One of the most powerful tools for living consciously is, of course, meditation. But there's another simple tool you can use to start, and use throughout, your day even when you a) don't have time to meditate, b) can't get your brain to shut up during your meditation, or c) whatever your reason is for not meditating.
The tool (practice) is called "grounding and centering," and it's just as handy for getting your toddler to calm down as it is for getting your inner toddler to calm down. The practice. common to several religious traditions, is used to sharpen focus and open yourself up to divine intervention/guidance.
The two parts can be done together or separately as you need, and only take a few minutes (less time with practice) to bring you back to yourself, regardless of the distraction.
Grounding: the practice of grounding involves feeling yourself connected to the earth (thus enhancing stability). A good way to start is to imagine yourself sitting on the ground leaning against a tree or large boulder. Feel how strong that is, how rooted. In your imagination, now, let yourself merge into the tree or boulder. Now you are the one who is rooted. Just the imagining of this can relax your body.
Centering: centering can be used to focus when your mental energy is jumping all over the place, or when you're feeling attacked and you need to present a clear case (attacks of nerves count). This practice uses the traditional 7 chakras as a guidepost: you're looking for the solar plexus chakra, which can be imagined as a clear yellow light (it is, of course, located roughly at the solar plexus, or right about the center of your body). Of the many areas governed by this chakra's energy, the one that deals with will/focus/personal boundaries (depending on your situation) are what you're looking for. Mind you, it works just as well even if you think the chakra system is a bunch of hooey. Locate this center, imagine the yellow light. Now imagine the light spreading throughout your body. The brilliance loosens up all those irritating little energy blocks that are keeping you scattered. When your body is full of yellow light, start to pull it back in to your center. When it's back in place, in a nice, bright, yellow ball, take a few deep breaths.
Used in the morning, the dual practice is one way to get the day off to a clear-headed, focused start. During the day, when demands on your time start to pull your focus off your path, you can use one or the other or both to walk yourself back to where you need to be.
Showing posts with label living consciously. Show all posts
Showing posts with label living consciously. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
What's stopping you from starting?
A lot of people seem to think that the things that hold us back apply only to the actual living of the dream.
Uh-uh.
The same things that will keep you from living it, will keep you from finding it, too.
Yes, I know--you're madly trying new things, making dream or bucket lists, seriously in search of your passion. And that's great. But I invite you to slow down for a minute and ask yourself one question: what if I slowed down and let one of these things be the passion?
Just to see what it feels like. It might feel wrong. It might feel right. But I suspect that some if not all of the time, we KNOW what our passion is; we just stop it there and pretend it isn't happening. I think there are two possible reasons for this--for the not-finding, not-recognizing. The big one is fear.
Yes, fear. Which we think is what would stop us from reaching new heights, from starting the work of living consciously. But I think, too, it stops us from recognzing our true passion when we find it. Now I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but I know it applies to someone besides me--I'm just not that special. So how do you know when fear is keeping you from recognizing The One True Thing You Are Here For? At a guess, you could start with your excuses. If even your excuses have excuses, there's a good chance fear is stepping in to stop you.
I'm not going to ask you to psychoanalyze yourself, to ask you why you're feeling that fear (or what you're really afraid of). But do ask yourself: is it right in front of me, and is fear holding shut the door?
Uh-uh.
The same things that will keep you from living it, will keep you from finding it, too.
Yes, I know--you're madly trying new things, making dream or bucket lists, seriously in search of your passion. And that's great. But I invite you to slow down for a minute and ask yourself one question: what if I slowed down and let one of these things be the passion?
Just to see what it feels like. It might feel wrong. It might feel right. But I suspect that some if not all of the time, we KNOW what our passion is; we just stop it there and pretend it isn't happening. I think there are two possible reasons for this--for the not-finding, not-recognizing. The big one is fear.
Yes, fear. Which we think is what would stop us from reaching new heights, from starting the work of living consciously. But I think, too, it stops us from recognzing our true passion when we find it. Now I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but I know it applies to someone besides me--I'm just not that special. So how do you know when fear is keeping you from recognizing The One True Thing You Are Here For? At a guess, you could start with your excuses. If even your excuses have excuses, there's a good chance fear is stepping in to stop you.
I'm not going to ask you to psychoanalyze yourself, to ask you why you're feeling that fear (or what you're really afraid of). But do ask yourself: is it right in front of me, and is fear holding shut the door?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Bucket List
No, not jumping into movie-mode again. Talking about "the list."
There's this pop psychology trope that runs along the lines of "if you knew you were dying tomorrow, who would you call, what would you say, and why aren't you doing it today." Not getting into that, because seriously, I think knowing you're dying tomorrow lets loose a whole lot of restrictions that might make you act in an otherwise bad-idea way. And besides, we'll discuss this "live like you're dying" idea another time. Where I'm going with this is that this idea of acting because eventually you will die shows up frequently, and it sometimes takes the form of "the bucket list" (what do you want to do before you kick the bucket). And that's okay, as long as you don't get hung up on the form of it or start counting.
Because, here’s the thing….you gotta DO the stuff on the list, or what’s the point of the self-realization?
Bucket lists are good for one thing, at least—defining, clarifying, what’s really important. In Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles, one of the steps is to make that list: 100 things I want to do, see, experience, etc. before I die. Does anyone ever actually get to 100? That's what I mean by getting hung up on the form. Regardless, I did this exercise about five years ago and dropped a time-consuming, expensive hobby because of it. Not ONE of the things on my list had anything to do with the hobby that was taking up several weekends a year, time creating things to go with the hobby, money spent going to events that were centered around this hobby, and so forth. And I didn’t care enough about it to have any achievement related to it on my list of 100 things to do before I die…a list that topped out somewhere around 60, and I was including titles of books I wanted to write!
As long as you're thinking about exploding this year into the record books by finally finding (if necessary) and living your passion, go ahead and make that list. Challenge yourself to come up with 100 items, but remember, it's okay if you can't find that many. After all, "find a cure for cancer" only takes up one line, but it would be a hell of a thing to get done.
There's this pop psychology trope that runs along the lines of "if you knew you were dying tomorrow, who would you call, what would you say, and why aren't you doing it today." Not getting into that, because seriously, I think knowing you're dying tomorrow lets loose a whole lot of restrictions that might make you act in an otherwise bad-idea way. And besides, we'll discuss this "live like you're dying" idea another time. Where I'm going with this is that this idea of acting because eventually you will die shows up frequently, and it sometimes takes the form of "the bucket list" (what do you want to do before you kick the bucket). And that's okay, as long as you don't get hung up on the form of it or start counting.
Because, here’s the thing….you gotta DO the stuff on the list, or what’s the point of the self-realization?
Bucket lists are good for one thing, at least—defining, clarifying, what’s really important. In Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles, one of the steps is to make that list: 100 things I want to do, see, experience, etc. before I die. Does anyone ever actually get to 100? That's what I mean by getting hung up on the form. Regardless, I did this exercise about five years ago and dropped a time-consuming, expensive hobby because of it. Not ONE of the things on my list had anything to do with the hobby that was taking up several weekends a year, time creating things to go with the hobby, money spent going to events that were centered around this hobby, and so forth. And I didn’t care enough about it to have any achievement related to it on my list of 100 things to do before I die…a list that topped out somewhere around 60, and I was including titles of books I wanted to write!
As long as you're thinking about exploding this year into the record books by finally finding (if necessary) and living your passion, go ahead and make that list. Challenge yourself to come up with 100 items, but remember, it's okay if you can't find that many. After all, "find a cure for cancer" only takes up one line, but it would be a hell of a thing to get done.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The thing to do at the time
So in our own sweet, harmless ways, a lot of us have that streak of George Scrooge (like how I made him one person?) in us: we perhaps drift into something, or we choose something that seems like a good idea at the time. We do this with jobs, learning opportunities, relationships, kids, all sorts of things. And somewhere along the way, we feel like our choices have disappeared. We may not consciously grumble about it. In fact, we may be mildly okay with it.
We forget it doesn't have to be this way. We've talked about this before—finding options that allow you to do what you love—and I'm not going to rehash it here (maybe later). For now, we'll leave it with this: every decision you've made – every one of them – CAN be changed. You do NOT have to do the things (or do things the way) everyone expects. Even the kids, although as a rule, polite society frowns on that sort of thing.
But mostly what I want to talk about today is a particular kind of drift, because I do this frequently, and it really can be painful—not just the emotional torture of wondering WTF you were thinking, but detrimental to your goal of living a life of conscious joy (and sanity). It's the drift we find especially glaring in George Bailey's story: the drift of meeting other people's expectations.
It's not just becoming a doctor because your parents expected it. The worst, most pervasive and perverse is when other people's expectations—in the form of their PRIORITIES—become your to-do list.
Instead of saying 'no,' we say 'yes.' Instead of sitting down to write the great American novel, we write to the market (this is not bad, by the way, if your goal is to be a bestselling author, but it is bad if your goal is to write a particular story and you don't). Instead of eating the way that makes your body feel its best, that puts you at peak performance, you graze to be polite (again, not so bad, perhaps, if you're at an intimate dinner, the host/hostess are great friends, etc, but really, at a party? Who cares if you munch on carrots and cheese cubes instead of those little quiche thingies? And if they do care, why do YOU?)
We do things that will make us look cool (every generation has its cool), instead of things that make us happy. We listen to Bach when we really want to listen to Twisted Sister (or vice versa). And so on. We schedule our lives around the convenience of other people and we don't walk away when we're unhappy because "what would people think?"
If you are anything other than completely thrilled with your life right now, I invite you to take advantage of the season, the day, the whatever to decide on just one thing to say 'no' to. Just one. Give yourself permission to not be the person everyone else wants you to be or thinks you ought to be, at least in your imagination.
It's YOUR life.
We forget it doesn't have to be this way. We've talked about this before—finding options that allow you to do what you love—and I'm not going to rehash it here (maybe later). For now, we'll leave it with this: every decision you've made – every one of them – CAN be changed. You do NOT have to do the things (or do things the way) everyone expects. Even the kids, although as a rule, polite society frowns on that sort of thing.
But mostly what I want to talk about today is a particular kind of drift, because I do this frequently, and it really can be painful—not just the emotional torture of wondering WTF you were thinking, but detrimental to your goal of living a life of conscious joy (and sanity). It's the drift we find especially glaring in George Bailey's story: the drift of meeting other people's expectations.
It's not just becoming a doctor because your parents expected it. The worst, most pervasive and perverse is when other people's expectations—in the form of their PRIORITIES—become your to-do list.
Instead of saying 'no,' we say 'yes.' Instead of sitting down to write the great American novel, we write to the market (this is not bad, by the way, if your goal is to be a bestselling author, but it is bad if your goal is to write a particular story and you don't). Instead of eating the way that makes your body feel its best, that puts you at peak performance, you graze to be polite (again, not so bad, perhaps, if you're at an intimate dinner, the host/hostess are great friends, etc, but really, at a party? Who cares if you munch on carrots and cheese cubes instead of those little quiche thingies? And if they do care, why do YOU?)
We do things that will make us look cool (every generation has its cool), instead of things that make us happy. We listen to Bach when we really want to listen to Twisted Sister (or vice versa). And so on. We schedule our lives around the convenience of other people and we don't walk away when we're unhappy because "what would people think?"
If you are anything other than completely thrilled with your life right now, I invite you to take advantage of the season, the day, the whatever to decide on just one thing to say 'no' to. Just one. Give yourself permission to not be the person everyone else wants you to be or thinks you ought to be, at least in your imagination.
It's YOUR life.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
A Christmas Carol
No, it's not turning into Lorena's Favorite Christmas Movies Week (although ACC ranks there--especially the George C. Scott verions, which I've been known to watch multiple times in one season, taking breaks only to see Patrick Stewart in the role). Or favorite novels, either, although I do feel obligated to point out this factoid which I saw on the news the other night: A Christmas Carol took all of six weeks to write.
I am officially jealous of Charles Dickens. The more so, because it's freezing here (it's last winter all over again!), and so I can really relate to the whole London in winter general ickiness.
But really, it's not about that. The theme for the week seems to be shaping itself into choices--intentional or accidental--and how they shape our (and others') lives.
Which is what A Christmas Carol is about. Sure, it looks like it's about friendship and love and generosity (hmm, similar themes in It's a Wonderful Life...), but it's really about living life to the best of our ability, doing what we need to do to protect ourselves, and when we have the chance to see what it might be if we hadn't done it that way (George, looking at what would have happened if he hadn't been born)...or what it might be if we keep going the way we are (Scrooge), and CHOOSING to do things differently--or from a different perspective--than we've been in the past.
Later this week or early next, I'll post the article I just finished writing for the company newsletter on New Year's resolutions. There's just one question I want to leave you with, that forms--I think--the base from which we can make these kinds of decisions. It's the question George and Ebenezer both ask through these two movies: what would I do differently?
This question isn't necessarily a look back and saying I should have done everything differently: it may be a simple jumping off point for the next path, or the next year's projects / plans: I had a great year, what would I do differently this year to take it higher and deeper. That's what we want our lives to be about, right--higher and deeper and bigger and braver?
I am officially jealous of Charles Dickens. The more so, because it's freezing here (it's last winter all over again!), and so I can really relate to the whole London in winter general ickiness.
But really, it's not about that. The theme for the week seems to be shaping itself into choices--intentional or accidental--and how they shape our (and others') lives.
Which is what A Christmas Carol is about. Sure, it looks like it's about friendship and love and generosity (hmm, similar themes in It's a Wonderful Life...), but it's really about living life to the best of our ability, doing what we need to do to protect ourselves, and when we have the chance to see what it might be if we hadn't done it that way (George, looking at what would have happened if he hadn't been born)...or what it might be if we keep going the way we are (Scrooge), and CHOOSING to do things differently--or from a different perspective--than we've been in the past.
Later this week or early next, I'll post the article I just finished writing for the company newsletter on New Year's resolutions. There's just one question I want to leave you with, that forms--I think--the base from which we can make these kinds of decisions. It's the question George and Ebenezer both ask through these two movies: what would I do differently?
This question isn't necessarily a look back and saying I should have done everything differently: it may be a simple jumping off point for the next path, or the next year's projects / plans: I had a great year, what would I do differently this year to take it higher and deeper. That's what we want our lives to be about, right--higher and deeper and bigger and braver?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Opening up and taking in
Hat tip to Jennifer Todd of Just Breathe Orlando for making me see chakras from a different perspective. She's doing a series of classes on the chakras, and I've missed all of them except last night's on the brow chakra (aka the third eye). There's definitely something for me to explore there--a new way of looking at how our lower chakras (lower on the body, I mean--that is, root through solar plexus) open to place us in the world and in our reality. If you're in the Orlando area, check her out.
I'm also in the middle of a book called Advanced Chakra Healing (the author escapes me at the moment, and the book is in another room). It's part of why I went to Jennifer's class last night.
While I spend a fair amount of time talking to people about their passions, and what living their truth means to them, I sometimes forget to check in with myself--I often end up drifting into things that are good, are helpful, aren't 'me.' One of the paths that turns me on is energy work. I have a hard time seeing how I can use that as anything more than interesting fun (emphasis on 'I'), so it gets shoved to the back except for almost daily Reiki on myself and when requested by others. Journeying is another love. A lot of the journeying I do for healing (of self and others) includes energy work, which is probably not typical for shamanic practice, but seems to be just right for me. So now I'm consciously checking in with Jennifer's work, and the work laid out in this book, to ramp up how I combine the two practices--it feels right, so I think I'm onto something.
'nough about me, though--how about you? Do you see a glimmer of what you could really love to do a lot of?
I'm also in the middle of a book called Advanced Chakra Healing (the author escapes me at the moment, and the book is in another room). It's part of why I went to Jennifer's class last night.
While I spend a fair amount of time talking to people about their passions, and what living their truth means to them, I sometimes forget to check in with myself--I often end up drifting into things that are good, are helpful, aren't 'me.' One of the paths that turns me on is energy work. I have a hard time seeing how I can use that as anything more than interesting fun (emphasis on 'I'), so it gets shoved to the back except for almost daily Reiki on myself and when requested by others. Journeying is another love. A lot of the journeying I do for healing (of self and others) includes energy work, which is probably not typical for shamanic practice, but seems to be just right for me. So now I'm consciously checking in with Jennifer's work, and the work laid out in this book, to ramp up how I combine the two practices--it feels right, so I think I'm onto something.
'nough about me, though--how about you? Do you see a glimmer of what you could really love to do a lot of?
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