Manah-prasadah at work: this is going to be interesting

I said I'd work on applying the austerities at work this week, starting with manah-prasadah, 1st of the 5. So I'm re-reading my notes and thinking and laying the groundwork to pull this off.

So, manah-prasadah -- peace of mind. Stated another couple of ways: self satisfaction and serenity free from mental imbalances; tranquility due to self satisfaction; mental purity due to the absence of lust, anger and greed. I am interpreting it to mean equanimity of mind, an absence of strong emotions that take me over, an abiding peacefulness that has its origins in an inner calm.

Yep, this is going to be interesting.

I find that at work, I am routinely reacting to the craziness of the people around me and angered by emails and demands and the people I manage. If anyone is in need of some peace of mind at work, it's me. But it's going to require that yogic discipline for sure, a lot of it, lots of repetition. On the other hand, if anything is going to teach me peace of mind, honestly it's work, since if I can pull it off there, I ought to be the equal to any challenge.

And that, really, has got to be the whole point. It's not enough to have a contented mind when standing on the mat, practicing with a bunch of friends with the same outlook and same intentions. It's pretty easy to get along and feel peaceful when everybody is there for the same purpose. Work is just not like that, so that's where I'm going to roll out this manah-prasadah, see if I can hold that pose for any extended period.

Wish me luck!