You do not have to hold on to your old karma—everything that people have done to you, everything that you have done to yourself, all the pains, illnesses, all the evil, all the good—because none of it exists in this moment. We imbue past experiences with too much meaning, when in reality they are, in fact, largely intellectual fabrications where the insignificant fragments are magnified out of proportion. But it is not always easy to let go, especially of the perceptually bad fragments, for the mind seems to cling tightly to experiences that have seemed threatening to it. Remind yourself that your actions are not as gravely consequential as you imagine them to be and that the only serious work is right here, in this moment, as you sit on the mat. You are here now and you have a chance to do good; to build something that lasts; to extend yourself. What matters now is the work you do on yourself and the insights you gain in the process.

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