MEDITATION, SILENCE, LETTING GO
Trusting What Is
What would your life be like if you completely trusted that whatever is happening right now, is exactly right for you? What would it be like if you knew, deep inside, that your life is, exactly as it is, your temple? That it is the perfect sacred path that serves your highest good? When we stop arguing with life, when we stop expecting it to be different, an interesting thing happens - we start to show up for the life we ARE having. And when we can fully attend to what is right in front of us, then we are present and in the moment. Our rational mind might argue that we will never achieve anything, that nothing will change if we don't strive for something else. The fascinating thing is that the opposite is true. When we are attending to what is, then our energy is more focused and the appropriate next step unfolds before us, leading us in the direction best for us. Ultimately, this is mindfulness.
Letting Go
One of my teachers was told by an Abbess, "Everyone knows not to get stuck in hell, but most people do not know, not to get stuck in heaven." Today I was reminded of that statement and thought about how we can get very attached to the good moments, the highs of life. I have noticed that people who are attached to those highs, trying to hang on to their last great experience, tend to equally resist (and therefore be attached) to the lows. And in the end, that drama can be quite depleting. So when something wonderful happens and you feel joy, love, gratitude or some other juicy emotion, just notice it, allow it to be and allow it to pass. When something negative occurs, just notice that, allow it to be and let that go. You might notice life becoming less dramatic and far more peaceful…
The Beauty of Silence
Silence is fundamental to our health and well being because it connects us to our essential nature. I just spent a week at a silent meditation retreat with my teacher, Adyashanti. To take the time to connect with the silence within, while being blessed with silence all around me, was such a gift. And even if I am not on retreat, I find that if I take time each day, whether in meditation, out on walk or while sipping my tea or coffee, to connect into the silence that comes before all movement of my mind, my life is infused with just a little more kindness, peace and wisdom. Try it...and may you find peace and happiness!
Loving What IS
It fascinates me how much our resistance to how life actually is adds stress and suffering to our lives. I recently had a crazy busy day that became increasingly stressful due to the constant commentary running in my head about how my life should not be this way. When you look closely at that thought, that something should not be the way it is, you start to see the insanity in it. Life is as it is! What about accepting that life as it shows up and not resisting it? All my stories and comments (i.e. resistance) did nothing to make my day easier. Instead, they sucked my energy, occupied my mind, and made the day depleting. You may not always like what shows up in your life, whether that is pain, an illness, a loss or simply a comment someone made or a meal that didn't work out; but resisting it will not make it go away. So can you meet each situation without adding to it? Can you stop the commentary in your head, the story of how it should be, and use your energy (and mind) to simply address what is in front of you? If you have an illness, can you first accept it and then meet it, doing what you need to do to give yourself the best opportunities for healing? When you have a loss, can you acknowledge the loss and then grieve as you need to, without the thought that it should be different than what it is? Resistance keeps us occupied and distracted so that we do not appropriately act in the wisest way or move through our feelings so that we can find peace or resolution. When you come from a place of acceptance of what is, you are coming from a far more powerful place.
Becoming More Humble
I recently read that "information will often inflate the ego, whereas transformation utterly humbles us". That is so true! There are many spiritually oriented people who are just building a spiritual ego. You know you have met a real one when they are truly humble. And personally, whenever I actually go through a transformation, I am on my knees because I now see from a bigger perspective and I realize how little I know…and that is a beautiful and humbling experience.
Letting Go of Resistance to What Is
It is so simple in theory and yet so difficult in practice to truly accept what is - to accept reality. More often than not, we disagree with reality, expect it to be other than it is, and separate ourselves from what is right in front of us with our opinions, thoughts and stories. We focus on what should have happened, what didn't happen and what could happen...if only...all the time staying out of experiencing the fullness of our own reality. It is all a form of resistance and a way of distancing ourselves from the rawness of life. Life holds great joy and great love and it equally holds great sadness and other difficult emotions. We lose a loved one, face an illness, watch a friend or child go through a hard time, and deep down, we don't want to admit that we don't know how to fix the situation, that we don't know what to do and that we are scared, sad or lost. It is easier to focus on some story about how it shouldn't be what it is instead of standing face to face with reality and meeting our fear, our sorrow or whatever we feel. And yet, it is when we truly accept what is, truly let in the fullness of our reality, face our fears and sorrows, and stand naked and vulnerable to our lives, that we meet that part of us that is so courageous, compassionate, and full of love. When we are present to all of life, and all of ourselves, we are often humbled by our own beauty.
The Blessing of Silence
Being still and being in silence creates a powerful healing presence in your body. In our world of distractions, movement and noise, it is essential that we find time to be still and to be silent. For some, that can be meditation; for others, that can be sitting still and being present to a sunrise. Taking that time to stop allows you to come back to the present moment, to what is, and to simply be aware. From this place, of not chasing your thoughts, you can relax and soften into the silent spaces beneath each sound, behind each thought. It would be easy to dismiss this as trivial but when you start to practice, even 5 minutes a day, you will notice a profound shift from within. And from there, healing and well being emerges.
What if Our Life Purpose was THIS
It struck me today that often we think our life purpose, our mission on this planet, is out there somewhere else...to be discovered. Our life purpose can't possibly be in doing these dishes, picking up these clothes, or dealing with those people! So we dismiss what is right in front of us, our actual lives, as not important. From what I have noticed, our life and all that happens in it, is exactly what we need in order for us to learn and grow. And when we can fully step into that knowing, accepting that what is right in front of us is perfect and serve that...then we truly fulfill our purpose.
Be Kind to Yourself
“Be kind to yourself, and your mind will become kind as well. That’s how it works.” ~ Adyashanti
Adya's comment really touched me today. I often notice how unkind people can be to themselves. The truth is, we heal when we are gentle and kind to ourselves.
Question Everything
One of my teachers, Adyashanti, talks about how "you can't follow a spiritual path like a lemming to enlightenment. It simply doesn't work that way. An unwillingness to question every step of the way will stop you dead in your tracks."
In our world of constant access to gurus, ancient writings and diverse spiritual paths, it is easy to adopt what others say because it rings true for us. But unless we are willing to question, explore and experience a teaching for ourselves, it is just another mask that we wear and add to our spiritual identity. And then it is just that, another identify to build our ego. It is in the questioning that things start to fall away, including that identity!
Self-Acceptance
Did you know that self-acceptance is a major key to happiness? And happiness has been scientifically shown to strengthen your immunity, decrease pain and chronic disease, lower your risk of heart disease and even alter your genes to have lower levels of inflammatory gene expression and stronger antiviral and antibody responses. So when you are kind to yourself and really know that you are fine as you are, you are contributing significantly to your health and well-being. Being self-critical and driven does not make you achieve more! When you can fully accept yourself, just as you are, with all your gifts and apparent failings, the energy in your body drastically shifts and starts to flow with more ease and fullness. That energy flow impacts your health and vitality, your productivity and how the world will respond to you. People are drawn to those whose energy is flowing. Take some time to be with yourself and acknowledge who you are in a kind way - you might even be delighted with what you see!
Letting Go of Ourselves
"Can there be less of me?". I love that question. A couple of weeks ago, I was at a meditation retreat and the teacher posed that question. Another way she presented it was, "How much of me is necessary?". These are worthy questions to ponder. So much of life is about adding to ourselves, to our image, to our identity, and yet, that all gets in the way of really meeting each person, each moment, as they are. Am I really my gender, my roles, my work etc? I have been sitting with this for a bit now and the exploration is getting more and more interesting. I invite you to explore this if it piques your interest.
The Soul’s Oxygen
"Silence is the Soul's oxygen." These words came from a wise woman at a recent workshop I attended. And I know how true that statement has been in my life. When I go into silence, a deep silence, I can hear my own truth, my own inner knowing. Silence is essential for finding our way in this world, for knowing what is ours to do and how we can serve in this life. Silence is not about being quiet, although you will need to be quiet to be in silence. It is about being in a deep state of listening, open and curious to what wants to be heard. May you find the time to be in deep silence each day and listen deeply to your soul!
Being in the Zone
Many people know that being "in the zone" is an incredible experience. It seems to me that being "in the zone" is really the practice of life. It is about being in the moment and moving from conceptualizing your experience to perceiving it. My teacher, Adyashanti, spoke about this shift recently and I have been quite taken by how profound that truth really is. We are continually in our heads, labeling, judging and analyzing what we see, hear and experience. The very action of commenting on our experiences separates us from the moment we are in. Often this is an internal commentary that runs pretty much continuously. However, when you are skiing an amazing powder run, surfing a perfect wave or just taken by a stunning view, you are not separate from your experience. You are simply absorbed in what is and there is no commentary going on. As soon as you start to comment on your experience, you lose that sense of presence immediately. You are no longer in the flow or in the zone. Meditation can help you move from conceptualizing to perceiving. As well, see if you can bring some curiosity to the moment, suspending that voice inside your head. Curiosity is a great opening to the present moment!
A True Teacher, in Gratitude to Manfred Lukas
A much loved teacher, guide and Shaman has recently passed away. I was incredibly blessed to have worked with Manfred Lukas and studied Shamanism with him over many years. I am immensely sad that he is no longer physically here with us and I am also struck with how grateful I am to have been his student. It was in Manfred that I first came across what I believe is the essence of a true teacher. To me, a true teacher is one who takes your questions and turns them around so they point back at you, asking you to find the answer from within. I can remember Manfred smiling, so many times, and saying, "Go journey on that one…you will know." Ultimately, teachers point the way, but when they guide you so that you build within yourself the ability to go within and trust in your own inner knowing, then you know you have a true teacher.
In gratitude and respect, with great love, bless you and thank you, Manfred!
Call to Stillness
For me, December is a call into silence, into stillness. As we approach the longest night on Solstice, the darkness urges me to go within. In our culture of busyness and distraction, it is easy to rush through the day and forget to touch into the very ground of our being. Having a practice that brings us back into that inner stillness, into the deepest silence, gives us such a stability from which to live our lives. May you hear the call of the dark and be nudged towards stillness and the truth of who you are.
Saying YES
Imagine saying YES to whatever is right in front of you - to all of life. Can you have the courage to trust life and not resist it? Sounds easy in theory but it is often much harder in practice. Our nature is to move towards pleasure and away from suffering. But the next time life throws you a curve ball, step towards it! How about embracing the experience and trusting that it is necessary for your growth? You don't have to like it, instead focus on meeting it from your highest, wisest self. Are you open, kind, wise, discerning, loving? When we meet our difficulties head on and pay more attention to how we show up than how we think it ought to be, we will often find more ease in life. Saying YES to what IS will get rid of a lot of nonsense that goes on in our heads.
Receiving
I noticed today that when I am holding tension in my body, most often due to stress, I am so much less able to receive. When we are in that state, we are subtly resisting receiving kind and loving support and energy from others, from the Earth, and from the Universe. Our subtle energy bodies become quite guarded and unable to open up to all the help, energetic or otherwise, surrounding us. Therefore, it is vital to notice what is happening inside, to notice the tension, and to do the energy techniques or other practices that help you calm your system down. You can also go to a wise practitioner, as I did today, who can help you recognize the tension in your nervous system and work with you to relax it completely. And when we relax, we open up to receive all that loving support that is both visible and invisible - and that is a gift. May you be open to receive so much delight!
Abundance
If you want abundance in your life, start by being sincerely grateful for what you do have right now. If you spend only 5 minutes a day in gratitude, or simply write down 3 things you are grateful for each day, it will change your life. What you focus on is what you get. If you want abundance, focus on the abundance you already have.
