Michael Singer - Exploring Methods of Inner Work

Quick Overview

Michael Singer explains that inner work, like spiritual growth, involves consciously choosing to welcome and process negative emotional energy (like anger or jealousy) as it arises, rather than suppressing it or fighting it, which is the core practice of spiritual life and the key to achieving a higher state of being.

Key Points: Spiritual growth means different things to different people, involving various levels and rates of practice, such as Tantra or Yoga. The practice involves learning to 'step back' and not react emotionally when external events or inner thoughts cause disturbance. When negative energy arises (like anger, jealousy, or insecurity), the conscious choice is to welcome and allow that energy to pass through without suppression or reaction. If you resist the negative energy (like trying to suppress anger about the rain), it remains stored inside you, leading to psychological distress. The ultimate goal is to be able to feel the energy, allow it to pass, and recognize that you are the conscious observer, not the energy itself. This practice is described as the highest form of yoga, leading to a permanent state of consciousness where you don't have to actively work to maintain peace.

Context: Michael Singer discusses methods of inner work, drawing parallels between spiritual practices and everyday life challenges. He uses the analogy of a 'bamboo cage' or self-imposed limitations to describe how people often suppress negative emotions instead of processing them, which hinders spiritual growth. The core teaching revolves around consciously choosing acceptance and allowing difficult emotions to pass naturally rather than resisting them.

Detailed Analysis

Michael Singer emphasizes that spiritual growth requires a fundamental shift in how one deals with negative internal energy. He recounts an anecdote where a master was asked why he did what he did, to which he replied that he simply stayed where he was, fed by the bars of his bamboo cage, until the energy passed. Singer explains that spiritual work is about choosing to welcome difficult energies like anger, jealousy, or insecurity when they arise, rather than suppressing them or fighting them. He stresses that trying to suppress these feelings is counterproductive because they remain stored internally, continually surfacing, as illustrated by the example of getting angry when it rains on an outdoor party. The true practice, which he equates to the highest form of yoga, is to sit with the emotion, allow the energy to flow through, and simply observe it without judgment or reaction. This conscious effort—not fighting the energy but allowing it to pass—is what creates a higher, stable state of being, one where you are grateful for the very disturbances that challenge you because they provide the opportunity for this deep, non-reactive witnessing.