There is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it.
Romaine Rolland
Phewph. 2020. How are you doing? Are you listening? Are you learning?
I hope you can take a moment to appreciate yourself for showing up here; for being curious and willing enough to get to know yourself [and each other] better; to shine a light on all aspects of yourself and in turn give permission to others to do the same.
This is truly an ongoing practice of cultivating light, of being the light that we all seek – especially during dark times – to better support both our Selves and one another.
In the mindfulness practice of meditation, we explore how to witness our breath, thoughts, sounds, sensations and so on. As a result, we learn to hold our entire experience [and our Selves] as a whole with a sense of acceptance and gratitude for whatever arises – the good, the difficult, the mundane, and everything in between.
When we are flexible and can work with our experience in this way, we build resiliency, optimism [very helpful when solving problems – of which the world has many right now], and greater wellbeing [which helps to reduce inflammation due to stress – also very apropos].
I know that this is not necessarily easy to do, especially amidst a pandemic on top of a colossal racial justice movement.
I think I speak for all of us when I say that I am also feeling incredibly thankful for the gifts that I have in my life; for my bright lights during a dark time; for the massive wakeup calls from COVID to Black Lives Matter – however uncomfortable they may be.
This is, if anything, a powerful time to come together, to reconnect to ourselves and each other, to reflect on that which we have versus that which we lack, and to prioritize what is really important.
There is a silver lining here; there is light in darkness – however big or small.
As humans, we experience a vast array of valid feelings, and so this is obviously not all rainbows. A portion of our brain is in fact designed to look for what is wrong as a protective strategy for our survival, which can unfortunately become an unconscious habit that increases stress, depression, anxiety, and physical ailments. One way to balance this negative effect is – you guessed it – by practicing Gratitude.
So how do we manage our natural human fears alongside cultivating a sense of gratitude for what we have?
Part of this shared sense of fear from confinement, I would argue, was being with ourselves without distractions, and being forced to face ourselves fully.
There’s a lot we might not want to deal with [rightfully so]: back burner projects we make continual excuses for; unfulfilling aspects of our life that we haven’t had the physical or mental power to fully face; our understanding of white supremacy and racism; relationships or jobs or harmful habits that no longer serve us but there hasn’t been a “right” time to make a change; the list goes on.
These thoughts can easily get the best of anyone, and if you’ve been able to practice some meditation, you may now have tools on hand to help you witness the thoughts instead of getting tossed around by them.
Regardless, there is still real fear and uncertainty present for the health and safety for ourselves and others – both the people we care about and everyone around the world who is unwell and/or at risk. We are, quite literally and maybe for the first time in our lifetime, all in this together.
And yes, the current situations we are facing can bring out undesirable thoughts: anxiety, shame, confusion, uncertainty, anger, grief [to name a few]. We must remember that, on the flip side, there is also a beautiful sense of goodness and kindness, of looking out and standing up for one another across all continents – all of which are magnificent miracles to be incredibly thankful for.
In Buddhism, the Bodhisattva – or awakened heart – asks “how can this best serve us right now?”
When things fall apart – even if things are going relatively well for you personally right now – how might this serve awakening?
How might this wake us up to be grateful for what we have in lieu of constantly seeking something else?
How can we be grateful for the chance to grow and take positive action by experiencing difficult moments in lieu of complaining about what’s not working, or flat out ignoring that which we choose not to see [black people being murdered; our ecosystem suffering]?
By focusing more on the things and people in our lives that are working well and/or that are teaching us powerful lessons, the brain will naturally learn to operate more in the positive [take action!] instead of the negative [complain and remain inactive].
As a result, our perspective shifts, and how we define “positive” and “negative” might even change.
This definitely does not mean bypassing uncomfortable individual and collective situations or topics – we need these perspectives in order to grow on a personal and societal level.
As such, perhaps this is an opportunity to practice being grateful for [un]learning more about what isn’t going well so that we can move forward consciously and courageously.
Let’s hope for some continual serious perspective shifts as we continue to listen; to be a student of the world; to take action for the sake of all black lives and the planet as a whole.
May we express gratitude for this powerful opportunity to wake up; to better understand our Selves and each other; to move forward with more awareness to benefit all beings and our collective Mama Earth.
Read the newsletter for June Zoom yoga sessions, a new 4-week virtual meditation series, a new gratitude meditation, a 25% off code for the first 3 months of on demand classes with me on My Mission 360, an inspiring and informative podcast, and good vibes.
Onward.
Photo: Wanderlust GaPa 2019 by Christina Amarens.
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