After weeks of lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, some areas of the world are beginning to open up again. This gradual easing of restrictions, however, may come with mixed emotions.
We are all aware in theory that the future will look very different from the recent past, and that we need to make much-needed changes to the way we approach life. But how will this look from a practical sense? What exactly are the tools we need in order to wake-up to a more mindful way of living, not only personally, but on a global scale?
It may seem ironic, but the best way of looking after the future is to take care of right now.
We have all experienced an unprecedented time of social distancing and staying home to stop the spread of the virus. Some, including ourselves, have had to be in total quarantine for a number of weeks for various reasons. This period of staying home has allowed us plenty of time for self-reflection and contemplation, and now as we can begin to see the light emerging from the other end of the tunnel, it's crucial we pause before stumbling straight back out the door into our old habits and lifestyle.
While many have spent hours, days and weeks sitting behind metaphorical dark curtains, shielded from the effects of the virus, it has for many been a time of illumination and opening up of our eyes to understand that the current situation is a direct result of our past thoughts words and actions. The ripples of awareness have hopefully entered into our cocoon, penetrated our ignorance, and created a global consciousness like never before. Now as we prepare to emerge into the world once more, there is a collective yearning for change, a blossoming towards a better future.
We cannot hide behind excuses any more. We cannot shove the future aside and simply hope for the best when we are seeing the worst. We need to let go of the dualistic viewpoints that create a divide between the 'good' and the 'bad, the 'black' and the 'white', the 'me, mine, I', and the 'them, those, others' way of thinking. We need to stop blaming and finger-pointing, and instead embrace feelings of responsibility as a part of the whole, the greater collective consciousness. We need to stop creating stories and making assumptions based on our opinions, and come back to the facts, what is real. It will take continual curiosity and self-inquiry to stay present and honest. We need to practice coming home to the breath, because it never lies. Have you ever experienced yourself so tense that you have stopped breathing?
The quality of the future is determined by the quality of now...right now...this very breath! If this moment is calm and peaceful then the future will be too.
While I have you here, let's address some very pertinent questions...
Firstly, how can we maintain the positive impact and healing that's been a wonderful by-product of social distancing, on the environmental level?
How can we live more mindfully and with less excess and greed?
How can we simplify and pare our life back a little so we can look nature square in the eye and show we really care about her future survival?
If you are feeling unsure and a little hesitant then take heart. If you feel yourself shrinking back behind the curtain once more to the safety of your home, then that's a wonderful place to start. All the answers you seek are already inside you, and thankfully there's no need to look any further than your next breath. Being more present and mindful in everything we do, think and say is essential.
The future is unfolding in real time, and the key lies right here in the present moment. That is the only guarantee we have.
But what does this look like on an individual level? What can you and I do differently starting from right now?
The future is simply taking one breath, and then another, and another. That's it! If you can be mindful in this moment, it's possible for the next moment to be very different. So, pause right here, close your eyes, take a deep breath........ and relax. What does it feel like?
It's as simple as that. Train yourself to be more present, and experience life as it unfolds in real time. The future is now. This breath, and the next, and the next, and the next...
In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, in his book "Mindfulness for Beginners",
Taking care of this moment can have a remarkable effect on the next one and therefore the future - yours and the world's.
A Buddhist mindfulness technique I was taught years ago is still part of my daily practice, especially when I feel myself becoming caught up by one of life's many challenges. It is simply to pause and watch your natural breath. As you breathe in, inhale calm white light. As you breathe out, exhale and release any tension in the form of black smoke.
In Vipassana (insight) meditation, which is also from the Buddhist tradition, the practice is to travel your awareness around your body while being fully awake and present to every sensation and experience, but without reacting. This trains you to become the silent observer of any situation whether in meditation or in life, and to pause before responding (or not) mindfully and with full awareness.
Developing calm abidance no matter what arises is a wonderful approach to living, and will make a much more comfortable future for us all.
In Yin yoga we are training to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Different postures are held for a few minutes in complete stillness, and with all muscles relaxed. We play the edge between comfort and discomfort without responding or moving, in order to open joints and connective tissue. Over time, with regular practice we raise our level of tolerance to stress, be it physical or emotional, and begin to override the 'fight or flight' response of the nervous system.
In short, we stay present. Right here in this moment and ride out the ups and downs with discernment rather than criticism or judgment. We watch our experience rather than be blinded by it.
The wonderful benefits of practicing regular techniques of mindfulness such as Yoga, Meditation and Breath awareness, are the flow-on effects into our everyday life. We begin to understand on a cellular level that life is not an emergency.
Nothing is permanent. What arises will also simmer down and fade away into nothingness. Any situation will evolve if we just stay present and aware, without repressing or running away from it. It's just a matter of time.
And from this space of poise and grace, we are more able to proceed from a place of deep wisdom and intelligence, rather than from panic and fear.
This wonderful vision for the future of humanity as a whole, starts right here, in this moment.
If you are reading this now, this means you. Each one of us has a responsibility to live more simply, more mindfully, more slowly, and more joyfully.
Life is too short to be worrying about the future. Just by being here now, we can begin to cultivate trust that the future will take care of itself.
Mahatma Gandhi famously said,
"The path is the goal."
The path is the evolution of our moment by moment experience. The future accumulates, and is the result of what we do right now.
So if you find yourself poised and ready to jump back into the rat-race, continuing old habits and patterns just where you left off, take a moment to remember this.
Living consciously doesn't require going anywhere, or getting anything. It is simply the cultivation of a resource that is already ours. We are human be-ings not human do-ings, and busyness is not our business.
May this time we have experienced of physically staying home, be inspiration we all need to continue to 'stay home' and spend more time within the realm of our true inner-self.
May we move forward with deeper levels of awareness and wisdom, and understand that every tiny ripple of energy made by each individual feeds into a much bigger wave in the ocean of the greater collective consciousness. It all starts with you...and me.
Just like breathing, life can be lived on auto-pilot, or on a conscious level. Our ability to to be aware of our breath, and to keep remembering to come back to this fundamental basis of all life on earth that sustains us, is the key to unlocking the door to a more conscious future. We can all choose the quality of every moment, of every breath. Please don't waste it.
What we choose now, will be reflected in the future, whether we like it or not. That is what we will get...
If you would like to learn more about our current offerings of Yoga, Mindfulness, Breathwork and Meditation, then please connect by message or subscribe to our mailing list.
Our online series, 'Coming Home' continues this week.
You can join via Zoom
Mondays from 7.00-7.30am - Freedom to Breathe (30 minute Mindful Pranayama)
Fridays from 7.30-9am - Mindful Yoga & Breathwork.
Sending lots of love, peace and deep breaths from our quiet home in nature.
Namaste,
Danielle & Tony ( Frankie & Georgie) xx
#sundarisimplelife #sundariwellbeing #beherenow #justbreathe
"Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu."
May all beings everywhere be happy and free. May my thoughts, words and actions in some way contribute to that happiness and freedom for all.
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