Silence and Stillness

         Last night, Master Brinker ended class with a meditation, and had us bring awareness to our inhalation and exhalation.  It was exactly what my mind and soul needed.  I've been spending a lot of time running around lately putting out small fires at work, focusing heavily on my physical training, and generally just running myself ragged.  I know I've been missing something in my life, and I've forgotten how good it feels to sit in stillness and silence.  It became obvious to me last night, that it's been a while since I've just sat alone with myself, my thoughts, and really peered into my internal world.  A sense of calm washed over me with each cleansing breath.  A welcome change to say the least.  I'm not sure when it happened, but I moved away from my previous meditation practice.  My mind has become busy, and less mindful.  I have been becoming more reactive in my daily surroundings, as opposed to being an observer.  Unnecessary stress has been seeping in, instead of the usual calm.

        When I think of mastery, self-mastery is the first thing that comes to my mind.  Mastering the mind, the emotions, and the ego.  To me, this is the greatest form of mastery in life.  Our ability to control our thoughts (especially negative thoughts), our emotions, all ties in to how we act outwardly, and has a great precedence on our ability to perform: work, sports, music, etc..  Meditation, I believe, is a key component to mastering the self.  It's about having those quiet and still moments with yourself, the ones where you can peer into your internal world, and check-in with where you are, that puts you on the path to mastery.