Feeling Your Pure Energy
As I prepare to travel and head out on silent retreat, I notice a mixture of excitement and feeling a little unsettled. I love going places. I love seeing people, being in the mountains, hiking, and spending time in silence. The mind naturally wants to figure out why I feel unsettled. It starts offering “logical” explanations. I will miss my wife, my kids, family, and friends. I will be away from business responsibilities and the meaningful work that requires my loving attention. The mind/ego simply wants to keep me safe by searching for reasons and trying to solve what I’m feeling inside.
It can’t!
Maybe you know this feeling too. Or maybe you don’t. When I was younger, I would have pushed that feeling down or ignored it. After decades of mindfulness and somatic practice, I've learned to leave the mind and go into the energy-body. To feel the energy in the body and breathe into it, simply bringing awareness to the sensations.
This is part of the second Discovery in Shine: that decisions are made out of love or fear:
First, you become aware of blocked energy and where it is stored in the body.
Then, you begin to clear the blocked energy. Sometimes using the breath is enough.
As the energy softens, your True Self emerges.
From there, you begin moving through life as your True Self, with more love, more openness, and more capacity to see the beauty in every moment.
Journaling prompt
Where in your life are you trying to figure out your feelings with the mind, and what might shift if you simply breathed into the energy in the body instead?
Final Thought
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Wishing you lots of joy!
Much love ♥️
Rob