the practice of only being

My Mission:

During our lives, we manage the complexities of our world to experience its rewards. Work, family, and friends give us a purpose. Information gives us options, and free will defines our choices. But deep down inside, information can’t provide what we hunger for: transformation in our experiences. As spiritual beings, we can bring our essence forward to lead us and deepen our experiences, transforming how we live, connect, and love. My mission is to teach others how to tune in to their essence and learn about their potential to connect with their higher selves.

Introduction to Exercise: 

We humans are composed of physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual landscapes. This inner world holds memory. Sensations, moods, or emotions from inner-world imprints guide our lives, and that’s a good thing. We are meant to feel. But some emotions can be detrimental to our well-being, such as fear, anger, frustration, or loss.

For example, we may feel tension in our bodies from locked-up emotions. We may procrastinate on goals or avoid conversations because we are unsettled by emotions. Learning to identify stressful or anxious feelings can help us tune in to our deeper selves and access intuition, creativity, and resilience. Our deeper selves are there to help us make the right choices for life’s challenges. 

I was 13 years old when my younger sister was upset about a boy who was bothering her on the bus ride home from school. Hugh and I were in the same class, but we didn’t know each other well. I confronted him where he sat in the back seat of the bus, and said I would hit him if he continued to bother my sister. He smiled and said, “Yeah, so what?” That wasn’t the response I was expecting, so I closed my fist and hit him. He looked at me blankly and said nothing. As I exited the bus with my sister, something didn’t feel right. Hugh showed no emotion, but I was full of emotions. When I got home, I went to the refrigerator but didn’t feel like eating my usual snack. I felt weighted down with an awful feeling in my gut. I was ashamed of myself. I knew Hugh to be an okay kid, and after talking to my sister, I realized he was only teasing her. He didn’t deserve to be hit. My emotions were speaking to me and asking for my attention. I walked a mile to Hugh’s house and knocked on the door. When he opened it, I said, “I shouldn’t have hit you, sorry.” Hugh taught me a valuable lesson. My feelings led me to think I had a problem when, in fact, there was none. I was learning to pay attention to my emotions and, when necessary, surrender them. When we take a moment to listen within, we can be informed by our essence, which operates without ego, anger, or fear.

By listening within, I transformed my experience with Hugh. The shifts in my attitude led me to better understand the cognitive distortions and irrational biases that had influenced my life, putting me on a karmic path that changed its course. Transformation gave me greater influence over myself and others, some of whom I never saw again after that year.    

(Exercise 1 of 22) 

Begin by sitting or lying down in a quiet and comfortable place. Notice the warmth or coolness of the air on your skin and any tension in your body. Paying attention to physical sensations helps to ground you with present-moment awareness.

Take slow, deep breaths to relax your body and mind. Inhale and exhale comfortably. Visualize oxygen filling your chest, and relax the cells in your body. Be present in the stillness within you.

Take a moment to identify and name the feelings inside you. Happy, sad, anxious, excited, angry, etc. Allow yourself to open your heart, lean in, and listen to your feelings. Be gentle as you let them speak to you.

Say to yourself, “I feel______________.” 

By listening, you pull back the hidden layers of your inner world to feel what’s there. When you take a moment to breathe and be with your feelings, you make it possible to understand them. Understanding offers you acceptance, tuning you into the timeless intelligence of your deeper self, your essence. This is where your higher self resides.

Visualize yourself as a facet of your higher self. You are the reflection. Your lifetime has brought you to this precise moment.

Say to yourself:

“May I feel empathy.”

“May I feel compassion.”

“May I feel love.”

“These feelings come from me, are for me, and for others.”

The energy of empathy, compassion, and love fosters acceptance. Acceptance frees you to be present and gives you a deeper appreciation of yourself and others.

Our essence provides us with resilience, making us emotionally flexible, less judgmental, and more forgiving. By tuning in, we lay the foundation to grow rich with independence and freedom of spirit.