The Beginners mind

You might have heard it in Yoga, that one should practice with a “beginner’s mind”.

A beginner’s mind is when you maintain an attitude of openness, accept how things are in this moment and release any preconceptions when trying something, even if it is not something new.

An example is a toddler laughing wholeheartedly at the same magic trick or sound over and over again {like the sound of cracking paper} as if each time it’s happening for the first time, have you noticed?

It’s because they’re experiencing the moment, without any evaluation or expectation. They have a true beginners mind, eager to experience and being simply open.

The Beginners mind refers to a state of openness and an absence of preconceptions when learning and practicing an activity – even at an advanced level.

The person maintains the same level of curiosity and openness a beginner would have.

In Yoga, it means that no matter how many thousands of times a yogi has practiced a sun salutation or a pose, there is still a new dimension in each practice and space to learn something new.

Instead of enclosing ourselves into pre-conceived ideas, judgment and expectation that are learned from conditioning and past experiences, the impressions of our past actions {Samskaras}, we can explore the possibilities with an open mind.

With an open mind, we are fully receptive, free from limitations {derived from Chitta Vritti – the Monkey Mind}, able to observe objectively with curiosity and clear awareness, able to grow and evolve.

In Ayurveda, is even more important to maintain a beginner’s mind.

We live in a society that is very judgmental, full of expectation feed by the constant reminder of the media of an ideal lifestyle. 
In a consumer society, full of commodities it's difficult not to be influenced, be desire driven.

As soon as you start applying the Ayurvedic Dinacharya {daily routine} you are immediately confronted by it. 
From eating freshly cooked meals, no leftover, frozen/microwaved food, to no drinking coffee, from early bedtimes, no later than 10pm, to early rise before sunrise. 

When we remove a lifelong conditioning and limitations, we can really see what Ayurveda can do for us.

You might discover new things about yourself, maybe running a marathon might not be so good for you {despite the media/society says otherwise}, or maybe washing your face with cool water is not as bad as initially thought {expectations}.

With a beginner’s mind, we can become aware of the reality, and notice when a habit that worked, stops working and you need to embrace a change.

It also means that things that we do automatic, when we become fully aware of them, then you start appreciating it again, maybe learn new things from the same old habit too.

It's with an open mind of a beginner, that we can see our true potential.