The Light Within: Transforming Habits from Within

Welcome to a new episode of "The Light Within" podcast! In today's episode, we will explore the deeper aspects of habits from a spiritual perspective. While much of the world focuses on the mechanics of habit-building, we'll journey beyond the surface to understand the root causes that shape our behaviors.

Habits aren't just actions we repeat—they are powerful forces that influence our consciousness and shape our spiritual path. In this episode, I'll share insights from ancient wisdom that reveal how our habits are formed, how they operate on both a conscious and subconscious level, and how they can either uplift or hinder our spiritual growth.

Join me as we uncover the spiritual roots of our habits and learn how to transform them from the inside out, aligning them with our highest aspirations and deeper purpose.

Transcript

0:26 
Ksshama G namaste and Hello. Welcome to another episode of the light within podcast. In this episode, we are going to talk about the importance of habits in our spiritual journey.

0:39 
We come across a lot of literature on building habits, a whole set of books and experts out there teaching how to build habits that serve you in the future. Some say that it takes 21 days to build a habit and give you a step by step framework for it. Some say, No, it's not 21 days. It takes 66 days to build a habit,

1:06 
according to James clear in his amazing book the atomic habits, the range of days is anywhere between 18 to 254

1:17 
days. When it comes to habits, from pure science perspective, it is an interplay of psychology and neuroscience. From whatever I have learned about habits, it is clear to me that it is an inside out job. You cannot superficially follow an app a book and expect consistent results.

1:41 
My intent in this episode is to share the deeper aspect of habit signs as shared in our yogic texts let us understand the deeper aspects of habits and then work inside out to manage them for our greater good. Habits are repeated actions and patterns of behavior that shape our character and influence our consciousness. Remember that the larger goal of life is to raise our consciousness and habits directly impact our ability to achieve this goal, the deeply embedded routines that operate on both conscious and subconscious level form through back and forth of thoughts, emotions and sensory experiences. Spiritual traditions often view habits as either obstacles or enablers on the path of enlightenment, depending on whether they align or detract from our higher aspirations at this time, I would like to share a quote from the Bhagavad Gita. It is from Chapter Two, word 61 Thani, sarvani, samyam, yukt, asi, matpar, vashe, he yasendriyani, Tasya, Pragya, pratishthita. What this means is one who restrains his senses keeping them under full control, and fixes his consciousness upon me. Is known as a man of steady intelligence. Our habits, ingrained through repeated actions, can become our biggest enemies in elevating our consciousness, these mental blueprints often operate on autopilot. We don't even know that we are doing certain actions. We do them without thinking if they are in our creative good or not. And such actions are largely driven by our senses or comfort or familiarity.

3:37 
The simplest example that I can share with you is having tea at work just because it is getting served at your desk. A lot of us in India are Chai fans, and a lot of us, including me, cross our quota of chai for the day. While the chai itself may not be the problem, but the sugar in it definitely is. Let me talk about myself here. So the habit that I have formed over the years is on autopilot to the extent that now it's a belief, and I proudly say that, Oh, I can't say no to tea. I would call this a relatively hummless example. But think about other habits of binge watching, smoke breaks at work, Friday outings with a mandatory drink session, etc, etc. I don't need to tell you that these habits bring your consciousness down. And if you are interested in your welfare, you should work towards getting rid of them completely. You will feel left out in the beginning, and there is no doubt. But remember that just because society has normalized certain things, it doesn't mean that we have to follow those behaviors. The sense of belongingness that you want to feel shouldn't be at the cost of your greater good, while habits can provide structure and efficiency in our lives.

5:00 
They can also trap us in cycles of behavior that can hinder our growth, including the spiritual growth. The Bhagavad Gita highlights the struggle, noting that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Even those who are striving for enlightenment or a greater awareness can find their consciousness seized by eager, excitable senses, and it happens with a lot of people who are following the spiritual path consciously. This battle against ingrained behaviors demands self discipline and conscious effort negative habits such as over indulgence, procrastination or simply negative thinking.

5:48 
They keep diverting our focus from higher pursuits and keep us anchored in lower states of awareness. We also call them lower emotional states. They reinforce patterns that limit our freedom, and they are an obstruction to our spiritual awakening. Now, if you think asking you to keep your consciousness on God is a tough ask, given that you and I have responsibilities, I am telling you that it is probably the easiest thing to do anything you do, you think of it as an offering to God, and automatically, you will take a pause when indulging in something that is not as per your soul's alignment. I think you know it already. But just to reiterate habits that elevate our growth, our regular meditation, prayers, acts of compassion and kindness, responding mindfully and acting in courage and truth. These are habits which will instill inner peace, awareness and a deeper connection to the divine. These habits help to discipline the mind and the senses, directing our energy towards higher pursuits, conversely, negative habits like over indulgence, attachment, negative thinking, they keep anchoring us to lower states of consciousness. They reinforce eco driven desires that perpetuate cycle of suffering and distraction. The Bhagavad Gita, for instance, warns us about the powerful grip of senses which can seize even the most enlightened individuals and divert them from their spiritual path. Now let us spend some time to understand habits before we do that, let me also address one concern that I have. There is a possibility that what I consider as a bad habit may be completely okay with you, and you may not even consider changing it, much less taking action. Here, when I see bad habits or negative habits, I'm talking about the definitions given by great masters and their spiritual guidance. These are not my standards. In fact, I am working on a lot of them myself. You may ask that whatever was laid down by the Masters and gurus may not have relevance, because the times have changed significantly, and we live in a modern world where if you don't drink at a social event, people will judge you as backward, and you may lose out on opportunities.

8:26 
The wisdom shared by the great ones is timeless, and anything that was true back then is true now as well. In fact, it is due to our weak willpower and temptations to to listen to our senses that we have come this far in the deterioration of our values, you don't have to worry about others. You just need to think about yourself as God's child and take the next step see where you are in your spiritual journey and which habits are hindering your spiritual progress. Some people have not even begun on their spiritual journey, and it is okay. You can guide people through your example, not by preaching them.

9:10 
Let us now talk about the root causes of bad habits as defined in yogic texts. You may then evaluate the habits that you have and where they might be stemming from.

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In spiritual traditions, the root causes of bad habits are often viewed through the lens of deeper, underlying spiritual and psychological principles. These causes are typically associated with mind ego and disconnection from one's true self or higher purpose. Let me share the key spiritual perspectives on the root causes of bad habits, and we will spend a little more time understanding the root causes rather than finding the cure. That's the thing about spiritual approach. When you understand the root causes, accept.

10:00 
Action for the Cure may not be required. So let us start with the first root cause, ignorance, or avidya. In our tradition, ignorance or lack of true knowledge, avidya, as we call it, is considered the fundamental cause of all sufferings and negative behaviors, avidya is when we don't understand the true nature of ourselves and the world around us. Our true nature is love, and world is transient and one, what I do to myself is what I do to you, because cosmic energy is one, and we are all bound by that one thread of energy. When you don't understand this, this ignorance leads to a misunderstanding of our true nature and purpose, causing us to seek fulfillment in external and temporary pleasures, rather than in lasting spiritual truths. A lot of us continue to believe that ignorance is bliss. Well, it is bliss because you choose to ignore the long term impact of your action on yourself and collectively, on the people you love. And beyond ignorance or avidya is a matter of choice. We, in this age and day, are obviously aware of a lot of things, and yet we choose to stay ignorant. This is a sure, short state of inviting misery to yourself and others. So when you choose to indulge in a negative habit, you're not only impacting your life, but all the people around you, your loved ones and beyond that as well. The next root cause is pretty much that leads to a lot of other root causes. And if you can manage this one, a lot of other root causes can be managed and controlled as well. I am talking about ego or ahamkar, ego or ankar refers to a false sense of self that makes us believe that we are separate and distinct from others and the world around us. This ego creates an identity based on our thoughts, experiences and possessions, making us act out of self interest and attachment. The ego, or I, craves control and acknowledgement. It seeks validation through status, achievements and praise from others. This desire can drive us to compete and dominate, which often leads to stress and conflicts in relationships. Think about how we are not able to deal with failure because we think that we have failed in life, just because society has set certain benchmarks. I remember the joke of Sharma jika beta. It is a popular meme in India, but also a hard truth for our society, where parents keep comparing the standards and how much their children have achieved by comparing them to somebody else, this breeds emotions and jealousy in children, which leads to seeking temporary reliefs the Ego seeks pleasure through senses, such as indulging in food, entertainment or luxury. While these pleasures may provide temporary satisfaction, they often lead to habits which are very, very hard to break, and they can distract us from deeper and lasting happiness. Attachment to sensory pleasure is a sure, short path to go downhill. The ego makes us forget our true nature, which is connected to all beings and the universe. This sense of separation prevents us from experiencing unity and peace, keeping us trapped in the cycle of desires and dissatisfaction. So you may ask me, then how do we survive in this world? Then what you're saying is not practical. If we don't compete, we'll we'll fall behind. Peace is what I have learnt in life, is that you look at your journey as a soul and your connection with the divine energy. Drop everything else. I'm not saying drop your goals. Don't do what you are supposed to do, drop your duties. I am not saying those things. Keep doing what you are doing. But the intention should change. The intention should not be to compete with people or to do better than others. Do better than what you did yesterday. Try and drop comparisons first and foremost and become consistent at keeping the connection with divine, slowly, you will learn to understand the guidance from divine and the ego trap will fall down on its own. I know these things are very easy to say, but.

15:00 
Very hard to to follow in practical life, but you and I, we have to consistently remind ourselves of these things. You know, on a daily basis. Once you have stepped out of your house and go in the world to do your duties, if don't remind yourself of these things, it is very hard to then come back to this truth, we are talking about the root causes of bad habits, negative habits. And the third reason on my list is desire and attachment. This is also called Kama and Raga. What gets triggered by ego becomes a pattern and gradually becomes craving, or desires and attachment to material, objects, people or experiences, creating a cycle for craving and aversion. These desires and attachments can lead to habit that seek temporary satisfaction, but ultimately result in deeper dissatisfaction and bondage. Think about how you kept someone on a pedestal, thinking that they were all you needed in life, and came all crashing down one day. Relationships are a cause of a lot of suffering in our lives. It is not because of relationships themselves, but that we have not learned to detach ourselves and accept that in the end, it is only us. I know that it sounds dry and mean, but it is the truth love others, but for the sake of love alone.

16:32 
The next reason on my list is aversion or dwesh.

16:37 
I think we have fallen into the traps of avoiding pain through food or binge watching, distracting ourselves one way or the other, thinking that the pain will somehow go away on its own. These activities become habit very quickly and gradually, we train ourselves to take an aversion to avoid discomfort and unpleasant experiences, habits like procrastination, escapism or even substance abuse, are often attempts to avoid pain or discomfort rather than accepting facing or even transcending it. Often, instead of facing the situation head on, we try to wait for the solution to come on its own, which is essentially procrastination. What is the opposite of procrastination? It is to take the action at the right time, but what we do instead is that we distance ourselves from the situation, which is escapism. There are various ways that we try to escape a situation, including substance abuse. For sure, these things give us temporary relief, but we end up paying a very heavy cost at the end. Moving on. The next root cause on my list is a lack of mindfulness. There is already a lot of stuff available on internet about mindfulness, and I know that a lot of you who are listening to me already follow mindfulness practices. It is amazing if you do it. I just want to touch upon this briefly, because it is for for few of us a reason that we fall into the traps of habit loop. A lack of awareness on mindfulness causes us to act unconsciously, repeating negative patterns without realizing their impact. Without mindfulness, we are more likely to fall into automatic, habitual behaviors which are not in our highest good. So if you are following the mindfulness practices, amazing, keep doing it. If you are not, then you know for sure some of your habits could be a result of not following the mindfulness practices.

18:50 
The next one, the next root cause on my list, is something that I very strongly believe in, and it is disconnection from the Divine or higher self,

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a sense of separation from Divine or one's higher self, can lead to search for fulfillment in external sources. We all do it all the time. We don't get satisfaction in our material objects, possessions, goals, etc, even after we have finished or accomplished one goal. There is another goal on our list, and we are chasing that, and at the end of the day, the list never gets over. This disconnection drives us to seek comfort and satisfaction in ways that ultimately do not align with our spiritual nature. There is no end to such goals, and hence, even if you're following certain goals, it's amazing keep doing that, but not at the cost of your connection with the Divine. Keep that connection first, when you don't remind yourself enough times that no matter what you have done in your life so far, your.

20:00 
Still loved by the Divine. It creates a sense of separation or disconnection, and no human or material object can fill that void. Habit loops are also created to fill this void. Needless to say that you and I know that no matter what you do in the end, you cannot escape the emptiness you feel at the end of the day. So remind yourself as many times as possible that you are the child of God, and your job is to raise your consciousness by coming closer to your nature, by spreading love and kindness, keep your connection with the Divine as your priority, and you will not fall into the traps of ego or or aversion or other other root causes that I have mentioned earlier. Another root cause for negative habits are negative sanskars or impressions. This is also one of the, one of the reasons that I very strongly believe in sanskars are mental impressions or imprints left by past actions and experiences which can influence our present behavior. These impressions or imprints can come from our current lifetime, something that we have done in the recent past, or a few years back, etc. It can also come from the lives that we don't remember, which means our past lives. You and I know that we are souls, and it's not the first time that we have come on this planet. We carry negative impressions from our past lives. We carry positive impressions as well, but here in this podcast, we are talking about habits, and especially negative habits. These negative sanskars can create predispositions towards certain bad habits, making it very challenging to break free from these ingrained patterns. So when you hear about past patterns or sanskars from past life. It sounds like a lost battle. You may just say that, what can I do about this? I was like this, etc, etc. Now listen carefully, there is nothing that you cannot change if your intent and willingness is in the right place. The traced masters and gurus have again and again reiterated for our benefit, that if you chant God's name and or you spend time in meditation, all the past karmas can be washed out. The process cleanses you inside out. This also means the past karmas include our negative samskara as well. So if you're taking a conscious effort towards aligning yourself to the divine energy through meditation, mindfulness and more spiritual practices, remember that it is going to be very helpful for you in the future, because you are eliminating all which is not serving you well.

23:07  
A sincere effort to reach out to God is never unattended by him, never, ever. Your effort is the decisive factor here. How much are you willing to concentrate, meditate and move away from temporary pleasures and distractions. It is up to you. Now that we have spoken about the root causes of negative habits, let's just quickly talk about, what can you do? What are the things that can heal you long term and permanent results. The first one on my list to overcome the negative habits is discipline and will power.

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We all have a power that we don't use enough, the power of will.

23:52  
I don't think a lot of us even pay attention to the fact that we have full control over our will. It is just that we don't want to use it because we are so glued to our senses and we don't want to give up our comfort. Willpower is like muscle. One needs to continue to practice using willpower in small matters in life, so that when it comes to the issues that matter most to you, you do not give into fears or ego, and you do what you must do. If you don't practice using your willpower, soon enough, you will forget your superpower. You can strengthen your willpower with regular practice, but if you keep choosing your lower senses and making the same choices over and over again. There is no way that your soul will help you elevate you. Don't need to complicate this by thinking about free will and various other topics that you hear from spiritual circles. You just need to ensure that in your day to day life you have several more.

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Difference of choosing between this or that this is in your highest good, that is not when things are not that great, choosing to escape that situation through consuming food or alcohol or

25:16  
mindlessly watching OTT instead of going for a walk, working out or sleeping is a matter of will. There is a whole science of hormones for why you would feel better if you move your body and energy rather than sitting at one place consuming unhealthy stuff and going further down the spiral. But think about it, what do we do the moment there is a challenging situation. We immerse ourselves in distraction through food or entertainment or alcohol or any other harmful habits. But if you choose to move your body, your energy, go for a walk, it will make whole lot of difference. It is a matter of choice. It is a matter of will. Willpower is a huge blessing for us humans, and yet we don't use it. We and if at all, we use it mostly. We use it for wrong things. We use it for our Eco driven agendas. If you're clinging to your past, you're misusing your willpower. If you're trying to control others, you're misusing your willpower. If you're suppressing your emotions, you are misusing your willpower. Reverse the game and use your will constructively. Here, one thing that you need to remember is that while you use your will, you have to keep your focus or alignment with the divine energy, because tribal or intellectual, with will which is not in favor of everyone involved, is going to bring harm to you and to others. So keep the devotion, surrender and connection with the Divine at the forefront, and then use your will, because then you will be able to hear the guidance as well from the Divine. The second way to to overcome negative habits is by creating a supportive environment. I know a lot of you who are working towards building good habits and drop negative habits must have read the atomic habits by James clear in his book, he the author, clearly mentions about building ecosystems or systems that play a huge role in building good or bad habits. To get rid of habits that do not serve us, we need to consciously remove the temptations and minimize exposures to triggers that lead to negative habits to help you in really integrate these practices, seek support and choose your company wisely. It is so important to be around people who are rooting for you. And you know, I would just like to share an example that you might be used to having five, six more breaks while you are at work, while you may have a resolve to quit this habit. But if you have people who have the same habit, and you all go together for smoke breaks, there is a possibility that you may not be able to quit this habit. The reason is that people can act as trigger for you. In this case, you have to make your willpower so strong that you're able to say no to people who you love. Don't worry, this will not impact your horn with them, and if it does, then you know that these are not the right people for you. So you need to convince only one person, and that is you. The second thing that you need to keep in mind is that surround yourself with like minded individuals, as I said earlier, people who support you on your journey. So if today

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you choose to say them, No, they'll not be offended, because they understand that you're working on this goal for a reason which is in your highest good, and they are rooting for your success and helping you achieve that goal, whether or not they continue to have the same habit or not, it's their prerogative, but they do not become an obstacle for you in achieving your goals. We need to understand that the world is constantly trying to trick us and derail our spiritual journey. I'm not saying that people do it on purpose, but the fact is that a lot of people around us are sleepwalking. They do not have control on their thoughts and actions. While it's a good thing to think about other people and get them on track, etc, but we ourselves have so much to do in our lives that if we keep our focus on ourselves and tell or teach people through our example, that is enough.