“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are”.
Chinese Proverb.
I turned 44 last month. 🥳 And in my 40s, I have accessed more consistent moments of relaxation than I ever had before; which means I can drop into the depth of my true nature more often. It feels familiar. I am hand on heart, truly grateful I've reached this age. Since delving into & learning about the benefits of gratitude last year & subsequently feeling those benefits in my body; I have tried to wear gratitude like a coat. Being present is the gateway to gratitude. And being grateful for me starts with a simple acknowledgement that we're lucky enough to have once again woken to be here for another day, to be here, now. No matter what lies ahead. I have a friend who has been diagnosed with blood cancer & given 9 - 12 months to live. And that's 9 - 12 months with intense, awful, energy sucking treatment. I think of him often. And how he is fighting for his life, every single day. And yet, we can so easily fall into the trap of taking each day for granted. Take a deep belly breath now, and think of 3 things you're grateful for.
There's not a lot in our modern society that supports us being in the present moment & accepting it how it is. Without intention & practise, trying to be present & soak in each moment is like trying to scoop up water with a net. I often feel as though I've stumbled upon an ancient secret to navigating the rollercoaster of life. And want to shout it from the rooftop. This little practise that I weave into my day has helped me so much. Getting still, and staying. The staying bit, is the bit that can be bloody hard. But when we stay, we access depth, we can connect to our true nature.
I saw a quote that goes something like this.
“Most of us travel through life with some pretty heavy emotional baggage. To our great relief, with a consistent meditation practise & it's healing modalities, we can shrink this down to a carry on size.”
This is exactly how life has felt & evolved, since meditating. Instead of lugging around multiple big bags, overflowing & simultaneously searching for more stuff & experiences to avoid or chase down particular feelings, I have felt it, stayed with it, and dwindled down that stuff to a manageable carry on size. 🧳.
The m i d w a y point _____
How many times did you hear growing up"The older you get, the faster time goes" Oh. my. goodness! This feels so cliche, yet so true. Which is why being present in as many moments as possible is so important to me. It's moments that make up our lives. For me, coming to the mid point of the calendar year, it would depend what moment you ask me. Whilst I am happy to report I can sense a strong underlying current of contentment & trust, there are moments I don't, and I'm learning to accept this. Once again a part of being human - there's a broad spectrum of emotions within & to expect to feel happy & peaceful at all times is ludicrous.
I am enjoying connecting with like minded people as I embark on a new adventure over the coming 12 months & my mantra is (courtesy of Jacs from The BroadPlace)
“What is meant for me, will come for me. What isn't, simply won't come my way. Forcing things will exhaust me, I will align myself to what IS happening and stop yearning for what is not.”
I shared this recently with a group of meditators, and it really resonated. I wanted to share wider - so more of us can soften into relaxation; and move along our path from our true nature more often.