“Open your heart to who you are, right now,
Not who you would like to be.
Not the saint you’re striving to become.
But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.”
~John Welwood
Dear ,
You are most welcome to attend our next Coming Home Together online gathering on Tuesday, January 18. Please click here for details and registration.
And I'll be interviewed this Sunday at noon Pacific. Please click here to watch live and ask questions.
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If there’s one thing I wish you knew, it is this: it’s possible to bring ease to your present moment experience.
Sure, you can get caught up in fearful stories and go on in your mind about what should have happened but didn't. You can doubt yourself endlessly and analyze every little detail about you and everyone else.
You can judge, compare, and dramatize everything.
And this is what most of us call normal life.
But in any moment, we can shift our perspective. Yes, it’s possible!
- We can take a breath and get a timeout from all the thinking;
- We can watch thoughts floating through the space of open awareness rather than being hooked into their content;
- We can experience life through the aliveness of our senses instead of through the veil of the thinking mind.
We can be caught up in stories…or be with things as they are with spaciousness and ease.
We're programmed to resist our experience. Without even realizing it, we're incredibly harsh with ourselves. Have you noticed? We tell ourselves:
- You shouldn’t feel like that;
- You failed again at finding peace;
- You’ll never improve;
- You’re worthless and unlovable;
- You got stuck with a bad lot in life.
How can we possibly be at ease when we’re feeding thoughts like these?
My friend, Amy, woke up one lovely weekend morning with a strong feeling of agitation. She had a list of things to do, and this feeling was interfering. She tried to push through it in every way possible, only becoming more and more frustrated with herself.
She wasn’t at ease with her present moment experience, and it was stressful for her. Can you relate? I know I can.
What about shifting to a kinder way of being—a way that brings ease to our present moment experience?
- You say, “Oh, hello feeling. Yes, this is what is here right now.” You stop the fight with your own experience;
- You focus on the sensations of a conscious inhale and exhale. Why not try it right now?
- You expand your attention beyond any thoughts and feelings to the space around them. You’re open like the sky rather than being trapped in clouds;
- You invite yourself into being present with what’s here;
- And you take action from a place of love and care—and not from expectations or obligations.
We don’t need to change or fix one single thing to be at ease with our present moment experience. We don’t need to create better thoughts or banish feelings.
We’re only asked to be kind and friendly with whatever we’re experiencing. And that simple shift changes everything.
Gail
Note: I very much look forward to being with you at these upcoming events. First, I'm being interviewed this Sunday at noon Pacific by Rick Archer of Batgap. You are welcome to watch live and ask questions. Here's the link.
Our next zoom gathering is on Tuesday, January 18. Please click here for details and registration.
And please join the next 5-part series, Deep Trauma Healing: Finding Ease and Well-Being in Everyday Life, starting Saturday, February 12. This course is sponsored by Science and Nonduality (SAND). Please click here for details and
registration.
"I feel like what you present is so spot on for so many of us who are questioning who we really are and the nature of our suffering." ~Richard P.
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