So, after writing about my curiosity following yesterday’s long meditation, this evening I happened to come across this blog, OBEs: The Benefits of Astral Travel, and I wanted to share it. Basically, William Buhlman’s research has led him to conclude what I proposed, that
“one purpose of sleep may be to recharge the body by accessing the etheric plane.”
It’s definitely worth a listen and just be open to the information. I never say I have all the answers but I am willing to research what sparks my curiosity in order to learn more. Question everything you think you know and what people tell you! We all have different experiences and our truth is not going to be the truth of another. We must be willing to look at everything with fresh eyes, like those of a child first seeing or experiencing. Be open to receiving new information and perspective. This is what makes this life so AWE~some!
Today was a very special day as it was not only a Full Moon Friday but because I had an extended 2 hour long meditation. I can’t express how wonderful it feels to just BE!
What came up as a question was something I am curious if anyone else out there has considered.
What if sleep is just our “undressing” from the physical body as a way to recharge it while we return to our Highest Self ~ our Spiritual Body, in a higher vibrational energy level?
I’ve recently been reviewing the study of energy and the various levels of vibrations, or frequencies. They say we hear on different vibrational frequency and then, there is the law of attraction that says if you match your frequency to what you want to attract, it will manifest.
With this,
I ponder even if we don’t recall our dreams, during our sleep are we returning to this other level of consciousness where we reconnect with who we really are? Are we accessing the grid, The Book of God’s Remembrances, The Book of Life, or what they call the Akashic Records?
In continuing with the themes of the past couple days, I was paying closer attention to my distractions during my meditations. I had also noticed how it spilled over into my living waking life ~ kind of like one of those AHA Moments!
There are distractions all around. Some are external noises or theatrical displays, while some are situations occurring in and around our lives with others we associate with; but then, there are those we create ourselves. The latter are usually the ones you could also call the story we create. What does that mean? Well, let’s look at this closer.
What are distractions, really?
Well, a distraction takes our “attention” away from what is right in front of us that needs tending ~ what needs our attention! A distraction is avoiding responsibility and, ultimately, what we are afraid to face ~> an underlying fear. Distractions may start out innocently enough but then, there are times when they become so addictive we fall short of our unmet responsibilities creating havoc in our lives.
I had to stop to search to see if I could find a clear definition of what distraction really is. The closest I could find was: “an obstacle to attention; drawing someone’s attention away from something; inattention” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/distraction).
So,
What is the underlying fear?
What creates this fear and how does it hold us back?
Why do we allow distractions?
Why are we so afraid to face this false expectations appearing real?
Well, for each person, this may appear to be different but when you really get to the root,
it is the fear of Change and the Unknown! Because change is like death, we associate this with discomfort. So, we return to our primitive instincts of fight or flee basically finding every excuse, or distraction, to avoid it. We are so attached to our ideas we create the illusionary expectation of any outcome = the idea that anything else we’re currently experiencing would be uncomfortable and, therefor, it must be avoided at all costs.
We are so attached to our livelihood that we become complacent in our daily comforts and routines that the mere idea of moving forward keeps us stuck so, instead of allowing the change to happen, we create distractions to avoid dealing with it! How do I know this… ha ha, well, that’s my AHA Moment right there! I’m spilling the beans on myself and owning up to this right now because I know from witnessing what my own patterns have revealed.
A friend recently mentioned how she was finding herself overeating and how much it perplexed and bothered her. I found myself reflecting on this because I, too, was doing the same on and off. Now, I won’t say I was necessarily overeating so much as burying myself in one of my passions of inventing new food creations, to avoid working on my writing. I can get my own distractions in creative ways that seem perfectly innocent as they do yield results but not necessarily the ones I really should be focusing on. Does this make sense to anyone else out there?
So, how many of you out there see how you create distraction in your own life to avoid doing what you know needs your immediate attention?
If you are able to witness how you are responsible for blocking your own forward growth and progression, will you take action even if it means you cannot predict the outcome?
Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.
~ Norman Vincent Peale
Previously, I wrote:
The key ~ not to get attached to the outcome of these expectations. Because the root of suffering is in expectation! Emotion lies behind all of this ~ emitting a feeling or attaching to an outcome!
“Choose wisely where you place your attention/focus because your energy is precious and shouldn’t be wasted!”
On this gorgeous sunny day in Bella Napoli, I went for a long 2 hours walk along lungomare, the seaside.
I picked up my speed-walking pace by consciously breathing into and contracting my abdominals, rolling my shoulders back, elongating my spine, lifting my heart toward the sky, squeezing my buttocks and thighs while taking long strides, and with each step, landing on my heels to roll my weight evenly forward to the toe ball mound of each foot to push off ~ like a liftoff.
See, I used to be a runner. I loved running and was a chatty runner, too ~ your perceived exertion rate can be measured in your ability to talk while exercising. Some days I miss it but honestly, I don’t miss the aches and pains nor the damage it’s done on my joints.
What I do find interesting is how I am able to watch people walking or running and pick out their pronation. I can pretty much suspect what pains they’re dealing with from my own experiences.
The sun was shining with a warm breeze off of the sea. Looking out across the slightly choppy Bay, I could clearly see Vesuvius, the Sorrentine Coast, and Capri off in the distance. At 10am the day after Christmas, there were quite a few people out on bikes, roller-blades, running, walking, and socializing. The energy here has changed immensely with the closing of Via Caracciolo and Via Partenope for pedestrian-only traffic. There was a lot of resistance from the shops, taxi-drivers, and people who drove it frequently but today, I noticed there was a joyful feeling in the air. Everyone was happily enjoying this convenience. Mind you, there were those who still didn’t understand they should not walk in the marked bike path where at one point, a young child wandered into it where it appeared she fell as a bike hit her.
Within an hour, or so, the people had significantly increased. When I walk, I habitually smile at everyone because it feels good and I want to share this feeling. Of course, not everyone is open to receiving this and are clearly skeptical of the intentions behind the smile. For all the years I’ve lived here, this was one thing I had difficulty accepting. I also had trouble trying to understand how I could be one person walking down a rather wide sidewalk and the woman coming from the other direction would find herself shoulder-checking me as if I had done it to her. This phenomenon really took time for me to recognize and handle.
This is why I say:
What you look for you will find!
Even our unconscious thoughts manifest into our reality. In the years I’ve been working on healing, I’ve come to recognize how much of the strife I’d dealt with was really what I claimed to not want but I was actually looking to defend myself from. I had truly been manifesting exactly what I didn’t want and this also proved to be an attachment as I had not released it.
So, how does one release these defenses?
Well, it takes patience, practice, and persistence. As I said in my previous post regarding meditation, “Anything you want to master needs to be repeated with focus and effort.”
First, we need to figure out the root of why we feel so attached to these feelings of defending ourselves. It’s also called playing the role of the victim but nobody wants to admit this in the beginning. In fact, most of us don’t even want to take responsibility for what they did or do to ME! I certainly did not. In fact, I can recall a friend once saying to me, “Lana, just be happy!”
But, at that time, I was more preoccupied with what was being done to me instead of realizing she was right. It all boils down to a choice. We choose what we give importance to and sometimes our Ego is so strong it believes in combative modalities. There really is no need to even go that far because the stronger and wiser person knows when to just walk away.
In my case, I had a long hard look at my past and how I’d taken on my parents’ stories. Much of the old sayings would pop into my head like, “Nothing in this life is free.” Those sorts of things shaped how I dealt with life situations.
In addition to this coming up on my walk, I was reminding myself how I wasn’t encountering the shoulder-checks as often as I had in the past. I had identified the fact that those people had their own stuff going on and it never had anything to do with me. I didn’t need to take on their stuff nor feel the need to retaliate. In fact, now, I just joyfully bopped down the seaside with a big happy smile on my face weaving in and out of people, making my way.
Now, don’t get me wrong, once and a while I saw someone coming at me but I adjusted myself accordingly. In fact, I also took the opportunity to see it as the Universe creating a test to see how I’d handle it and if I’d learned the lesson I’d previously been given. You have to giggle when you recognize it ~ the Universe does have a sense of humor!
Another interesting thought came about after I’d returned home to meditate. Why do people get so caught up in caring what someone thinks of them as if they have some idea of what that is? Thoughts are only fleeting and even if someone is thinking anything judgmental of you, this too shall pass. In fact, as I discussed with a a good friend years ago, “it’s none of your business what anyone thinks about you!”
Highly placed self-importance is exhibited when you care what others think of you and in turn, you’re really giving your energy/power to them! Do you think it’s deserving in either case?
Basically, I had found myself reflecting on what I was finding throughout the day. In my walk, I had concluded how what I looked for was exactly what I would manifest. As in my meditation, I realized if what I feared someone thought of me could also manifest as true. But none of this is real unless we attach emotion to it!
The key ~ not to get attached to the outcome of these expectations. Because the root of suffering is in expectation! Emotion lies behind all of this ~ emitting a feeling or attaching to an outcome!
Knowing how you felt in the past and had been disappointed when you found out someone didn’t like you creeps back up when you currently find yourself contemplating what another thinks of you. This same emotion, if not released, follows you through life.
This is just one example of how our old behavior patterns continue through our experiences.
Can you think of how this may bring up old thoughts for you? In what sorts of situations have you repeatedly found yourself? Seems like deja vu or Murphey’s Law but it’s really not.
Remember, we create our reality from our thoughts. There’s a reason it’s a pattern; habits are subconsciously repeated patterns.
In any case, take time to witness how you’re manifesting your own experiences. Ask yourself, “what am I looking for?”
See if you can break some old patterns. It’s quite liberating from those old ties that bind!
What you seek is inside of you! Look within ~ not without!
Sometimes we find ourselves tense in situations without recognizing this is our body demonstrating our mental need to control circumstances. We certainly can’t control everything; especially, those occurring outside of ourselves!
Doesn’t it seem ironic how our body can naturally manifests that which resides in the mind? The more you tune in, the more you will recognize this – as well as, what you resist persists. Truly, we need only look for the answers inside of ourselves because we have everything we need and more.
Just as in breathing, if you find your breaths short and shallow, it means you’re stuck in your head. While longer
deep breaths tend to be more heart-centric and in the diaphragm, deep down in the belly.
Meditation takes time, patience, & routine practice. Anything you want to master needs to be repeated with focus and effort.
Comfortable Seated Yogic Pose with Gyan Mudra
Relax, Release, & Relinquish Control
How better to start off the Christmas Day than with a meditation!
First, I recommend finding yourself a quiet and comfortable place where you can meditate undisturbed away from technology, people, or external distractions. Sit on the floor on a cushion, a yoga mat, or on a chair.
Find what works best for you.
In your most comfortable seated position, close your eyes and imagine a string extending up from the base of your spine all the way up through the crown of your head extending you upright. Keep your spine erect, aligned so as to keep from slouching. Think of your heart extending upward and with every breath lifting.
Place your hands in a simple Gyan mudra, with the tips of the thumb and index fingers touching, resting on your lap or arms extended over the thighs toward the knees.
Start to focus on your breath. Inhale in through the nose deep into your diaphragm allowing your belly to rise. Exhale out the nose slowly and controlled contracting your abdomen.
Here, when you’re ready and practiced enough, you can focus on locking, tightening and retaining, the bandhas.
The more you focus on your breath the less you will be distracted.
Feel yourself firmly grounded into the Earth, whether with feet on the ground sitting in a chair or seated on the ground with legs crossed or extended. Imagine roots growing from the base of your spine like those of a tree extending deep into the Earth. You can draw energy up from this grounding as well by using the breath to envision it traveling up with each inhale. At the same time, envision a white light washing down over you like a veil passing through each and every minute cell. Feel it starting at the crown of your head, let it cleanse and heal you as it releases the tensions from your body.
As I sat in my meditation in a comfortable seated yogic posture and breathing attentively, I scanned my body for physical signs to witness and be aware of. The tension I recognized made me aware of my mind’s, or Ego’s, need to control my thoughts and how the tension appeared in my physical body. I saw how I’d clenched my jaw. It traveled down my spine and into my hips creating numbness into my legs down to my feet. I felt the tension particularly in my right inner hip and pelvis. For me, this always seems to be linked with my jaw; and in a yoga class many years ago I’d learned the close association with jaw clenching and tight hips.
I must point out that it’s not important to sit in a particular way or hold strict mudras when first meditating. What is important is finding your own comfort zone.
As I was able to witness all of this, I was also able to redirect it. This is continuous practice because you must always be aware of your thoughts and physical body while transcending them. The instant you become the witness aware in the moment you also have the opportunity to transform and change the way you react, act, or handle any thought, situation, or encounter.
Allow yourself to honor the thoughts that come in and recognize them – there’s a reason for everything. Then, allow them to drift off like light clouds being carried away by the wind. At the same time, if you feel discomfort, tend to it.
If you have an itch, scratch it.
If you need to adjust, move.
There is nothing wrong with moving and adjusting in meditation just try to do it with calmness and your eyes still closed to maintain a relaxed state. Adjusting doesn’t mean you need to start your meditation all over again. You can continue as you are!
Find comfort and be kind to yourself. You should tend to any distractions if you cannot use them to further deepen your meditation. In time, you will find your most comfortable position and focus with routine awareness.
The substance of mind is the substance of heaven. A joyful thought is an auspicious star or a felicitous cloud. An angry thought is a thunderstorm or a violent rain. A kind thought is a gentle breeze or sweet dew. A stern thought is a fierce sun or an autumn frost. Which of these can be eliminated? Just let them pass away as they arise, open and unresisting, and your mind merges with the spacious sky.
~ Huanchu Daoren, “Back to Beginnings: Reflections on the Tao” (translated by Thomas Cleary)
The breath, life force, chi, prana, vitality of spirit ~ what nourishes the mind, body, and soul and connects us to BEing!
Scanning the body using the breath is a great way to allow tension to wash away and to tune in.
Use it to focus and remove your mind from the fleeting thoughts floating in or the physical pains that may arise. One way to deepen your practice is to breathe into the areas of your body where you feel tension and as you breathe out, allow the release of this tension to release.
Breathing in the healing love and light and exhaling all the tension. You can do this while focusing on any areas of your body, which distract you. After a while with practice, you’ll also find your mind may no longer find tension because focusing on the breath requires attention.
When you relinquish the Ego-based need to control everything all naturally falls into rhythm. Allow your life to flow…
On this Christmas day and feeling nostalgic, the Luck Dragon Falkor in The NeverEnding Story reminded me to “never give up and good luck will find you!”
May you never give up on your journey in this amazing Life!
In continuing with the themes of the past couple days, I was paying closer attention to my distractions during my meditations. I had also noticed how it spilled over into my living waking life ~ kind of like one of those AHA Moments!
