Seeds of Insight 030 - Autumn Lockdown...or Retreat Part 1 - Where am I?
Dear Ones,
As we are slowly settling into another lockdown, it is an opportunity to turn inwards, slow down and reframe it as a retreat. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, grandiose and life-changing. It can also be subtle, loving and quiet. I sit in this one and invite you in.
Last weekend, we started a series of lockdown MindRests on Zoom to support ourselves and each other as we turn this lockdown into a retreat. Yes, the word retreat is often associated with palm trees, fresh coconuts and expensive yoga pants. But that’s not what this is.
True retreat has nothing to do with a sunny location or wearing any pants at all. It is a retreat back to ourselves, it’s a retreat into the Heart. What an opportunity to choose this now, when outward movement is restricted anyway!
You can still join if you feel called, but if yoga is not for you, or the time slot doesn’t fit, I decided to share the inquiry with you so that you can investigate for yourself, in your own time.
Where do I stand right now?
Undoubtedly, knowing where you are going starts with knowing where you stand right now, in this very moment, during this period of your life. Last Sunday's MindRest, we explored this question through all 4 bodies - circumstantially, physically, mentally and emotionally. We started with what we are grateful for as this typically goes overlooked by our survival-biased minds. We then explored what we would like to change. And to make it more concrete, we gave a score from 1 to 5 to each of these 4 parts of ourselves.
Recognising the full spectrum of our experience allows us to clarify what needs our attention during the autumn months. We may discover through this inquiry, that our attention dwells in parts of our experience that we tend to indulge in, while we overlook what really needs our care. It’s natural, but not always helpful. So this is an exercise of recognition, inclusion and ultimately, care.
Where do I move from?
As we “collect” all fragmented parts of our self, we start moving from our centre, our heart, rather than our mind. These two movements feel very different.
When we move from our heart, we are dancing with life, rather than swimming against it. There is no agenda, no rigid to-do lists and no expectations, no goals, no tightness. There is no effort, nothing to protect and no one to compare against or compete with. These are all indulgences of our mind, but the Centre, the Core, has nothing to do with the mind.
When we move from our heart, we are generous and ever abundant. We don’t “give away”, we don’t lose anything. There is nothing for "us" to gain either. For our true Centre isn't "ours" - it isn't personal, it doesn't belong to us and isn't for "us". It is part of and one with a greater vaster unfolding.
Mysteriously, this is deeply fulfilling and utterly ungraspable for our mind.
What do I really want?
Next Sunday, we will set an intention for the last two months of the year - an intention of the heart, rather than the mind. We will discover how to go from a superficial intention to a deeper, more essential one. It may not be one of many achievements. It may not be one of changing your life inside out. It may not even be in words. This season is not calling for big outward shifts anyway. It may well be something quiet, invisible to the eye, so subtle that you are the only one to notice the difference. True power resides in subtlety, in grace, in humility.
If you feel the call to join, feel warmly welcome - 5pm on Sunday, for some yoga, silence and rest. If you missed last week’s MindRest, you may want to catch up with the inquiry above. It will support you in formulating an intention.
1:1 Mindfulness
Do you feel called to mindfulness but you struggle to develop a daily practice? I’m a certified Mindfulness Now teacher and would be honoured to share my love for this practice with you. I offer in person and online mindfulness sessions in a 1:1 therapeutic setting. I infuse them with sound healing and self-inquiry. Through this intimate format, I meet you wherever you are at. Not sure this is for you? Book a free online consultation and get a feel for my energy.
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