|
 RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
Are
We There Yet?
Living Real...Discovering the Hero Within
As kids we’d be stuffed like sausages into the back of the family wagon
touring the byways of British Columbia while my Dad steered us through some
of the most incredible vistas ever. Oblivious, we’d raise our noses out of
our Archie comics long enough to bleat, “Are we there yet?”
We’ve all been there. With beauty all within us, we bury our noses in
illusory distractions or pursue strategies that promise fulfilment, only to
end up stoking the unlimited furnace of the ego. We suffer from a case of
mistaken identity. We have mistaken our madness, our glory, our insulted
egos, our isms, for who we really are. Every time we identify with our
external reflections, we add another veil or disguise over our true selves
and further deplete our ability to power our lives. Then, whenever the plug
is pulled on these faulty connections, we descend into suffering. When is
enough pain enough? When will we see that we are already here?
When we wake in the morning, we don’t remind ourselves to breathe. It
happens in spite of us. But what if we practised awareness of breath?
Instead of our lives draining us, we learn to generate power for ourselves
throughout the day by using that awareness.
NOW! NOW! NOW! In this age of fast-food, instant gratification and
snap-on-spirituality, everything is demanded now. The only thing you can
have right now is the NOW. Where is the NOW? Take a breath and make yourself
at home.
The spiritual quest is rich in the language of perfection. “If I meditate
long enough…” “If I read the Bible consistently…” “If I attend my yoga
classes…” All are beliefs that imply where you are is not enough. They are
no different from “When I get my new car...” “When I get my raise…” “When I
get a new pair of shoes…” These statements exist in the future.
Instead of pushing toward the perfection of the future, we can relax into
the acceptance of NOW. When we let go, surrender, accept the reality of our
situation, we feel the twinges of peace. As we breathe into the space, we
invite consciousness into our lives and power floods our core. Stress falls
away and we are left with a clarity to manoeuver. Being fully in the
presence of breath without judgment - only observance - we get under the
disguises we wear and feel ourselves for who we really are - the energy of
love. When we meditate or practice yoga we are connected to the breath. We
gain so much from this experience. We feel at peace. When we finish these
activities we often disconnect from the breath and get on with our lives.
“Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”; these words imply love is lost,
distant, not here. Religions say the answer is within, yet time and again we
choose to forget this wisdom and look to a new idea, a new plan, a new
possession for fulfilment. It is this simple gem that ends up last on the
to-do list. Water the lawn, shop for food, walk the dog, shampoo the kids
and when we have time for all that New Age stuff, we’ll take another course
or read another book. How about we water the lawn and breathe, shop and
breathe, shampoo and breathe.
Breath as power is not a new concept. But it usually remains just that - a
concept. Instead of utilizing this knowledge, we say “sounds great” and set
it on the shelf next to the veg-o-matic and shut the pantry door. There’s a
lot of talk about “making time for ourselves to regenerate”, about “needing
more space”, but why not incorporate conscious breathing in all we do. This
opens space around us and boosts our energy. Power comes into our center.
Breathing is not separate from our actions. When we engage in life through
our breath we are anchoring in the NOW. We feel the space around us expand;
expand to hold the reality of our life.
Everyday we are waiting for the bus, for the light to change, for the
check-out line, for someone to finish their sentence, for rush hour traffic
to subside. These are the times to practice being in the NOW. Typically we
fade to impatience in these situations. Breathe into these moments because
it is where we are. We ARE waiting for the bus, we ARE in line...
Breathe and regain the power of NOW instead of sending our awareness into
the past or future. Enjoy the present of presence - the gift of NOW. This is
the reality. When we surrender to where we are, we move forward with power.
The more we anchor in the NOW, the less our external identities define us.
In the normal course of life we are all subject to ups and downs. The
successful deal can become the poor judgment; the blissful relationship can
become a challenging one; the healthy bank account can become empty. The
extent to which we identify with these events determines our suffering. If
we believe we are our successes, our possessions, our status, when cracks
appear in this illusory canvas we feel pain, shame, despair. This is not to
say we shouldn’t enjoy and celebrate our successes, but if we believe that
this is who we truly are, we set ourselves up for down.
Breathe into your joy, your sorrow, your passion, your anguish. All these
emotions sit at either end of the seesaw. The breath of love is the fulcrum
that anchors you in the NOW. If you have learned to apply awareness of
breath to your daily life your search is over. You will forget to do this
and then you will remember. Our application is needed by the earth. Give the
gift of yourself.
Barbara Watts lives in Calgary. She writes, practices the healing arts,
facilitates workshops & offers life coaching. |
