 “The person who suffers from inner poverty is relentlessly driven to accumulate on the material level.” - David R. Hawkins, Letting Go As humans, we tend to want to hold on to things tightly.
This can take many forms. It can be a desire to acquire objects, people, or certain relationships. In short, we have a desire to acquiring happiness. The truth is that our natural state is happiness. Our nature is bliss. Meditation for bliss We are all oneness, and we are all bliss. When we sit to meditate, we have the opportunity to tap into that bliss state, showing us the process of who and what we truly are. Operating from love, happiness, or bliss becomes not an end goal, but the whole process. By accepting bliss as a part of the process, we can find bliss. Each moment contains bliss; each moment is bliss. Give yourself the chance to let go of what you think should or could make you happy, and allow yourself to just be. The art of letting go is surrendering preference to the outcome; it is stepping away from the concept of who and what we think we are. Happiness in steps We live in a culture where happiness is acquiring a goal, achieving it, and then setting another one immediately. Instead, consider letting go of the outcome. Remember: the magic is in the process For example, let’s take a look at Nancy. She wants to lose 15 pounds in 60 days, so she sets a goal. On day 50, she still has 7 pounds to go. She decides to consume a total of 500 calories a day the last 10 days of the diet in order to meet her goal. The question is: What did Nancy learn? She was focused on acquiring the goal, but did she learn a lifestyle of nutrition and healthy eating? Did she take time to learn how to prepare food, or how to choose which foods to eat? Or did she only want achieve the number on the scale and then walk away from the process, to set a new goal? Our culture tells us that happiness is to be acquired. Once we acquire and achieve a goal, we set another one immediately. Happiness in this way, in steps, is fleeting. Happiness in states To see happiness in the process, break it down. It is the mental, physical, and spiritual process. It is expanding awareness around what we’re trying to better in our life. Let’s stay with the example above, and think about the goal of losing weight. Instead of focusing the narrow solution of counting calories, Nancy could take a look at the big picture. She could ask herself what is her Why: Am I trying to look good for others? Am I looking to be healthier because type 2 diabetes runs in my family? Is it both? By understanding her Why, Nancy can focus on the mental, physical, and spiritual process. The mental process is about what is going on in her mind. For Nancy, is she doing the research necessary to achieve her goal? Is she reading the books, watching the videos and listening to the podcasts that will educate her for success? The physical process deals with the body. For Nancy, is she doing the physical activities necessary? Yoga, swimming, cycling are all great activities that are very easy on the body. Or does she choose bootcamp, Crossfit, or long-distance running -- quick fixes that are tough on the body? The spiritual process is not the sense of a belief system or structure, but rather a connection between mind and body through the ancient practice of listening. Your body will always tell you what it needs, it’s a matter of tuning to the connection, which meditation can help us achieve. For Nancy, listening to what her body wants could mean being less likely to reach for the bag of chips or candy bar, and more apt to reach for the nutrition her body is actually calling for. Happiness in letting go Our culture tells us we can acquire happiness, but in reality happiness is what we already are. It’s very simple. We complicate it. Happiness isn’t found in the future, it can’t be relived from the past. Instead, happiness can be found in each moment. Acquiring it is not a long, drawn out process -- it’s right here, right now. It is sustained through subtle changes you practice and implement over a lifetime, by letting go of the thoughts surrounding fear of the future or shame from the past. When we let go of the results, we find magic in the process. In meditation, we let go of expectation and speculation. We become the process, and have the ability to connect to our truest self. We can recognize that mind, body and spirit are not separate; they are all one. We are all consciousness, we are all oneness. In meditation, we have the chance to dip into that oneness, and to glimpse the truth of who and what we are.
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Are you feeling overwhelmed and anxious?
As you read this, I want you to analyze your body. Do you feel a tension in your neck, shoulders, or wrists? Is your brow furrowed? How is your breathing? Do you feel tired and run-down? Are you overwhelmed by your “to-do” list? Are you worried about work, finances, relationships, and health? Maybe you are glancing at this blog because you promised a concerned friend that you would learn how to de-stress. Perhaps you are searching for answers because you don’t know how much longer you can live with this stressful lifestyle. Life is too short to constantly feel like you are on the verge of panic. It’s hard on your body and keeps you from being able to enjoy the moment. Let’s first analyze how you traditionally deal with daily stress. Then, let’s stop a moment and think about how you are feeling. Finally, I will help you find a solution to alleviate your anxiety. What is your current method of relieving your stress? When I ask others how they relieve their stress, I almost always hear the same response. “I go for a run.” “I take a brisk walk.” “I lift weights while listening to loud music.” Of course, exercising is extremely important for the body, but it is not a long-term solution to anxiety or stress. While you are exercising, your body is operating in the sympathetic nervous system. This is also called the fight-or-flight response. Your body is increasing blood flow to the muscles, your pupils dilate, and your heart and respiration rates climb. Your become sweaty and your blood pressure rises. After exercising, you may feel physically tired, but does your anxiety leave your body? Or do you almost immediately go back to your worries? Exercise is not a long-term solution to handling stress. Some people use bullet journaling to help reduce anxiety. This growing trend, which is a combination of an organization system and sketchbook, has been touted on blogs as a great way to mind dump. Users say they keep their bullet journals next to their beds to write down ideas that come to them in the middle of the night. Even though this creative way to organize your thoughts may appeal to you, this is not an effective way to reduce anxiety. Instead of quieting the mind, this method keeps your mind whirling with activity. You may enjoy this activity, but it is not an appropriate way to de-stress your body. The body’s natural way of relieving stress is through sleep. But when you are sleeping, are you getting the rest your body needs? How are you sleeping? Do you have a difficult time falling asleep? Do you have to watch TV or read before you drift off? Once asleep, is it a restful sleep? Do you toss and turn? Do you wake up periodically to check the clock or phone? Ask your sleep partner if you are sleeping well. Sleep is only good for relieving stress if it is quality, restful sleep. How are you feeling right now? Stress can make you feel restless. Some people describe stress as if they are crawling inside their skin. Others describe stress as the feeling of being enclosed. Both of these are reactions of the sympathetic nervous system. This fight-or-flight response is what happens when stress has hacked your body. This is how it works. According to your body, your stressful lifestyle and toxic environment feel like a threat to your survival. Your internal fight-or-flight switch is turned on, and your body goes on the defensive to survive. How do you know if your sympathetic nervous system has been triggered? Consider these symptoms: Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you have trouble staying asleep? Do you have a hard time waking up in the morning? (How many times do you press the snooze button?) Do you feel restless during the day? Do you bite your fingernails or crack your knuckles? Science shows that the body is a direct printout of the mind. Biting your nails or cracking your knuckles are indicators of a busy mind. How do you quiet your mind and fully release your stress? The only way out is in. Take the dive inward. Try meditation. Meditation allows the mind to quiet. Meditation de-excites the body. Meditation works as the antidote to stress. Meditation takes the mind from the grosser, or action-oriented fields of awareness down to the subtler, quieter layer of consciousness. View meditation as a stress-relieving tool. You don’t have to change how you dress. You don’t have to change your lifestyle, and you don’t need to compromise your philosophies of life. Meditation does for the mind what exercise does for the body. If any of this has resonated with you, and you don’t feel like you are living to your full potential, click here to learn more. |