AHIMSA – a Sanskrit word for non-injury, non-harming, kindness – a practice we should regularly engage in with others and ourselves according to ancient yogic traditions. But, too often hurt, loss, or betrayal cause us to want to protect the heart, put up a shield, wrap it in armor and fight back.
Opening the heart to love and loss allows one to forgive, let go of resentment, and release fear, and thus to feel all emotions more fully, including love, joy, and contentment.
Today is the day to FREE your heart, to practice Ahimsa. Shed the coat of armor, soften and expand the space surrounding your heart and allow sensations to flow through you.
Peel back the armor by inviting deeper and more fulfilling breath into your body, reaching deep down inside, freeing your breath, freeing your body, freeing your feelings.
Let your face muscles soften
…brow relax
…corners of the mouth curl up in a subtle smile
…shoulders roll back and down
… ribs move more freely as breath draws deeper into the body
…heart space opens.
Feel nurtured by your breath.
Feel the freedom beginning to unfold.
Dive into the love, joy, and freedom you bring to yourself on the wings of your breath.
Begin healing your deepest essence. Breathe in…breathe out…FREE your heart.
Do what feels good. Not what feels good to the touch, but what feels good to the soul.
You know…that feeling that comes from way deep down, that bubbles up through your heart space and spontaneously makes the corners of your mouth turn up from the inside. The stuff that breeds butterflies in your belly, causes goose bumps to ripple on the skin, and parts the clouds in a heavy sky.
If you move from that place of good, you cannot help but to be a beacon of abundant joy.
Whether managing staff, supporting family and friends, or directing your own destiny, each of us has at one time or another been called upon to take the lead, to be in charge, to make things happen.
Ancient yogis believed that leadership was born of wisdom. But, wisdom did not reside in the head. Rather, the true seat of wisdom is in the heart.
Thus, to lead with wisdom, one must lead from the heart, or from a place of love.
To lead with love requires non-judgment, compassion, and the ability to see the strengths and gifts in those you lead.
Imagine what the world would be like if we all lead a little more from the heart instead of the head.
The distance between despair and happiness is no farther than traveling from one moment to the next.
Although often it feels never-ending and all-encompassing, despair is fleeting, like a season.
Winter grays, chills, and presses down heavily upon the earth as if it will never move along and yet, somehow, even as memory serves to guide us, we forget that this is just a point in time.
And, suddenly, with such precision, in the next moment Winter lifts its heavy veil and Spring arrives.
And, so it is with despair and happiness, ever swift and cunning, they ebb and flow in and out of our lives just like the changing seasons.
How easy it is to get bogged down in the “what if’s”, to perceive experiences as negative, missed opportunities, or wasted efforts.
What if…instead we believed, truly, down to the core, that everything that happens — even all of these things that seem like mistakes, chances gone by, and dead ends — happens just as intended?
What if…instead of making New Year’s resolutions, we simply resolve to maintain resolve? Facing each moment with openness, acceptance, and love?
What if…instead of holding onto expectations and outcomes, we could see each day as a shiny, unwrapped gift, reveling in the thrill and wonder of that moment?
What if…it is all unfolding precisely as it should; every botch, bobble, and blunder just the next step in the great adventure known as YOU?
Have you ever watched nine-year-old boys play basketball? Five little guys get up off the bench and head out onto the floor in union with one another. They eye each other and perfectly align themselves to support their teammates and play the game together. Trying so hard to remember everything their coaches taught them, their fingers twitch with anticipation as the referee hoists the ball in the air, the whistle blows, and the game begins.
One boy catches the ball as it descends through the air. He grabs it in tight. All the instruction from his coaches, the encouragement from the stands, and the pleas from his teammates go unanswered as he looks around, not for the teammates he moments ago winked at in camaraderie, rather for an open spot through which he will dash. He will ignore every other player on the court, friend or foe, put his legs in motion, tongue hanging to one corner of his mouth as he concentrates feverishly on dribbling the ball while running. Striving to outrace everyone, he pushes on towards his opponent’s basket where, with arms flaying, legs lumbering along, he will reach out through his whole body and force the ball from his hands as if propelled from the very center of his being…all in hopes of scoring a basket.
There is no passing in basketball when you are nine years old. Each player simply runs with the ball, not out of selfishness, but driven to bring back what they believe is the greatest gift for the coach – two or maybe even three points in the game! It’s not for lack of skill. Every day, they practice passing, they move through rounds and rounds of defensive and offensive plays, and they work collaboratively with grace and perfection as a team. But, when it all comes down to the moment, in the heat of the game, the only thing that seems to matter is the race to score.
Perhaps there is a feeling that time will be wasted on passing or the other guy just doesn’t have what it takes, a fear that passing the ball will allow a steal, or perhaps it’s the child’s determination to please his coach, to prove himself. But, the reality is that with more passing and collaboration, the team stands a better chance at scoring more points, a better chance at winning, than they do with a single, lanky kid running straight down the court to the basket with the swarm of opponents and teammates closing in from behind.
The same goes in life. How often do we take off in a mad dash on our own, trying to get away from the crowd, ignoring any assistance that may be there for us, wanting to score that basket all on our own? Sometimes, that swarm can look really scary, resembling more a cluster of serpentine arms randomly reaching out to snag us than the generous hands of our teamates trying to help. Within that dark cloud buzzing behind us is more often the help we need to not just score one basket, but to win the game. It is by enlisting the help of others that the true richness and quality of the game begins to emerge, the true talent can be seen, and the winning really happens.
Certainly, the guy who races to make the layup right under the buzzer is impressive — some might say Hall-of-Fame worthy. But the real champions find a way to tap into the talents of their teammates and to soar to new heights together, bringing even more value to the team. If all you do is focus on the score and ignore the play within each moment, you may never improve your own game. You may never really feel your greatness. Strength is built on collaboration.
Whether on our off the court, success comes through finding your teammates out there, passing to them, receiving from them, making great plays together, and celebrating your successes as one. When truly played in the moment with all players bringing their best to the game, victory is certain, maybe not always as reflected on the scoreboard above the basketball hoop, but most definitely in the joy and quality you find in life.
So, what about that little nine-year old and his lanky drive to the basket? He’s got the passion, he may even have the skill, and one day he might just realize that perhaps his biggest asset is his teammates waiting along the three-point line to help him win the game.
As a child, falling snowflakes and snow-covered landscapes meant a break from the routine, a chance to play in a different way, no cars rushing by, no one in a hurry to get anywhere, a chance to sip cocoa and enjoy meals together as a family because no matter who you were surrounded by they became family in a snow storm.
At some point we “grow up”. Snow becomes a nuisance, a hindrance from work, a blockade to accomplishing life. The critical plans for what we believe is the great work of our life come to a screeching halt and everything is all messed up, or so it seems at the time.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to life at the beach – to live someplace warm, where folks saunter around in flip flops or squish their toes in the sand as they stroll the beaches in quiet reflection, where the pace of life is slower, where by nature time pauses so that you can notice simple surroundings, breathe a little deeper, and reflect more on thoughts and actions.
Life seems so much more in the moment at the beach and maybe that is why I am drawn to it — sparkling water lapping up on the shore, warm sand reminding me to press down through the souls of my feet and feel the earth. Life seems to slow down to a gelatinous bubbling, like the colors floating in a lava lamp.
Oh, how different life at the beach is compared to the hustle and bustle of a big city — that is, until a big snow storm hits. When the snow comes, it is as if Mother Nature is saying, “Come on folks, slow it down!” Have you ever noticed how blankets of snow on hillsides are remarkably similar looking to dunes of sand? The sensation of snow crunching under the boots creates that earthly connection with your feet. Feel the snowflakes splash on your cheeks, like the surf curling up on your toes.
There is rarely a more peaceful and beautiful time than when snow is softly falling. Everything slows down. Branches stand in stillness as snow gathers at their edges. Animals tuck into nooks in tree bases, napping all snuggled together. Snow brings quiet reflection, contemplative movement, an invitation from Mother Nature to slow down, notice simple surroundings, breathe a little deeper, and reflect more on thoughts and actions.
So, the next time the snow begins to fall and seems to be getting in the way of the greatness you had planned for your day, perhaps it is simply an invitation to pause, go inside instead of outside, and allow a new greatness, perhaps your true greatness, to surface from within.
So whether it’s snow in your boots or sand in your toes, slowing down to notice it may bring the perfect opportunity to experience life a little more fully.
Monday Mindfulness 