It is not your mind, and it is not your emotions... then what is it?
Your Neshama... is you!
(ex. 'I let myself down' - ummm... who let who down exactly?)
אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר.
Who is mighty? He who subdues his inner form, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
(כז) והנאות העולם אין ראוי שיהיו לו אלא לעזר ולסיוע בלבד לשיהיה לו נחת רוח וישוב דעת למען יוכל לפנות לבו אל העבודה הזאת המוטלת עליו
(27) The pleasures of this world should be used for aiding and assisting him, so that he will have tranquility and peace of mind in order to free his heart for this service incumbent upon him.
Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen told me that this is supposed to be our default human resting state (to have nachat ruach and yishuv daat).
(ב) עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֝פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה׃
(2) worship the LORD in gladness;
come into His presence with shouts of joy.
Ivdu et Hashem b'simcha - serve Hashem with Joy!! Rabbi Dov Ber told me that if your avodah is not b'simcha, then you have to recalibrate.
Hashkata (quieting) meditation
Thus our goal is to come to a sleep like consciousness- while we are awake and have access to voluntary desires. To quiet down the endless flow of thoughts and impulses of the mind. As this is the nature of thoughts, they get entangled, making it difficult for one to retire from their thoughts...
At first, we were unable to comprehend the full intent of our master's thinking, but after some time, God blessed us and we heard these very teachings from our master's holy mouth, as well as additional comments and explanations. He intensely encouraged us to pratice this Hashkata.
(Hashkata meditation - focus on breathing for 3 minutes. Try to clear your mind of all thoughts. If you get distracted, smile, and return to your breath.)
(א) ויוצא אתו החוצה ... דָּ"אַ הוֹצִיאוֹ מֵחֲלָלוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וְהִגְבִּיהוֹ לְמַעְלָה מִן הַכּוֹכָבִים, וְזֶהוּ לְשׁוֹן הַבָּטָה מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה:
Habata meditation is simply observing your stream of consciousness/ emotional state
Habata (observing) meditation.
(1) ויוצא אתו החוצה AND HE BROUGHT HIM FORTH OUTSIDE — Another explanation: He brought him forth from the terrestrial sphere, elevating him above the stars, and this is why He uses the term הבט ‘‘look”, when He said “look at the heavens” — for this word signifies looking from above downward (Genesis Rabbah 44:12).
BE CONSCIOUS WITH WHAT YOU ALLOW INTO YOUR MIND, BOTH EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL!
ותקצר נפש העם בדרך. וְכָל דָּבָר קָשֶׁה עַל אָדָם נוֹפֵל בּוֹ לְשׁוֹן קִצּוּר נֶפֶשׁ, כְּאָדָם שֶׁהַטֹּרַח בָּא עָלָיו וְאֵין דַּעְתּוֹ רְחָבָה לְקַבֵּל אוֹתוֹ הַדָּבָר וְאֵין לוֹ מָקוֹם בְּתוֹךְ לִבּוֹ לָגוּר שָׁם הַצַּעַר, וּבְדָבָר הַמַּטְרִיחַ נוֹפֵל לְשׁוֹן גֹּדֶל, שֶׁגָּדוֹל הוּא וְכָבֵד עַל הָאָדָם, כְּגוֹן "וְגַם נַפְשָׁם בָּחֲלָה בִי" (זכריה י"א) — גָּדְלָה עָלַי, "וְיִגְאֶה כַּשַּׁחַל תְּצוּדֵנִי" (איוב י'); כְּלָלוֹ שֶׁל פֵּרוּשׁ, כָּל לְשׁוֹן קִצּוּר נֶפֶשׁ בְּדָבָר לָשׁוֹן שֶׁאֵין יָכוֹל לְסָבְלוֹ הוּא — שֶׁאֵין הַדַּעַת סוֹבַלְתּוֹ:
Most people spend their whole lives trying to avoid pain
Here Rashi tells us not to avoid pain, but to make space for it
ותקצר נפש העם בדרך AND THE SOUL OF THE PEOPLE WAS MUCH DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THE WAY — To anything that is hard for a man to bear the expression “the shortening of soul” (קצור נפש) is applicable - he is like a person upon whom trouble comes and his mind is not large enough to contain that matter and there is no room in his heart for that worry to abide there. Of the thing that causes the trouble the term “large” is used, denoting that it is too huge and heavy for a person. For example, (Zechariah 11:8) וגם נפשם בחלה בי, which signifies “(And also their souls] were great upon Me”; (Job. 10:16), “And it becomes large (it is a burden to Thee) even that Thou huntest me as though I were a lion”. (See Rashi on these verses and on Niddah 47a). To sum up the explanation: the phrase “shortening of the soul through a thing” signifies that one cannot bear it — that the mind cannot bear it.
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin couches at the door;
Its urge is toward you,
Yet you can be its master.”