Today I'll share one of the simplest forms of healing we can practice daily. Whether we have an illness, 7 children running around the house, a blessed life, or one pained with struggles - we all could use peace in our lives. Actually many ethnic cultures have sustained traditions that lend themselves to human wellness. Big family gatherings around a table full of nourishing food, quiet thoughtful Sabbath days shared with like-minded peers, elders whose roles were to be mentors to the young, you get the idea. And rituals were part of our earliest cultural history. Thus we celebrated with feasts, fasts, parties, and quiet gatherings. We toast our glasses or kisses each others' cheeks. Regardless of the specifics, we all were more connected to ourselves, our surroundings, our place in this grand Universe. Part of the evolutionary benefit to this was that humans intuitive selves' seemed more apparent and closer to the surface. Survival depended on that.
But with modern times and convenient ways, we've unknowingly moved away from those basic necessities that nourish our bodies and souls. Especially us Americans! We're so successful with our modern technological advances. And yet, many of us are so separate from taking care of ourselves.
That's why I'm grateful today. I'm grateful for being able to cultivate my spirit and help heal my body. Some of the simplest things, I am learning, are the keys to happiness, peace, and connectedness.
Let's start with the pause (before we even get to the breath). Even in the middle of the busiest day, a pause is possible. Literally this can be a millisecond so no excuses that you just don't have time to squeeze something else in. The pause is exactly what it says: a pause. The phone rings; typically I jump to get it. Not much thought behind my actions. Some people hear the phone and immediately make a choice to not answer. Whatever your experience quite often the alarm of a telephone ring alerts us to a change in our environment that we must reaction to. For me, it happens like this: The phone rings, my heart beats faster, I pick it up. I talk. React later. What if we just tried the pause whenever the phone rang. Imagine it: the phone rings, you sit and pause, just wait for a moment, then go over and get the phone or make a choice to ignore it. What have you done? A lot of people might think- nothing. Or did you just create a shift in your own reality? You just gave your body a moment to center, stop and not have to react to outside stimuli unintentionally. Your mind is useful as a protective, preventative, supportive angel of your body. And your body will react better for that. Now, when outside stimuli are present (the phone rings), you pause and center. There isn't an immediate reaction without thought or intention, --- your physical body does not react. Now, release the pause and intentionally make a choice as to your next move. The telephone stimuli didn't make your next choice in life, YOU DID! Seems so simple but feels amazing.
The pause is so important to my physical and mental well being. I sometimes experience pain and confusion. Those of you who have any kind of pain know that sometimes it can be all encompassing. Its all you can think about. And the more you think it, the more it is present. And the more it is present, the more it bothers you. Now add into that formula, family, career, responsibilities, life. If can become overwhelming. That's why by integrating the pause, I now am able to help my body, in a sense, save itself from unneeded aggravation, even if just for a moment, before I respond to my world around me. If you suffer from pain, I challenge you to try this experiment:
Integrate at least one pause a day in your life. Do this for a week. (You may find that journaling about the pause each day can help you be more insightful about the experiences.) You'll find that as you train yourself to pause, you will begin pausing more throughout the day. And as pause becomes a part of you, you become more at peace.
But with modern times and convenient ways, we've unknowingly moved away from those basic necessities that nourish our bodies and souls. Especially us Americans! We're so successful with our modern technological advances. And yet, many of us are so separate from taking care of ourselves.
That's why I'm grateful today. I'm grateful for being able to cultivate my spirit and help heal my body. Some of the simplest things, I am learning, are the keys to happiness, peace, and connectedness.
Let's start with the pause (before we even get to the breath). Even in the middle of the busiest day, a pause is possible. Literally this can be a millisecond so no excuses that you just don't have time to squeeze something else in. The pause is exactly what it says: a pause. The phone rings; typically I jump to get it. Not much thought behind my actions. Some people hear the phone and immediately make a choice to not answer. Whatever your experience quite often the alarm of a telephone ring alerts us to a change in our environment that we must reaction to. For me, it happens like this: The phone rings, my heart beats faster, I pick it up. I talk. React later. What if we just tried the pause whenever the phone rang. Imagine it: the phone rings, you sit and pause, just wait for a moment, then go over and get the phone or make a choice to ignore it. What have you done? A lot of people might think- nothing. Or did you just create a shift in your own reality? You just gave your body a moment to center, stop and not have to react to outside stimuli unintentionally. Your mind is useful as a protective, preventative, supportive angel of your body. And your body will react better for that. Now, when outside stimuli are present (the phone rings), you pause and center. There isn't an immediate reaction without thought or intention, --- your physical body does not react. Now, release the pause and intentionally make a choice as to your next move. The telephone stimuli didn't make your next choice in life, YOU DID! Seems so simple but feels amazing.
The pause is so important to my physical and mental well being. I sometimes experience pain and confusion. Those of you who have any kind of pain know that sometimes it can be all encompassing. Its all you can think about. And the more you think it, the more it is present. And the more it is present, the more it bothers you. Now add into that formula, family, career, responsibilities, life. If can become overwhelming. That's why by integrating the pause, I now am able to help my body, in a sense, save itself from unneeded aggravation, even if just for a moment, before I respond to my world around me. If you suffer from pain, I challenge you to try this experiment:
Integrate at least one pause a day in your life. Do this for a week. (You may find that journaling about the pause each day can help you be more insightful about the experiences.) You'll find that as you train yourself to pause, you will begin pausing more throughout the day. And as pause becomes a part of you, you become more at peace.
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