to materialize through its relationship to everything else in the universe. Use your potential to create a positive life, and you will prosper. Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Doctor Lynn

Ethics and Morals – Do We Need Them?

There are three things humans need in order to both survive and thrive. The first is material goods, including shelter and food. The second is procreation, which ensures the continuation of the species, and the third is the rules of behavior, or ethical and moral codes of conduct. Ethics are morals in action. Morals are knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing right. Ethics is morally acting in such a way as to bring the greatest good for the greatest many. It is important that we develop the ability to distinguish right from wrong. The underlying factor is to strive to do no harm. . Ethics underpins the choices we make. Morals lay the foundation for the ethics we establish. Without morals, we would have no ethics, and since it is well understood that different people often adhere to different ethical standards, this raises the question: Where do our morals come from? Where is there justice? In life, there is no justice; therefore, we have laws. The law of karma teaches us that we are what we think, speak, and do, so consciously pay attention to how you conduct your life. All humans desire survival, long life, knowledge, justice, fame, love, and salvation. As far as we know, all other living things only seek survival. Therefore, the survival and thriving of the human species depend on good morals and ethics. Make the wrong choice, and there will be consequences -that’s karma—life becomes what life does. You must decide what is right and what is wrong. No one can do this for you. How and what we choose reflects what we value. Choosing to act without morals and ethics leads the conscience astray. It takes balance, strength, flexibility, and peace to make the right ethical and /or moral choices. Let’s get started. END While contemporary culture encourages us to become rich regardless of the cost, yoga challenges us to view money as a divine force that we must manage responsibly. We are encouraged to earn a good living and even to become rich. However, the path must be honest and lawful. We must always seek to do no harm and do the greatest good for the greatest many. Karma reminds us that our first responsibility is to take care of ourselves, then our family and friends, and then the world at large; never forgetting to take time for soulful pursuit. Self-awareness and self-reflection are often necessary when deciding how best to fulfill our responsibilities. Some people think the desire to fulfill our inner life makes it difficult to make money. This is not true. When we do things with a clear conscience, prosperity is sure to come. Just remind yourself that money and wealth, when used with a clear conscience, have the power to do good far more than poverty. So, seek wealth and enjoy the pleasures of life based upon good morals and ethics. EGO: Flip your palm up and extend the index finger – the ego. In difficult times, people tend to lose their faith and resort to shortcuts and questionable practices. In this worldly life, they may seem to succeed with these tactics, but ultimately, they will leave deep scars on their consciousness and adversely influence the course of their future lives. Pull your finger in and place your thumb on top – take a breath and surrender to the soul. Character, good behavior, commitment to truth, and mental and physical purity are essential in this life, especially in trying times, if you wish to truly prosper. When profit and pleasure are guided by ethics and morals, they become instruments for humanitarian and soulful growth. It is good to make a profit and build wealth, but do so from a consciously guided perspective. Self-awareness and self-reflection are often necessary when deciding how best to fulfill our responsibilities. Remember this: humans desire long life, knowledge, justice, fame, love, and salvation. All other life forms, as far as we know, only seek to survive. The survival and thriving of human beings depend on good morals and ethics. This is a treasure of great importance. Act ethically from this moral base; do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do no harm and always seek to do the greatest good for the greatest many. Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness and peace Doctor Lynn

Love is the Third Treasure

Love comes in many shades and in many forms. Romantic love is one kind of love, but love of family, friends, interests, work, and life can also fill the heart and nourish the soul. Love is a spiritual experience that touches the soul. Love is a precious treasure that materializes through caring, compassion, and understanding. Love may come, and it may go more than once in your lifetime. No two loves will ever be the same. Romantic love may come with a burst of powerful energy, but it will fade and evolve over time. How love will change depends on whether true love is present. So do not think yourself unfortunate if you have loved and lost. Love comes, and love goes without reason or cause. It is whimsical and comes as it will. If it comes, enjoy it, and if it must depart, let it go. No amount of fretting and anguishing will bring it back. Stay unattached, but never indifferent to love. This requires the capacity to endure. For love to endure, it must stay open and be flexible to the endless possibilities and changes of life. It also requires inner strength, emotional balance, and the ability to find peace. Let’s get started: END: Love is one of life’s greatest experiences. Sincerity and intellectual appreciation for the nature of love are needed if we are to truly experience this treasure. Love also involves devotion. Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, teaches us to devote ourselves to that which we love so that we might discover the true meaning of success. Love, when consciously cultivated, can harmonize and uplift our personal relationships so they serve the spiritual process of self-discovery. With this, we learn how to share joy, cheer, and bliss with all. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend out the index finger – the symbol of the ego. When love and devotion are mixed, we create the ultimate pleasurable human experience: the gift of giving and receiving joy. But remember, love as well as romance, also has a darker side. The troublesome four—envy, jealousy, resentment, and revenge—can turn love into hate and abuse. These are the ego's emotions. Love, like all emotions, is a state of mind capable of taking both creative and destructive paths. When love is mixed with jealousy, envy, revenge, and resentment, it becomes destructive. Pull your index finger in and place your thumb on top, take a breath, and surrender it to the soul. The soul reminds us to prioritize compassion, understanding, and forgiveness as our dominant thoughts, and to remove destructive ones. The mind thrives on what we feed it. Through self-awareness and willpower, we can control the mind, and whenever a negative thought enters, we can replace it. In love relationships, more than anything, we must constantly remind ourselves to change the way we look at things, and the way we look at things will change. Don’t get caught in the illusion of reality. But this takes work, and that is why we are here on Earth: to work our karma. Consciously work to create true and meaningful love, and you will discover one of the great treasures of life. Because: “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” -ALFRED TENNYSSON Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Doctor Lynn

New Year 2026, finding the treasures of life

The Nidhi is the container that holds all of life’s treasures. Once we locate the container and learn how to open its lid, we will find that all the treasures are available to all of us, and once found, how we use them will bring us either poverty or prosperity. The Nidhis are somewhat shrouded in mystery, but remember, a secret is only a secret until it is revealed. Here is one philosophical interpretation of the Nidhis and how to find the Nidhis contained within: A person is drawn to pleasurable objects only when they seem to be real, permanent, and potentially satisfying. When we understand that all objects in life are not permanent and are always subject to change, our minds become calm, and we strive towards higher attainment. We begin to see things for what they really are – opportunities to discover our higher selves. As we move through the coming year, I hope to be a good teacher by showing you where to look, but not what to see. First Treasure - above all else, treasure Your Health. Health is the most valued treasure, for without it, everything else in life is meaningless. Your health is your true wealth and the most important thing in the world. Good health is the ultimate treasure of life, for it is with good health that we enjoy all that life has to offer. It is very difficult to enjoy life when you are sick and tired. Maintaining good health requires living a balanced life supported by strength and flexibility. That is why we practice yoga, because through the physical poses, we have an opportunity to discover the treasures of life – let’s get started. END: Money won’t buy you good health; however, prosperity may afford you good food, warm shelter, and good medical care, things that are necessary for good health. Therefore, it is good to live in a prosperous society. According to karma, your journey on Earth is not about the body and the mind; however, without the body and the mind, the soul cannot experience this Earthly life. The body is the vehicle, and the mind is the GPS of the soul. Therefore, it is our responsibility and duty to take care of our health. Eating healthy, exercising, relaxing, reflecting, laughing, and loving are all good for our health. Look to your health, and you will see this great treasure all around you. EGO: Flip your palms up and extend out the index finger – the ego. The ego tends to think it can defy all things in life until it gets humbled by illness. It is then that we realize we are vulnerable to the most devastating thing in life – ill health. Pull your finger in and place your thumb on top. Take a breath and surrender to the soul. When the body, mind, and soul are in perfect balance, we have optimal health. When we have perfect health, we have much more to give to the world. A healthy, balanced human has the vital power to disseminate joy, cheer, and bliss equally to all. So, value the treasure of health above all else by taking good care of yourself because, “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless.” HEROPHILIES, 300 B.C, spoke those powerful words. Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace. Happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year. Doctor Lynn