In today’s session, we focus on the sensations in our body to experience who we are in the present moment. When asked “who are you?” we may use words to convey a concept of who we are: ‘l’m a teacher’, ‘I’m a happy person’ l’m a very busy person’ and inevitably, they focus on past or future thought patterns. There’s nothing wrong with these descriptions but they cannot convey the true depth and mystery of who who you really are. We can, however experience a rest from such mind activity and become aware of our being in the present moment. This meditation can help us to take time out and replenish our energy by focusing on only what is taking place right now. Even a short time spent being aware of the present moment can have a positive impact on the rest of the day. So welcome, and enjoy your mini mind holiday!
Tag: stillness
WEEK 5 – Allow energy to flow again
Discomfort signals a blockage of energy – the life force that flows through us.
- Read all the steps and notes below before starting this meditation.
- Get comfortable and completely relax remaining as still as you can. Notice your body breathing as if for the first time.
- Don’t be concerned if your mind is racing or thinking of this or that – let it – just choose to focus on your breathing for now
- Regardless of the activity in your mind, dedicate the next fifteen minutes to allowing yourself to experience whatever comes up for you whether it’s thoughts, feelings, visions or emotions.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes (choose a gentle alarm!) and start when you are comfortable and ready.
NOTES
- Allow everything in this present moment, no matter how negative or how positive. Nothing is wrong or ‘shouldn’t be’. There are no mistakes, there’s just what is!
- Notice with curiosity any thoughts that may try to explain away your experience. It’s enough to simply notice these ‘explanations’ – especially any familiar or reoccurring ones.
- Without any effort or striving, you may also notice sensations or ‘shifts’ – notice them, but don’t try to nudge or force anything.
- Notice the eyes of compassion and grace, free from condemnation and judgement.
- Do this every day of the week
WEEK 4 – Resting in stillness
“Stillness is not the absence of movement, rather a viewpoint from which you observe movement”
- Read all the steps and notes below before starting this meditation.
- Get comfortable and completely relax remaining as still as you can. Notice your body breathing as if you noticed for the first time.
- Don’t be concerned if your mind is racing or thinking of this or that – let it – just choose to focus on your breathing for now
- Regardless of the activity in your mind, dedicate the next ten minutes to allowing yourself to experience whatever comes up for you whether it’s thoughts, feelings, visions or emotions.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes (choose a gentle alarm!) and start when you are comfortable and ready.
NOTES
- Allow everything in this present moment, no matter how negative or how positive. Nothing is wrong or ‘shouldn’t be’. There are no mistakes. You are never ‘doing it wrong’; there’s just what is!
- Without engaging in any effort nor with any striving, simply choose to look deeply with curiosity at whatever your experience is in this present moment.
- Imagine you are watching the movie of your life, the ‘little me’ life of concepts and thought forms with all its dramas and complaints; it’s upsets and it’s manic times.
- Notice how ‘you’ are watching all this – and wonder, with curiosity, ‘how is it possible that ‘I’ can be aware of my own thoughts.
- Notice the eyes of compassion and grace as you notice these things – rest in the awareness of all that comes up free from condemnation and judgement.
- Do this every day of the week
WEEK 2 – Notice your discomfort
Discomfort is your doorway into present moment awareness
- Read all the steps below first then set your timer to 3 minutes and be ready to press start (choose a gentle alarm!)
- Get ready on the count of 3 to completely relax and remaining absolutely still, noticing your normal breathing
- don’t be concerned if yout mind is racing – let it, just choose to focus on your steady breath for now
- When you are ready, press start. Regardless of what your mind has told you about the cause of your discomfort or is telling you now, dedicate the next three minutes to allowing yourself to experience any sensations of discomfort as they arise; allow your focus to zoom in on the most predominant sensation and just rest on it. Refocus as many times as necessary.
- Do this every day this week
EXPERIENCE YOUR EXPERIENCE!
What does it mean
‘to be’, ‘to be love’, ‘to be yourself?’
Or what does it mean
‘To follow your heart’?
‘To know your heart’?
Can you ever know your heart –
in your head?
You know when your heart whispers –
That’s when the head resists!
What does it ‘mean’ to
‘know yourself’
Can you ever ‘know yourself’ –
In your head?
Perhaps our heart knows more
Than our head
Perhaps our heart is saying,
‘Know your experience’ or better still, Experience your experience?
Negativity
Whenever there is negativity in you, if you can be aware at that moment that there is something in you that takes pleasure in it or believes it has a purpose, you are becoming aware of the ego directly. The moment this happens, your identity has shifted from ego to awareness. This means the ego is shrinking and awareness is growing.
ECKHART TOLLE
There is a saying – “if you can’t think of anything nice to say about someone, then don’t say anything at all”. I wonder if there is some truth in that. All negativity can be traced back to the ego but how do you protect yourself from being taken advantage of? When someone is ‘out to destroy you’, is that often a construct of your own mind, a delusion? What about when you are the victim of crime or torture or you are the target of injustice at work or by the state? How do you deal with that? It’s all about context. Am I just being right or am I being like Mandela, standing in truth AND reconciliation? Let’s be real my friends but starting from a place of peace and stillness of the heart – not from the righteous indignation of the ego – we will know the difference.
I value your comments . . .
andypages 