Posts Tagged ‘http://www.theinspirationblog.com’
Another tip on how to truly living in a state of love:
Source your power from the heavens and the earth – not from other people, as was discussed here. That is, if you want to get approval from others, and rely upon them for validation, you’re then in a push-and-pull dynamic. Sometimes it may feel good, but it’s also fairly guaranteed to swing the other way. Instead, do a grounding exercise (a previous post). Once you realize you have a constant source of energy and support, you can let go of the need for others’ energy.
Now, don’t confuse this with a desire to “detach” from others. Being in relationship (be it romantic or platonic) is wonderful. But it’s important to know that the true source of love from something far greater than another person.
letting go (2 of 2)
Posted on: February 26, 2011
So, you need to let go – but are afraid that you’ll lose out. If you truly want to utilize the Law of Attraction, and bring into your life what you want – and also stay sane – here are a few specific things you can try saying and doing.
- “I trust in God / the Universe / Something More that I don’t have to do all the work. By letting go, I trust that the right things will happen at the right time.”
- “I let go of the belief that obsessing will obtain better results.”
- “By taking better care of myself, and less ‘care’ for a desired result, I in fact attract what I want to me.”
You get the idea. Try ’em out. See what happens.
We’re all familiar with the demands of the day. And it’s easy to push ourselves too hard – especially those of us who consciously work on ourselves. “Am I fully evolved…yet?” And by the end of the day, it’s exhausting.
I have a little theory, though: being exhausted comes from simply thinking that everything takes so much work.What if we entered every situation under the assumption that everything could come from a state of ease, flow, and grace? That we need to simply show up, be present, stay focused and relaxed, and let everything arise naturally? One might call this a state of grace.
Action: Today, let go of all stress around shoulds and move into showing up, accepting what is, and relaxed, appropriate action. And, if you’re not sure how to do this, begin by visualizing it, and see where it takes you.
So, do you ever feel like dally back and forth between trying to motivate yourself to do what you should, and then rebel against it? Those “shoulds” are nasty creatures, aren’t they? They do their best to keep us in line. However, even if we “know better,” another part of ourselves is unhappy. It wants to be FREE!
…but “free” can also mean unstructured and even lost at sea.
Rather than having an internal process of hierarchy and rebellion, look at having a more “democratic” system. Imagine that you can have an internal dialogue – perhaps a conference – where all of you can discuss what you need.
Action: When you feel yourself clamping down on part of your life, or trying to force you to do something – or, when you find yourself rebelling and want to take an action that might not be of your highest good, have an imaginary talk with it. Ask it what it really needs to be happy, and what would bring greater fulfillment.
Some amazing change has been happening around the world – Mubarak in Egypt, plus Tunisia, and now the possibility of regime change with Qaddafi in Libya.
How might this be a metaphor for our inner dynamics?
Well, have you ever “forced” yourself to do anything? Made yourself eat right… go to work when you didn’t want to… go to the dentist… or anything else where, perhaps, all of you wasn’t totally on board?
And have you ever followed this up with a “rebellion,” with a decadent food binge, or maybe calling in sick to work?
This might seem like a silly metaphor, but it’s representative of our relationship with ourselves. Ideally, we want to feel truly motivated to do what what we know we should, without having to push ourselves.
Next: strategies to shift this dynamic.
When we have a bad mood, or perhaps are lost in the distractions of the day, we become immersed inside of the experience with little perspective. Ever feel like other people saw you just a little bit more clearly than you realized? Or maybe they even pointed out how you felt before you realized what was going on? It’s easy – from the outside.
Cultivating an internal witness is a powerful practice, and at the heart of Buddhist meditation and awareness practices – don’t worry, they’re at heart nondenominational and don’t conflict with any other belief or practice. Here’s one version.
- Sitting up straight, either close your eyes or have a soft gaze upon a single point in front of you.
- Focus on the breath. If you like, take long, even breaths, with approximately the same count in and out.
- For a minute, listen to all the sounds around you.
- Then, for a minute, notice all bodily sensations.
- Next, pay attention to emotions that come up.
- Finally, listen specifically to your thoughts. It’s easy to get lost in them at any step – just bring your focus back to where you were.
- The last step is to intermingle all of the above. Watch whatever comes up. Let your attention skip back and forth, and let all of them garner your equal attention.
Personally, I find taking long intentional breaths allows me to focus better, but other practices say not to intentionally alter the breath.
Now, I said “a minute” for each step – but it could be an hour, or just 15 seconds. Play around with it.
Keep in mind – cultivating this witness does not mean detaching from your negative emotions. It’s simply cultivating a new relationship to them. And again, this is just one awareness practice, and there are many – but give it a try.
Time for more inspiration on mood improvement. Sometimes if we’re feeling depleted, or irritated by other people, we may not be connected with a larger source of energy. Say, for example, the earth. The ground is right there underneath you. Are you fully appreciating it? Try a grounding exercise.
- Sit with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor, or cross-legged.
- Close your eyes. Take some slow, even, deep breaths.
- Feel your spine. Perhaps wiggle slightly to get in touch with it.
- Imagine that, growing out of it, are roots, or cords. Either way, they’re made of light, and can be clear, white, or whatever color you prefer.
- Visualize them growing out of your spine, down your legs and out your tailbone. See them shooting deep into the earth. Instantaneously and easily, they shoot miles down into the earth.
- As you continue to breathe deeply, visualize them going deeper into the earth on the exhale. On the inhale, feel the energy of the earth rising up into your body.
- When the cords or roots feel very deep – perhaps, at the very center of the earth – imagine that they wrap around a very large rock, anchoring you there.
- Continue to picture energy rising up. Perhaps see the energy as a color – whatever at that moment feels most nurturing or supportive. Imagine that this light and color fills your entire body, and even spills out into the space around you.
For the rest of your day, let this be your source of energy, inspiration, and life.
Another inspiring tip on mood improvement: connect with yourself in a new way.
- Close your eyes, and take some deep breaths.
- Imagine that your grumpiness is actually just one part of you. If you like, try to picture what part of you it is – for example, your inner child… your inner jokester… your professional self.
- Ask it why it’s unhappy, and what it needs. If this is difficult, just make it up – use your imagination until you come up with an answer that somehow feels satisfying or brings out a feeling of relief.
- Visualize giving it what it needs. Or, a big hug. Or, picture The Wise You, At Your Very Best, giving love to El Grumpie.
- Return to your day. Anytime you like, close your eyes, or simply shift your focus away from other activities, and reinforce this self-love.
You’ve forgotten again how loved you are, didn’t you?
Oh, dearest amnesia. You’re so good at your job. You make us forget the important stuff while we worry about whatever we’re dealing with in the present moment.
But the truth is that we have always been, are now, and continue to be loved. Deeply and unconditionally.
By our forebearers, who wanted to much for us. By our family, who even if they did things they came to regret and we came to resent, still hold deep love for us. By our children, and those to come in the future. By other people, who want nothing more than for you to shine your truest, brightest light. And by All That Is, of which you are a part, which pulses around and in you.
In fact, it’s almost overwhelming.
Yes, if you prefer, you can focus your attention on conflict, cynicism, and doubt. You have that choice. …But is that really want you want?
Action: Spend time today remembering all the people who have ever loved you, and picture all those who shall. And send love back.
the joy of not knowing (part 2)
Posted on: February 12, 2011
When we last tuned in, we were striving, searching, seeing for… The Answers! To life! the universe! and everything!
… and realizing how futile it can be.
So we return to the question of: might there be more peace, happiness, and joy within… not knowing?
Let’s explore this, for just a moment. When we find an answer, everything is supposed to fall into place. However, it also creates limitations. If we allow for not having the answers, and perhaps “embrace the question,” we allow for more possibilities to emerge.
Now, as the saying goes, there’s a time and place for everything. It’s not as if answers are bad things – but perhaps we need to wait to have them at the appropriate time.
Action: If you’re obsessing with something, think about whether now is truly the important time to know. See what it would be like to engage with it as a question, rather than needing to know the answer.
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