RELAX...
Relax into who you are right now just for couple of minutes. Give yourself the gift of your time, out of self-love. You deserve this time for yourself!
Now, imagine you are the only person in the entire Universe. There is no one else you could talk to, no one you could compare yourself with, and no one who would judge you. You are alone yet you do not feel lonely...
There is nothing to think about and nothing to do. Just BE… and BREATHE...
Slowly you are relaxing into who you are but also into who you are not, sending love to yourself, letting go of the part of you you wanted to change just seconds ago. Just acknowledge it and allow it to depart...
You notice that time suddenly slows down. You feel peaceful due to the space created around you. You feel safe and loved...
As you start to feel really comfortable, know that this relaxed part of you is the YOU you truly are. It may seem a bit new to you, yet it is very pleasant. It feels true to you as though you know this part of you like you are 'coming home'...
As you settle into this feeling, your relaxation deepens. It feels like you are sinking into a large, soft, and very comfortable sofa. Your heart starts to fill up with warmth and joy...
Naturally you want to know more as the curiosity within - your consciousness - is waking up. You are curiously observing your new found Being, enjoying the contentment which comes with it. Notice how joyfully curious, happy and peaceful you are feeling...
It is now that you are present to the real you: the fearless, loving and playful Watcher. Not the concept your mind created and which you were chasing up until few minutes ago. Now you feel in charge and no one can take that away from you. Only you when you choose to do so...
Remain in this space for as long as it is comfortable for you, noticing your breathing...
HOW DID YOU LIKE THAT FEELING? HOW DIFFERENT WAS IT IN COMPARISON TO YOUR DAILY 'THINKING LIFE' ?
Focusing on your breathing is the simplest technique, the simplest form of MEDITATION. Meditation means disengaging from our mind, from the flow of our thoughts. It means leaving the mind behind, watching its flow from afar.
It is like jumping out of the boat on a river bank. It allows us to stand still and watch the water in the river flowing. It feels peaceful as we are totally in the moment. If we can jump out of the flow of our endless thoughts, watching them passing by without being swept by their currents. We see things as they are, without the our mind's story added to them. It brings on a feeling of safety as we are not carried by a powerful stream of our intrusive thoughts. We feel in control and on the contrary to what we were fearing: that we lose control by NOT controlling our thoughts.
Be the observer! If you can just observe, you cease to be the object you are observing. You cease to be carried by life circumstances you have no control over. This is called FOCUS SHIFTING, and it naturally happens in meditation. It is the reason why time suddenly stops, why you feel such peace and space. Your mind is always anchored in time, and because of that it is very narrow focussed.
When we are dealing with highly emotionally charged situation (being fearful and stressed due to a certain thought) this simple technique can help us to observe ourselves. By observing, we disengage from the currents of our emotions which are brought about by our thoughts. By stepping away from the river bank we can get to know ourselves better. We feel in charge of things and time is no longer an issue. We ZOOM OUT of our problems, away from our mind, not drowning in our emotions. Whatever is happening we are able to view it from a perspective of our INNER SANCTUARY.
You may choose to practice this daily. In time you will see how beneficial shifting your focus, by jumping off the boat of your thoughts onto the river bank of your consciousness, really is. Remember to do more of what makes you feel good :)
Thank you for reading. If my article contributed to understanding yourself, please be generous and share it with others.
Copyright © 2016 Michaela Patel