If the only thing that truly exists is now, the space around us and our connection to Source, then most other things must be distractions.

You are probably familiar with the idea that most people are ruled more strongly by their negative minds – the mind that wants to keep us safe, warns us of imminent danger, and ensures we don’t repeat things that hurt us in the past. That’s why stories we make up about ourselves and our history can get in the way of us reaching for our infinite potential in the present, sabotaging ourselves before we even look into trying.

There are some people who have wonderfully open positive minds, who will see opportunity, be energetic about exploring new things, and ignore the long list of “but what if “ calamity scenarios that tend to arise.

Then there is the neutral mind, which is what yoga helps to bring. Meditation in particular gives clarity of insight and dissolves imaginary blocks. The Yoga Beat has an Instagram page, but posts are infrequent, as most often when there is free time this yogi is meditating! It is why Facebook and Twitter do not feature in the diurnal round of The Yoga Beat, and I am pretty sure it is why life generally feels good. The only way to some amount of serenity is from the inside. No amount of external reward, trophy, or stimulation can achieve the peace of being well attuned to your Source. So why not do less of the internet and more of the innernet?

Yogi Bhajan wisely said “vibrate the cosmos, the cosmos shall clear the path” A yogi recently asked me how do you vibrate the cosmos?

Through mantra, meditation, celestial communication, and looking at the stars. All of these put you in alignment with the vibrations of the cosmos. There are other things too, certain acts of love. You recognise them. You access the innernet.

He didn’t say the cosmos will clear your path. He said the path. A nice distinction which goes well with the shift from me to we that the Aquarian age is said to bring.

Yogi Bhajan also said “there is a way through every block.” It is a shrewd insight. A PhD in psychology as well as a kundalini master, he saw how we place limitations on our abilities by closing down our vision with stories that do not serve us. Our perceived handicaps slow us down. Distractions take us away from the intuitive clarity that meditation brings – or any activity that helps us vibrate the cosmos. Usually practicing silence, or pratyahara, withdrawal of the senses, and dharana single pointed focus.

Social media dulls the senses. Pictures are often edited to make colours more intense, light more brilliant, experiences are curated to show only the best bits. It induces stress: there is always more to look at, and someone is always having a more fantastic life than we are. You will always need a brighter photo to follow the last one.

With yoga you know that everyone is having the same life, you know that there is nothing to keep up with except cosmic consciousness, and everything really does look more brilliant and intense because your eyes are healthy and your inner eye is perspicacious.

Just as your mind should serve you, so should your social media. If you choose, you can let the internet be the slave, and let the innernet be the master that leads you to freedom.