Last week I shared how self-discovery is like peeling back layers on an onion.
But where did the layers come from?
When we were born, our soul was pure, open, fluid. We were present and connected to our true nature.
It’s no wonder we feel so enamoured when we’re around an infant, it’s like magic seeing them enjoy every moment with curiousity and openness.
As we become more engaged in the world, we learn from our parents, school, society that there are expectations of how we’re to act, think, be, and what life is all about. Year after year, we continue to layer on the conditions, expectations, limitations, not realizing they become imprinted on our soul, causing us to see and experience the world through a different pair of eyes.
The beauty is, we can be free from the narratives, we’ve picked up and collected through the years.
Being present is our natural state of being. Not being present is our unnatural state.
It is not about fixing anything or acquiring anything. It is actually the opposite - we are dissolving, releasing and lightening our load.
What is required is being present with our thoughts and feelings, exploring, observing, being inquisitive.
For most people the mind is going nonstop from the time they open their eyes in the morning until they close them again at night to go to sleep. All they focus on day in and day out, are their thoughts. So much so, that for most of the day our thoughts are calling the shots, they are in the driver’s seat.
How do we shift this?
Mindfulness.
Our mindfulness practice means we are setting an intention to pay attention. We are noticing and observing rather than being on autopilot.
The thing is…
I don’t know what my next thought is going to be, do you? I’m not sitting here creating my next thought and then the next – they are coming into my awareness naturally.
The problem is we start to believe we are our thoughts and when we do this, we have forgotten who we really are. We are experiencing our small self and have lost connection to our real Self.
When we are fully identifying with our thoughts, we are not connected to our essence but when you get into the practice of being the observer of thought rather than fully identifying with thought, life becomes a lot sweeter.
Anytime you become aware you aren’t present, you are present.
THIS is where choice lies - in the moment that you become aware. You then have a choice to keep thinking or you can pause and take a breath.
Meaning you aren’t pushing the thought away.
You are noticing the thought.
You are choosing to place your focus inward.
You are giving the mind something else to focus on.
You are ‘giving the dog a bone’.
If some thoughts are really harsh and judgmental, they are coming from the Inner Critic which is the internalized parent. This is old conditioning. When we start to inquire and question this inner voice, we are becoming conscious of the unconscious. We are loosening the grip of shame and judgment imposed by the Inner Critic and reclaiming our power and connect to Self.
With our mindfulness practice we are showing up.
We aren’t fighting with the thoughts or trying to control them – we are observing them and making a choice where we wish to place our focus, and with inquiry gaining an understanding of where they may be coming from.
Remember, this takes practice! It’s a life-long journey.
With love,
Diane