Spirti As Naava Has Moved to a New Site!

Thank you for following my blog!

I have moved to a new site!
www.UnleashYourInnerLight.com

See you there!!

You can read this week's article here.

Your Great Wall

Where is your Great Wall?

Where do you keep yourself separate from everything and everyone else?
Or where in your life do you put up a barrier to feel safe, secure, but alone?

We all have them.

When Did This Wall Show Up?

We learned to do this as we grew up in a world where everyone around us had them.
As children, we internalize what we see and feel and observe in the people around us. You know that you have seen a child mimic a parent's behavior. Well, we do this to some extent with everything that we experience when we are those young sponges learning how to be in the world.

But as adults, we have a choice to notice and examine these assumptions, beliefs and habits, and from there to choose new ones. The first step is to notice them.

If you make the intention to be open to seeing some of your walls or beliefs, there are plenty of opportunities in our day to day lives to find them.

So Now What?

So when we notice a wall, that's our chance to become fascinated with how it appears in our life. It helps if we can look at it without judging it or trying to change it. We can try to just notice it and what it is telling me. We can notice what effect it has in your life.

Just seeing it is often enough to dissolve it.
For tougher walls, it can take seeing it several times and just gently seeing how it no longer serves you.

And it takes FAITH. It takes trust that the world is a friendly place, and that Spirit is FOR us.

So if we remember that Spirit is in, through, around and for us, this can be enough to start melting the walls. For me, it is an ongoing process of dissolving the layers and revealing the Wholeness and Light within.

How About You?

Do you notice places where you are walled off?
Do you have a process or a phrase that helps you at those times?

Making Friends with Money

Have you made friends with money or do you stress about it?

Here are two exercises you can do that I have heard in just about every workshop about money consciousness. I'd love to hear what insights they bring you.

What are some of your beliefs about money? 

Do any of these sound familiar?

1. Money doesn't grow on trees.
2. You have to work hard to make money.
3. There is never enough money.
4. A penny saved is a penny earned.
5. Save for a rainy day.
6. I will never be wealthy.

And on and on. What are some of your beliefs about money? Is money your friend or an elusive dream?

What is your earliest memory about money?

Relax and think back. Can you remember an early memory about money?
Remember your thoughts and feelings that happened then, and what you decided was true about money. Is that still true in your mind or in your life? How does that affect the way you use money now?

If you need more education on using money wisely, there are plenty of programs out there to help you with budgeting, spending, saving.

If you want to change your feelings and beliefs about money, start to imagine yourself with more money. Imagine that money loves you. Imagine that money is attracted to you and likes being near you. Start making friends with money, and it just might make a difference in how much you have.

How About You?

Are you friends with money?
Do you have a story about increasing your income or getting out of debt or a dream that money helped you realize?

Lessons From the Garden Part 2

In Lessons fro the Garden part 1 I talked about how deep the Bermuda grass roots were in the community garden I helped weed.

That's what struck me most about those roots. I dug down about 18 inches, and saw most of the root. And they went deeper than that. As I dug down, following the root to their source, I couldn't help but think about how deep my habits run.

Mental Weeds

 Of course some habits are very useful. Can you imagine if you had to learn all over again every day how to brush your teeth, take a shower, get dressed, or walk?

So habits can make life easier. It's how you can be driving along and suddenly be surprised to find yourself at the store, your office, or a few miles down the road. It's a route you drive often, and so go on automatic pilot for parts of it.

Bad Habits Run Deep

But some of those habits are harmful. And we know that if and when we indulge in them. For me, it's sugar. Which apparently lights up the same parts of the brain as cocaine. Great. What do I do with THAT information?

And those habits run so deep, deeper than that Bermuda grass,  that it seems impossible to change them.

If I follow the roots down deep enough I might find a source. Or like the Bermuda grass, I might find that several appearances on the surface are actually coming from the same tap root. Without getting stuck in analyzing it, I can just notice that they are connected. That in itself can be enough to start changing a habit.

New Thoughts About Bad Habits

So this year I am working on this in a new way. Instead of a war between the part of my brain that wants that cookie and the part that knows it is harmful to my teeth, my blood sugar level, and my waistline, I can take a different attitude. I can remember that taking care of myself is a basic part of my foundation from which I can give my gifts to the world.

If I stay stuck in that inner battle, I am simply being distracted by it. When the real work is much bigger: to express all that I came here to be. So I can build my couch potato resume and eat sweets, or I can use this gift of life that I have been given to create something useful or beautiful.

How About You?

How do you deal with your less desirable habits?

Let's Get Vertical

Have you heard of life described as having vertical and horizontal dimensions?
In our Western culture, we are overwhelmingly horizontal. So let's get vertical.

The Horizontal Aspect

The horizontal aspect of life is all the stuff we do in our lives. Work, laundry, play, social life, and everything on your to-do list. We're really good at the horizontal dimension.

The Vertical

The vertical dimension is our connection to self, to Spirit, your inner knowing. Problem is, in our society, we tend to focus on the horizontal and forget the vertical.

Rocks, Pebbles and Sand

There is a well-known analogy from Steven Covey about rocks, pebbles and sand. Imagine that you have some of each and you put the sand in a jar, then the pebbles, and last the rocks, The rocks will not all fit. But if you start with the rocks, then add the pebbles, they will fill the spaces between the rocks, then the sand, you can even fit water in.

Distractions

And I don't know about you, but between the avalanche of email in my In Box, Facebook, and my recent addiction to old TV shows on Netflix, I seem to have less free time than ever. There is an endless amount of distraction in our lives. These things are the sand in our lives. Here’s an article on taming your email In Box.

Adjust the Horizontal and Vertical - Rock On

So the idea is to know what the rocks are in your life and put those important things in your day first.

Then let the pebbles and sand will fit. For me, a daily fitness routine and meditation are really important. If I tell myself that I will do it later in the day, it rarely happens. I find that it works best to do these first thing in the morning, before breakfast.

Get Vertical

So I invite you to consider spending more time on the vertical dimension of life, and to do these things first thing in the morning. Put those rocks in your day’s jar first, and then the pebbles and sand will not fill it up.

How About You?

How do you manage your day and find the time to get vertical?

Chinese Finger Cuffs as a Spiritual Practice

Not long ago, someone gave me some Chinese Finger Cuffs. So how are these a spiritual practice?

I laugh when I saw them, because I had not seen them in years. I remember having one as a child. No doubt it was one of my older brothers who gave it to me, and instructed me to put an index finger in each end.

Resistance is Futile

If you ever played with these, you know that trying to remove your fingers is not easy or intuitive.

You cannot remove your fingers by pulling on them. the harder you pull on your fingers, the tighter the cuffs become.

I suppose it is meant as a practical joke played on unsuspecting children too young to think of alternatives. I probably went running to my mother, who would have told me to push in instead of pulling away.

Non-Resistance in Life

I love this metaphor. That when I encounter a tight or difficult or frustrating situation, the best and

So now I keep one near my computer, where I tend to get frustrated most often, and one in my car. They remind me to pause and breathe, to stop resisting, and to allow, relax, and go with the flow a little bit more every day.

When faced with a frustrating or challenging situation where I feel tight or upset, the most effective action is to relax my resistance and move in toward the thing I instinctively want to resist.

Only by relaxing instead of panicking can I feel that the appropriate way to free myself from the situation is to go with it, to stop resisting, and to move into what seems like discomfort. When the struggle is released, the tightness dissipates, and I can free myself from the predicament or frustration.

How About You?

What reminds you to go with the flow instead of resisting?

Falling Off the Resolution Wagon

So it's 5 days into the new year. Did you make a new years resolution to eat right? I did.

Did you already fall off the wagon?
A

Do You Want to get back on?

There is quite a bit of information online about how to lose weight, and even how to stick with it. So I won't go into details here. Besides, even though I have read about nutrition since I stopped eating red meat as a teenager about 40 years ago, I am not a nutritionist. If you need information on how to eat healthy, you can find programs online such as my friend JoAnn Newton's Nutritional e-cleanse and many many more.

I am lucky, because I have been eating healthy meals for decades. But I have this little problem with a huge sweet tooth. So I frequently resolve to quit sweets. Not just at New Year's. And I keep falling off that wagon. So I decided to look for ways to stay on it.

Staying on the Resolution Wagon

For me, staying with my nutritional resolutions includes knowing where my "weaknesses" are. I know that I need to ignore the call of the delicious chocolate chip cookies at Oliver's Market. They are the only store-bought cookies I have ever encountered that taste as good as my own. Real butter, plenty of brown sugar and dark chocolate chips. Heaven in a cookie.

So even though they remind me of childhood treats, and they taste fabulous, I know that I have a choice every time I crave one, every time I shop there, every time I walk past them.

If you ever tried to diet or to clean up your eating act, you probably know all too well the internal argument that goes on. Like a parent telling e a child no, I immediately rebel.

For me, it's something like this:
8:00 AM "Today I will eat healthy."
By 8:15 AM, the dialogue begins:
"I want one of those cookies. They are SO good!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You know it might interrupt your sleep."
"I don't care. I'll eat healthy starting tomorrow."
And I watch myself walk over to the cookie counter (sometimes drive to the store first!) and get a cookie."
I usually enjoy it thoroughly while eating it. Then regret it the next time I step on the scale or see my reflection in the mirror. Or sometimes, 10 minutes later.

Sound familiar?

Choosing - What Is a Treat, Really?

But why do I argue with myself? Am I going to let this happen every day for the rest of my life? Or will choose to be in control of my mind rather than let it run rampant like a 3 year old with no discipline?

I can succumb to my deeply-ingrained habit of reaching for one of those amazing cookies. I can even savor it as slowly as possible. And then, as often as not, several minutes later my sensitive stomach will remind me that it wasn't such a good idea. And maybe I get a little hyper from the sugar. So is it really a treat then? Is the series of reactions to that confection really worth it? Are the extra pounds really worth it? Am I really giving myself a treat when I think about it? Am I really depriving myself if I choose to not eat that cookie today?

The Key to Staying with the Resoultion

For me, the key is finding a place of peace between these 2 warring sides. I learned a long time ago not to let the argument gain steam. Instead, like Chance in the movie Being There, I watch. Either I

watch myself buy the cookie, or I watch myself walk past them.

I remember that I used to reach for candy bars more often than those cookies, and that I trained myself to walk past them after I discovered that I am pre-diabetic. It helped that I found something I like better: Cacao powder in my morning protein drink. So I am not deprived of chocolate. I actually like the cacao better than chocolate. So if I can walk away from my favorite candy bar, I can certainly practice walking away from the cookies too. The candy now seems smaller, less bright, less appealing. And I don't even like the taste any more. So this year I am practicing doing the same with the cookies: making them smaller, duller, less interesting than before.

How About You?

What is your favorite mental trick to avoid your trigger foods?

New Year Rituals

The New Year is just 3 days away. It's a time when many people stop and reflect on the year just ending and the year to come. And a time for New Year's rituals to embody those thoughts, desires, dreams, and wishes.

Here is a common and meaningful ritual for the New Year.

Releasing the Old

Take a moment to reflect on what you would like to release for the New Year. Is there something that you feel is holding you back from all you want to be and express? Perhaps it is fear, excess, weight, resistance, or something else. Take out a piece of paper and write a statement to express it. For example, "I release everything currently holding me back from financial success."

If you have a fireplace or wood stove, you can mindfully put this prayer of release this into the fire.
If you don't have a fireplace, you can tear or shred the paper, or bury it to decompose in the ground. Or write the release on toilet paper and flush its down the toilet. You can release this in any way that feels true and good to you. For a feeling of lightness, you might like to wave bye-bye to it as it swirls down and away. If you feel more solemn about it, then bring that reflective mindfulness to your release.

Calling In the New

What would you most like to bring into your life experience in 2016? More fun? More income? Vibrant health? A better relationship with a family member? A new love interest or deepened connection to your existing partnership?

Take a moment to reflect on this. Really feel into what would be great. Phrase this in a positive way. For example, instead of phrasing it as "No more stress" write something like "Ease, Flow. Peace". You can write a prayer or affirmation, or just a few words.

Don't worry about how it would happen or even whether it's possible. Just feel what you would like to experience in the coming year, and write that down on another piece of paper. If you are not a writer, find or draw a picture that symbolizes what you want. This paper can go on your altar, or some place that you will see it regularly. Or it can be planted as a symbol of a seed that will grow. You can tie it in a tree, or put it in a corner of your home that represents that part of your life.

In the past, friends would tie their hope onto a balloon and release it, but this is not an eco-friendly method, so think of something that feels right to you.

How About You?

Do you do New Year's Rituals? What is your favorite?

Return of De-Light

This morning was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.

It is a time of celebration because the light returns tomorrow as the days become longer each day.  It is the return of de-light!

We still have longer nights than days until the Spring Equinox, so it is still a time for introspection and germination, like a seed in the soil.





This longest night of darkness and the return of the light… return of del-light…

Like most of us, as a child I felt the Joy and limitlessness of innocent youth. Then, just as the night becomes longer than the day, as I grew, I learned to think and experience life in the same way as those before me and around me. Or as don Miguel Ruiz would phrase it, I was domesticated. I forgot who I was.

So now it is time for us to return to the light. To remember who we are. To shine that Light. T return to the delight and the Light of our innocence.

It is time for the return of De-Light.

May your life and your year be filled with the Light and deLight!

Lessons from the Garden

I’ve had indoor plants for decades, but I’m new to gardening. And I had fun digging in a community garden recently. My job was to weed two raised beds.

Bermuda Grass

Now if you’ve never weeded Bermuda grass, you may not know about the roots. I knew that the roots went pretty deep for this kind of grass. So I dug, following the roots. down. And down. And down. I noticed a few things that seem to mirror my mind.

First, that the surface had quite a few appearances of this grass, but as I dug, I saw that it came from the same root system. Second, that much of the grass on the surface was connected deep down.

So it is with my mind. I seem to have a variety of areas in my mind or in my life where I need to weed. But ultimately, it all comes from one source. One big deep root.

Faith As Deep and Tenacious

And then a friend pointed out that Bermuda grass is quite tenacious. A small clump of roots could sit

dormant for years in  the shed or in a dry patch of ground. But sprinkle a little water on it, and it grows. And grows. And grows. He said, “As you dig, pray that your faith is as tenacious as that Bermuda grass.” In some ways it is. And then there is my couch potato resume.

A Lifetime Project

And no matter how deep you dig, and how carefully you follow that root system, it seems like it will take a lifetime to rid that raised bed of all of the Bermuda grass. So it is with life. I could spend a lifetime weeding my mind of one thing. Like eating too many sweets.

Or I could just know that those weeds, those deep roots are there, and choose not to water them. I can choose to choose a different thought when I want that cookie or that beautiful pair of earrings.

How about you?

What lessons has your garden taught you?

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is approaching.
I have mixed feelings about this holiday.

I am very grateful to live in a country where I am free. As an American, I can worship as I choose, I have a high level of safety and peace in my home, and I have a high standard of living that includes indoor plumbing and access to health care. I have more civil rights here than most countries. As a woman, I have personal freedoms that include the right to have a job, support myself, and most importantly, I have access to information and materials that allow me to choose whether and when and with whom I wish to conceive a child. These are wonderful rights that I enjoy in this country. Some of these rights are ours because of previous wars that kept megalomaniacs in check. Some were because of civil war and activism which were possible because we live in a relatively free country.

Personal Reasons

On the other hand, I have 2 exes who were veterans of the Viet Nam war. Both were in the middle of action. Ed was a grunt, meaning he walked and crawled the rice paddies, was exposed to Agent Orange and horrific scenes that would give anyone nightmares. He eventually died from a drug overdose. Phil was in special forces. He is still alive. Each one told me only a couple of stories of their experiences there, but it was enough to know that the expression “War is Hell.” is no exaggeration. No one should have to endure that. No one.

I have seen up close what it did to their psyches. And I weep for that. I was astonished when Ed told me that upon returning from Nam, they stuck him in detox for a couple of days and then released him with no counseling onto streets where people spit on him because he fought int he war. He was drafted. He wasn’t there by choice. Most of the returning men at the end of that war were drafted. Why would the public take out their disdain for the war on the people forced to fight it?

Childish Thoughts

When I was a child, naive but wise, and first heard about war in school, I blurted out, “If the

presidents have a disagreement with each other, why not put them in a boxing ring together? Why do they drag other people into their fight?”

As an adult, I still ask this question. Apparently we did try to assassinate Hitler. That makes so much more sense than killing and maming thousands of people. Problem is, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

I don’t have an answer. I wish I did. But I can envision a world where war is obsolete. Where we look back at our past and wonder why we ever thought it was acceptable.

Peace Begins with Me

For now, all I can really do is focus on Peace in my own heart, in my own life. I can dig down and find that Peace in side when I am frustrated with the automated phone system or the fact that my password is no longer being accepted and my only option is to say I forgot it when I didn’t.

And celebrate the fact that I get to have those kinds of problems instead of much greater problems that are experienced every day by so many people, even in our own country.

And from this place of Peace and Love, I can live my life and be an example. I can raise my vibration and know that others are doing that. And eventually there will be enough of us living that way that war is unthinkable, archaic, and just plain stupid.

I pray that day arrives, if not during my lifetime, then after.

How About You?

Do you know any veterans?

Untangling Knots in the Mind

Have you ever tried to untangle a mess of yarn or string?

Tangled Strings, Tangled Yarn

I've had a lot of practice with that.

In 7th and 8th grade, I made marionettes and did puppet shows at children's birthday parties. From time to time the strings of the marionettes would get tangled.

While my 2 friends who assisted me could never untangle one, I found that if I increased the space between, I could untangle any snarl.

I forgot about this until I started knitting a few years ago. When my yarn would tangle, I remembered the marionettes, and used the same technique.

Tangled Mind

It occurred to me that untangling a snarl in the mind or emotions is solved in a similar way. Make space around the thought, allow it to breathe.

How do you do that?
Instead of running away from it, or pushing it down, or pretending it isn't there, just let it be there. And be bigger than it.

Remember that there is something much bigger than you or the problem/ thought/ emotion. That Something bigger, that Higher Power, is infinite, so it can easily contain anything and everything. And if the Infinite can keep all of our planets orbiting in place, it can certainly handle any problem in your life.

How About You?

What is your favorite way to untangle your emotions and thoughts?

Your Fundamental Desire for Wholeness

In one of her talks, I love how Buddhist nun Pema Chodron speaks about what she calls our fundamental desire for wholeness.

She explains a beautiful process for managing our thoughts and emotions when we are "hooked" by something in our life that causes us to suffer or feel bad in some way.

It's the Little Things

She is not referring to major life trauma. This is a practice for returning to peace of mind when some little everyday upset grabs your attention and hijacks your day. You know, all that little petty annoyances that can add up until you want to scream, or toss your computer out the window.

The Antidote

Pema Chodron's steps to return to wholeness:

1. Recognize the shenpa (suffering)
2. Refrain from biting the hook
3. Relax into it
4. Resolve to keep practicing.

Try It Anywhere Any Time

This is a practice that you can do without anyone around you knowing it. 

So you can use it at work, at the grocery store, anywhere you get activated.

How About You?

What is your favorite way to let go of the little things?

Did you try this and did it work?

I'd Rather Be a Hammer than a Nail

Do you know the song lyric "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail"?
Simon and Garfunkel made it popular in El Condor Pasa.

How can we feel more like the hammer than the nail?

Or more like the bug and less like the windshield?

It's all in our point of view.

Negative Thinking is Innate

According to Rick Hanson. PhD, the brain has a built-in negativity bias.
Why? It's for survival. When we think of the world in terms of carrots and sticks, Dr Hanson says that while carrots are great, if we don't learn about the stick that could kill us, then we never get another carrot. Ever.

That's a big incentive, and also the reason that the people with brains that noticed the negative were the ones who survived long enough to pass on their genes.

So just a few negative experiences of futility or helplessness when we are young and our brains are forming, can result in some long-lasting deep-seated beliefs about what is possible or safe or appropriate.

We Need the Good

To overcome a negative experience, we need a 5:1 ratio of good to bad experiences. That goes for our relationships too. So try to have 5 times more positive interactions with your friends and loved ones every day than negative ones.

So praise your child's accomplishment, compliment your significant other, notice the good things about other people and say so when it's appropriate.

This goes for yourself too!

Notice the good things about you, not just the things you don't like. Instead of getting down on yourself when you make a mistake, realize that you did the best you could at the time. Be gentle with yourself. And then ask yourself how you might do it differently next time. That's a much more effective way to deal with it.

Have a Gratitude Journal

Writing down 5 to 10 things that you are grateful for can change your life. Being grateful helps you enjoy the good that you already have in your life. And that helps you notice even more of the good all around you.

If you don't believe me, try it.

And if you don't know what to be grateful for, start with these things we often take for granted:

• Running hot and cold water
• Indoor plumbing
• Eyesight
• A roof over your head
• Enough food to eat

How About You?

Do you dwell on the negative?
Do you have a way to remember the good in your life?

How Prayer Changes Your Brain

Did you know that prayer can change the physical structure of your brain for the better?

Pretty amazing!

A Well-Worn Path

Our Rev. Edward has given a great analogy about changing a thought or habit: Imagine that you walk

through a field of tall grass on your way somewhere every day. There is a well-worn path that you take each time without really thinking about it. Then one day you decide to go a different way. The tall grass springs right back up behind you as you pass through. But if you keep going that new way every time, eventually you wear a new path clear of grass all the way through the field.

Your brain works the same way. And this isn't just a metaphor. The way we think affects our brains. When we think a thought or have a habit - good or bad - that we repeat day after day, that's the well-worn path that takes little thought or effort. That's a good thing for routine tasks like remembering how to drive, not to mention eat, walk, and so many other things we do every day!

Making a New Path in Your Brain

But when that well-worn path is a bad habit, then reaching for that cookie or cigarette or whatever, happens without our conscious participation. Pretty soon the whole bag of chips is gone and you wonder "How did that happen?" in the same way you sometimes "wake up" while driving and find yourself at your destination.

So changing that bad habit takes effort. You need to think about it, and resolve to choose the new way over and over again until you have worn a new path through the field. I've seen video of a new thought being formed where neurons that were connected disconnect and re-wire to other neurons in the brain. Pretty cool! (If I find it, I;ll add the link.)

"Neurons that fire together wire together." Donald Hebb

This is where affirmative prayer can help.

New studies in neuro-science show that getting into a Delta brain wave state can help reprogram subconscious thoughts. In the relaxed state of prayer, you can slip in under the conscious radar to install new mental software. An affirmative prayer can actually start to wear that new path in the brain's field. You strengthen the connections in your brain through repeated prayer and meditation.

"You can use the mind to change the brain to change the mind for the better." Rick Hanson, PhD

How About You?

Do you find that prayer helps you change your mental or physical habits?

Your Inner Caring Committee

You've probably heard the term "the committee in my head" meaning all the voices in your brain from parents, teachers, and other significant people in our lives. Some of them can be mean, some kind. So it's time to create a team who is on your side all the time.


So I would like to pass along a cool guided meditation called your Inner Caring Committee.

This process comes from Rick Hanson, PhD, who is a Psychologist and a Buddhist, and has extensively studied neuro-biology of the brain. That's how our thoughts, experiences, and behaviors actually change our physical brain! Cool, isn't t?

He teaches how to use your mind to change your brain to change your mind.

Quiet Meditation

Try this in a place and time when you can be quiet and undisturbed.

Your Inner Caring Committee 

Your Inner Caring Committee needs at least the 3 beings listed below.
 For each one, call to mind a person or being or historical figure, or even a pet.

my nurturing committee member

1. A nurturing, cherishing being - Glinda the good witch or a loving grandparent type
2. An encouraging cheerleader - someone who says "You can accomplish anything!"
3. A wise counsel being - your inner wizard or crone

Add any others that you would like to have in your corner.

my encourager

Imagine each of these beings in turn, and feel and "hear" them either around you or inside you.

You can make a collage of their photos and keep it in your meditation place or on your altar.

When you are faced with a difficult emotion or situation, call on them to help you through!

You can make them part of your daily practice. That can build and strengthen your feeling of resilience in the world.

How About You?

Do you have an inner caring committee?
When has your committee helped you through a tough time?

You Might Also Like These Articles

Align with the Divine
Don't Believe Everything You Think
Feeling Without? Look Within
How Did I Get Here?
Peeling the Onion 
What If I Just Can’t Connect To My Inner Knowing
Your GPS: God Positioning System

Mindfulness as mind fullness

The term Mindfulness is a newer term.
We used to say consciousness, then awareness.
 

It's all the same thing really.
It's about being mind-full. Not with thoughts and ideas and intellect.
But a mind full of awareness, presence, Be-ing.

It is about being present in the moment.
About not being caught up in the endless to do list.
About enjoying what we have, and getting off the hamster wheel of do, do, do.

If you are one of so many of us who answer the question "How are you?" with "Good, but busy!" then you might benefit from taking a few moments each day to be still and quiet.

Hard Lessons in Mindfulness

I had several hard lessons in mindfulness myself.
In recent years I have badly sprained an ankle, broken my arm, and slammed a car door on my hand.

In each of these injuries, the common factor was that I was thinking several steps ahead of me instead of where I was in that moment. That was a lack of mindfulness. Just living with my mind 1 or 2 seconds in the future caused these injuries.

Mindfulness Boot Camp

The sprained ankle proved to be the most intense mindfulness training. The doctor said to walk on it “as tolerated”, so I did. I had a pedometer at the time, and in my normal work routine, I took an average of 5,000 steps per day. So my ankle hurt. A lot.

But it was about 50 steps to the printer and back, at least 200 steps round trip to the restroom , and about 1,000 steps to the lunch room and back. not to mention other places in the large office I needed to go for day to day tasks.

At home I could stay off of it a bit more. I learned to go down the stairs backward to reduce the amount of pressure on and flexion required of my ankle. And I had to pay attention every single moment.

If I made one mis-step, which happened about once ever week, I would re-injure the ankle. It was humanly impossible to stay mindful every single moment.

Now I know about knee scooters. I had never seen one at the time, and it would have saved months of healing time.

I still practice mindfulness as often as I remember to remember. And now I ALWAYS remember to be aware on the stairs. And I am aware most of the time when I am walking. It’s an ongoing practice.

Free Online Mindfulness Summit - a Much Gentler Bootcamp

There a free mindfulness summit happening in October 2015. It’s 31 days, with a speaker each day… leaders in the field of neuro-science, neuro-psychology, and mindfulness meditation.

Check out the speaker lineup, and register here.

And let me know how it goes for you!

How About You?

What is your favorite mindfulness practice?

Other Articles On Mindfulness

The Art of Absence
Dancing with Chaos
The Emptiness of Mind-fulness
Exchange Deadlines for Live Moments
In the Stillness
Living in my Right Mind
Living in the Hum, Not the Humdrum
Paying Attention Costs Nothing

Living In Love

One day when I was going through a period of feeling unloved, unappreciated, and alone, I clicked on the radio and heard a love song. I realized that all these songs were written to express love for someone. So why not listen as though they were sung to me?

Background Funk

That feeling of being alone and unloved was a background feeling. A way of seeing the world. We’ve all had things in our lives that caused us to feel that way. And yet all of us want to connect. Whether we feel that as a surface awareness or the need has been pushed deep down to avoid the pain of not having it. No one wants to feel isolated. Even though for anyone who has survived trauma, it can feel safer to be left alone. Alone is still no fun. But it was the background "normal" in my life. Kind of like the wallpaper on my computer or smart phone.

Add to this the fact that we live in a world that is electronically connected, but not always connected in person.

Changing the Wallpaper

So I decided to make a play list of my favorite love songs. But with this list, I would not sing along.
I chose songs with lyrics I want to hear, and allowed myself to take them in. I listened and received these lyrics. I really felt that this is how someone feels about me.

It’s a way to call the One into my life. That One can be Spirit, or it can be the man of my dreams.

I listened to this playlist every day, and within a week, I felt lighter, happier, more loved. I began living more in Love. Why not live in Love every day. Walk through it, let it wash through me, feel it, appreciate all the beauty around me. It feels good! Why not?

A New Normal

It made a difference in how I showed up in the world. How do I know? Because a close friend mentioned to me that I had been more positive. I smiled and said, “I shifted something inside me, and it changed how I show up.”

Give it a try. Look for your favorite love songs, and put them on your smart phone, or burn them to a CD. Listen every day as if those songs were being sung to you. And see if it makes a difference in your background feeling of the world.

It's a Practice to Remember

And when I feel myself slipping into the "I'm alone." pitty pot, I listen to the playlist again and remember how cherished I am.

My Playlist

Make your own playlist. Pick songs you wont' be tempted to sing along with. Learn to RECEIVE them in your heart! To get you started, here's what's on my playlist:

Be Mine, David Gray
Absolutely, the Subdudes
Back Door to My Heart, Mark Selby
Close Your Eyes, Aaron Neville
Crazy Love, Van Morrison
Don’t You Know, Keb’ Mo’
Every Morning, Keb’ Mo’
Have I Told You Lately, Van Morrison
I Have Loved You For a Thousand Lifetimes, Michael Whalen
Just the One (I’ve Been Looking For), Huey Lewis
Morning Glory, the Subdudes
Now and Always, David Gray
Ribbon In the Sky, Stevie Wonder
She Is My Everything, John Prine
Sound of Her Voice, the Subdudes
Staight Into Sunrise, Gato Barbieri
Stay Here In Your Arms, Cedric Burnside
Tell Everybody I Know, Keb’ Mo’
Two of Us, the Beatles