“It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

— Hugh Laurie

In this evenings class we practiced Mindfulness.  I defined it as the practice of being present with everything that is, without having to change anything.  The intention of the 45 minute session was to just be aware. 

Most of the time we spend our days in our head, giving little attention as to what kinds of thoughts we are having, what our body is experiencing or acknowledging the information being provided to us 24/7 by our senses and our energetic body. 

Yes,  energetic body.  Humans are mind, body and spirit - and our body is not just our physical body, it also includes about 3-4 feet of energy that surrounds us.  This energetic field inputs information to us, however because we are in our minds so much we have moved away from honoring this part of our human capacity.

Before I get into the practice, I want to share what happened today before class.  It was so perfect! I had just finished getting the room ready for class when about 7 minutes before start time a man with a box walked in and seemed to be preparing to do some work on the flooring.  One of the regular participants had walked in just ahead of him and I was happy to see her and we began to greet one another but when the man walked in my body tensed up and our conversation immediately stopped. I asked him if he planned on working on the floor right now and he responded that he did.  As soon as we began speaking to one another it was like electricity was shooting through my body, my heart began to race and I could feel anxiety rising in not just myself but also in the other participant in the room.  I calmly informed him that I was about to teach a class in 5 minutes to which he tersely responded that he had to do this work and he was not going to drive back tomorrow.  I told him fine, do what you have to do but I would be asking him to leave in 5 minutes.

He quickly did what he could and left, a few seconds later another participant walked in and suddenly I felt happiness in seeing another familiar face.  The "mood" of everyone in the room was completely changed to one of happiness in her presence.  It was then that I realized - ha!  This man gave me a gift, this is exactly what I wanted the class to be about today - how we can physically experience the energy field another person is carrying and how having a mindfulness practice creates in us the ability to be sensitive to it (awareness) and at the same time experience a sense of solidity that allows us to not be moved by it.  Yes, I experienced angst by this man's presence, but I was able to allow the emotions to flow through me - stay in calmness and communicate with firmness AND love that I would be asking him to leave in 5 minutes. 

On the flip side - when we practice meditation or mindfulness, this creates an ability in our brain to experience happiness and positive thoughts and emotions.  Meditation and mindfulness practice has been shown through research to activate the left prefrontal cortex in the brain. This is the region of the brain associated with happiness and positive thoughts and emotions. By cultivating our "set point" to this part of the brain we energetically bring this positive state of being everywhere we go.  Just like the man with the box energetically shifted the mood in the room to an agitated state - we also have the potential to shift the mood of the room to a set point of "peace". 

So the practice -

Set aside 15 minutes at least of time in a quiet space where you won't be interrupted.  If you can, aim for 30 minutes.  Play relaxing music if you like.

Begin by taking a deep breathe and as you exhale let go of all thoughts and worries of the day.

Take another deep breath and relax even more.

Bring your awareness to your breath.  Just be aware of it.

If you are feeling restless, don't "try" to calm yourself down.  Simply be aware that you feel restless. Being aware of how you feel is the goal of the practice - not trying to force feeling peaceful or making your thoughts stop.

Take another deep breath and be aware of how you are breathing.  Are you breathing through your nose? Your mouth?  Does your chest rise and fall?  Is it your shoulders rising and falling?

What noises do you hear?  Is it noisy where you are?  What effect does it have on your body?  Are there other people in the house with you?  Can you feel them?

What does the air feel like on your skin?

Bring your awareness to other parts of your body one at a time.  Go deep. Can you feel your lungs inside your chest?  Are there any parts of your body that are tense?   What does the inside of your eyes feel like?  Can you sense the blood flowing through your body? 

Is there anything your body wants to communicate to you?

For the last 5 minutes tune into your energetic body.  Can you sense that field of energy around you?  What does it look like?  Does it have a color or a texture?  Maybe it has a sound?

With intention, can you extend it out even further?  Imagine it like a ball of light around you.  Imagine that you can extend it out to fill the whole room.  The whole block you live on.  Can you fill the whole city?

Then, let it all go.  Just let it go.  And gently and slowly bring your awareness back into your physical body,  back to the room you are in. 

Namaste - Yesenia

Dig deep. You aren't your color, you aren't your gender, you aren't someone that is right or wrong, bad or good. A Divine spark. You are a song you are a shout you are a dream YOU ARE.  Infinite.

+ Yesenia