Why are most of us unable to use 100% of our energies and potential to achieve our goals ?
Its lack of concentration. Swami Vivekananda taught that the secret lies in Concentration and the enemy of concentration is Overstimulation.
Vivekananda compared the human mind to a monkey – restless by nature.
In modern terms, your dopamine receptors are fried. When you jump from a reel to an email to a notification, your energy isn’t being spent – it’s being scattered.
The Science of Pratyahara (Sensory Withdrawal)
In Raja Yoga, Vivekananda explains Pratyahara – the ability to restrain your senses.
Think of your senses (eyes, ears, tongue) as horses. If the horses run in every direction, the chariot (your life) goes nowhere. Mental Fasting is the act of pulling the reins and telling the senses: “Not now”.
How to Practice Mental Fasting
1. The Silence Hour: Vivekananda taught that the mind needs solitude to regain its strength. Spend 30 minutes a day with zero input. No music, no podcasts, no scrolling. Just sit and watch your thoughts. This starves the restless monkey and builds the Will.
2. Watch Your Inputs: Just as you wouldn’t eat rotten food, stop eating rotten information. If a piece of content makes you feel weak, angry, or distracted – reject it as poison.
3. The Power of Single-Tasking: Concentration is a muscle. When you do one thing at a time, you are gathering your scattered rays of light into a laser beam. A laser can cut through steel; a scattered light can’t even light a candle.
The Result: The Quiet Power
When you stop leaking your energy through your eyes and ears, something amazing happens: your internal pressure rises. You start to feel the powerhouse of energy, you already possess.
The powers of the mind should be concentrated and turned back upon itself
— Swami Vivekananda
The Challenge
Today, try a 2-hour Digital Fast. Turn off all notifications. Don’t input anything. See how much output (creative energy) naturally rises to the surface.
Stop being a slave to your notifications. Become the Master of your Senses.
Vedik Mind 