Our natural state is one of love. We are meant to make decisions, act, and behave from a space of love – love for ourselves and love for each other. Yet, as we go through life, sometimes experiences create in us a space of rustling, uneasiness, fear. We end up acting and moving from a state of fear, rather than one of love.
Fear is not a natural state – breath is shallow, muscles tense, the ego steps in, behaviors become defensive, and the mind, body, and breath are imbalanced.
Reclaim your balance. Steady yourself. Let go of expectations and pre-determined outcomes. Notice that decisions and actions from a space of fear can be hollow or unfulfilling in the end.
Return to your natural state. Connect with the true seat of your wisdom, your heart. Accept and like yourself, don’t be afraid of who you really are, and move from a place of love.
Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.
The world goes by so bustlingly fast, a blur of action, words, and feelings. As human beings, we work so hard to take it all in, to make it all part of that story that is us.
So often we miss the opportunity to witness without action, to pause and be in the moment, to look into the eyes of those around us as they experience their own defeat and triumph, their own fears, their own hurt, their love, their joy and to be with it all, but act on none of it. Animals do it, especially cats. They are wonderful at exercising the witness mind.
Let go of rational thought for a moment and step away from the need to do. Pause, tapping into your animal instincts, and just watch. Meditate on what you see. Look into the eyes of those around you. Look beyond the surface…and even those who, in your mind, may have brought hurt or pain may reveal to you an underlying softness, a love, that they just can’t figure out how to put into action because they’ve put so much other stuff out there.
Look into their eyes and connect with that love and you just may have more love to hold onto as you go bustlingly through the fast-paced action that is the story of you.
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.
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.
Monday Mindfulness 