Presence Practice by Stephanie

In times we feel emotionally unbalanced, stressed, lacking focus, energy etc.....having a presence practice helps return us to balance.

As I talk about in Chapter Two of my book Reclaiming JOY, the emotional roller coaster is not sustainable and keeps us stuck. We react and often cause more turmoil.

This simple presence practice, called BRFWA, (we love and use often at the Sanctuary) brings us back to a relaxed state where our emotions are in balance.

From this place of emotional balance or equanimity, we are able to ride the emotional wave without drowning in it / losing ourselves for too long. In equanimity we find our way back to peace and clarity and perhaps even a chuckle. Once clear, we are able to take clear, focused action that keeps us on the path of peace as we move toward our goals. Let's go!

BRFWA Explained (Give yourself at least 5 minutes to experience this).

Breathe: As a wave of emotion comes over you, slow down your breath. 
Allow your breath to flow freely in and out. 

Relax: As you slow down your breath, your mind and body will begin to relax. 
Soften your muscles, let go of mental and physical tension.

Feel: As you relax, you are able to soften into what you are feeling.
Stay open to the sensations and emotions moving through you in this moment.

Watch: While feeling, you watch your experience closely, neither grasping what is pleasant nor pushing away what is painful.

Allow: As you watch, you allow the process to unfold. 
You accept yourself and your experience exactly as it is, dropping the need to change it in any way.  

BRWFA is the practice of being present. 

Being present is what we learn during meditation. ​

Namaste,
Stephanie

While teaching yoga yesterday I heard myself saying, "life is what you see".  If you see beauty, you will experience beauty. If you see ugliness, you will experience ugliness.

I proceeded to follow up by asking the yogi's to consider what might be different if they looked at a mess as a masterpiece instead. After all, what we see...is what we get...right? AKA our perspective is our reality. 

Our perspective is our reality is not a new idea to many of us. I have written and spoken about it frequently. However, what feels differently now is this: it's one thing to "say" it and another thing to "live" it. In my interactions with people these days (myself included), I feel we are a being called to really "live" it.

What do I mean?
To live the idea that what we see it what we get!!! To truly madly deeply believe it. To be in the practice of seeing all of our life experience as a masterpiece in the making.  Doing this, we turn the mess into an opportunity. We gain new sight while learning how to open our heart to every damn moment we face, like it or not. Like it or not. Like it or not.
So often the "mess" and the "ugly" tempt us to close our heart. Temptation is a teacher.  The lesson is to stay open to the pulse of life and it is only from our heart space where we do this.

In my experience, opening our heart fully to what is before us is what life is all about.
Why?
So many reasons. A closed heart leads to suffering. A closed heart keeps out the dark as well as the light. At the end of life most would agree living with a closed heart didn't bring joy. The list goes on. Perhaps living with a closed heart is simply too hard...not sustainable...there's that suffering again.

I will share something Mark Nepo says- and I am paraphrasing here. We learn as much from the mess we make as we do from the masterpieces. In the process of creating the mess and/or the masterpiece (at times we are creating both at once!) the heart is called to open. When we are resistant, our heart will be forced open with tears; when we are surrendered, our heart will be loved open with song.  

My invitation to the yogi's, and now to you is which do you prefer?
Resistance or Surrender?
Tears or Song?
Mess or Masterpiece?
Does it really matter? No. Why?

Because how I choose to see "it", whatever "it" is, determines whether it's a  masterpiece or a mess...and PS aren't tears a song too?

What I will say is the more I surrender to what is before me, and allow my heart to be loved open, I sing the masterpiece into being...sometimes while crying tears of joy...doing the hokey pokey and turning myself/perspective around...cause that's what it's all about...opening to love...letting go...surrendering...singing a song of gratitude for the blessing of awakening to new sacred sight...accepting my power to choose seeing all of it as a masterpiece in the making...experiencing deep peace.

When we choose from the perspective of masterpiece in the making, our choices begin to align with our highest self.

Aligning with our highest self is the experience of "samadhi" which is the 8th limb of yoga. It means, a peace that passeth all understanding...bliss...what else is there!!??
Doing the hokey pokey and turning myself/perspective around...cause that's what it's all about. 

What will you choose?

Namaste, 
Stephanie