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Monday, February 20, 2012

Practice Element

The power of your awareness is in the present moment.  Buddha had something to say about this I think.  And its true.  From the present all things flow.  Even when it seems we have come from the past, its in this moment NOW that all power flows.  Your power flows out of this moment.  When you begin to worry about what other presents might bring, you fall out of the flow and you begin to worry.  This is a habit.  Breaking the habit is done with the first step. 

Being mindful of the present is an ongoing challenge, but its a pretty easy one.  I simply means that you are mindful of where you are.  If you begin to worry about something that hasn't happened yet, you are robbing yourself of the power to fuel greater awareness by putting that energy into something that can't be changed remotely.  The future is shaped in the present.

So when you find yourself worrying or getting uptight about something, I want you to think about how you ceased being in the present.  Think about how you need to bring it all back into the moment, and as you do, you will begin to feel your stomach loosen, your jaw relax a little more.  There is something you can do that will put your whole body and mind into a state of deep relaxation.  Its very simple, and it works wonderfully.

Breathe in and out four times while holding one nostril closed, then switch so you repeat four breaths in and out on the other nostril.  Breathe gently, be in a place where you can clear your mind and feel the calming effect settle around you.  If you do this gently and slowly, I think you will find that the result at the end of this very simple breathing exercise is going to leave you feeling very relaxed and ready to focus on the here and now, not on yesterday and tomorrow. 

You can use this technique anytime you need to calm down.  It might be a little odd holding one nostril, but not so much so that people will think you are weird (weird is ok). 

I have used this with students who needed calming and it works great.  I'd love to hear your response from trying it. 

Nemasté

Parker

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