“It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth…and that there is no way of knowing when our time is up, that we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.”
Dr Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” – Deepak Chopra
We really can survive anything. We are all stronger than we think. When people find out that we lost our 9-year-old son they often say, “I could never cope in your situation”. The truth is you could.
The human instinct is to survive and we always do. Things can only break us if we allow them to. We forget sometimes we have a choice about how we feel. I felt devastated and desperate at times after losing our son but at some point and overtime, I made the choice to change that. It’s not easy but, with the right support, understanding and practice, you can do anything.
Perhaps it’s not always the most desperate situations that we find ourselves in that is the hardest but rather the little things that need us to step out of our comfort zone and change.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Forgive me readers for saying in nearly every post, that Meditation, Yoga and Stillness are amazing practices to use for healing. I only continue to remind you because it was through practising these regularly that I was able to heal myself emotionally and spiritually after losing our son and this continues to be my source of strength and wisdom towards my future.
Change is difficult and life doesn’t always go according to our plans and yet, when we search within, we find the same wisdom and knowledge of many that have gone before us, so look deeply and find what resonates with your life and your journey.
Yoga is thousands of years old and has many benefits. Below I have named a few but more importantly the gift of yoga gives us connection. It helps us re-align and connect us to our higher self and remind us what we have all forgotten…”Oneness” which is our connection to each other and the universe.”
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama
“It isn’t by getting out of the world that we become enlightened, but by getting into the world…by getting so tuned in that we can ride the waves of our existence and never get tossed because we become the waves.” – Ken Kesey
It may seem serious and arduous to walk an enlightened path, however, when we apply simply guidelines and practice to our everyday life, every effort no matter how small, will make a difference in your overall view on life.
Overtime, this will help you release yourself from negative thoughts and selfish actions and help you find freedom and connection to the universal flow.
When we are stressed and overloaded, we become foggy and unfocused and this is when we make the wrong decisions and react in the wrong way. When we are in this state of mind, it is exactly when we need to stop and re-connect to the source of energy around us and yes, this requires an effort.
“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.” – John Lubbock
The more you allow the mind to simply process thought, like a child reviewing the day’s activities, the more you have the opportunity to guide the mind to slow down and stop the constant chatter or negative thought patterns from taking over.
Through a practice of meditation and time to connect with nature, learn to develop awareness of your body, your thoughts and your environment. It is the most effective way to access the vibration of the mind that is beyond thought.
This regular practice will give you clarity and will allow you to tune into others and their needs. It will give you a better view and understanding of your present situation and guide you to make the right decisions.
“Enlightenment is the ego’s ultimate disappointment.” – Chogyam Trumpa
The road at times seems long and difficult and yet, if we view life in a series of steps towards our dream instead of one big long road, you may find you arrive at your destination way ahead of schedule and receive exactly what you need.
“We cannot be present, if we are always in the expectation of living.”
Why are we always waiting? We wait for so many events in our life, a baby to be born, the job we want, a house to sell, the kids to move out, or simply just waiting for the right moment to come.
When we live in a place of waiting, we are not living in the now. We convince ourselves that when the waiting is over, we will receive what we need and everything will change but because there is only this moment to fully live in, then waiting is living in anticipation of the future, which keeps us from appreciating and understanding why we are here now.
It is natural to plan for the future and for our children’s future as long as we don’t stay in the planning and going somewhere stage and pretending that life will be better once we get there.
“There is nothing to be gained by waiting for a better situation. Accept where you are now and find the beauty and joy in that situation.”
Don’t get caught up in waiting for things that may never happen as well. When we allow this moment to fully manifest and see and accept it for what it is, then we realise that this is all we have and we don’t know what might happen tomorrow or the next day.
“Waiting is a trap. There will always be a reason to wait. If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you will never enjoy the sunshine” – Morris West
To stay connected to this moment, which is all there ever is, we need to find stillness regularly. If we are always on the move just waiting for the busyness of tomorrow to arrive after the busyness of today, we are likely to miss amazing opportunities and precious moments that you will never get back.
“Don’t go through life waiting for situations to change…..make them happen now!
Day by day, step by step everything unfolds naturally when we allow it. Become aware and conscious of how you live each day and find time to slow down and see the special moments and people you love in front of you.
An extract from SoulSeeds
An 85 year old man was sitting on the sofa with his 50 year old son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window. The Father asked his Son, “What is this?” The Son replied “It is a crow”.
After a few minutes, the Father asked his Son the 2nd time, “What is this?”The Son said “I just told you “It’s a crow”. After a little while, the old Father again asked his Son the 3rd time, What is this?”
Then the son got impatient. “It’s a crow, I told you, a crow, a crow”.
A little after, the Father again asked his Son the 4th time, “What is this?”
This time the Son shouted at his Father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again. I have told you so many times ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you listening?”
A little later the Father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had kept since his Son was born. He opened a page, and asked his Son to read it. The following words were written in the diary-
“Today my three year old son was sitting with me on the sofa, and a crow was sitting on the window. He asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. It made me smile so much. I hugged him each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times, smiled and told him again. It was a beautiful moment to share.”
Remember that if someone is annoying you, they are often just doing the best they can. And remember that you were once an innocent child, asking naive but beautifully open questions. And remember that you were once a self preoccupied teenager, thinking the world only revolved around you.
When we find ourselves caught up in the world of impatience and frustration, remember to become still and see life through eyes of compassion and patience for ourselves and each other.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 