Last week I was, once again, reminded of the transformative power of having a tender and self-compassionate approach towards myself and my experience. It is everything.
One morning, I woke up feeling a bit out of sorts. I felt a heaviness in my body and then my mind kicked in and started judging my experience.
In hindsight this was showing up after feeling a sense of expansiveness days before. And the ego’s response to expansion is - contraction.
Gratefully, I had a session booked with my teacher that day so I was able to share my experience. She proposed, letting the heaviness be there and sharing from the immediacy of my felt experience rather than my thoughts around it.
When I let the heaviness be there, breathed into my experience and explored with curiousity, a warm loving presence within showed up as a support.
When my session was over, I felt spacious, open and had a sense of knowing that the part that felt alone or heavy had been absorbed. It was no longer alone; it was part of the One.
This experience reaffirmed the value of a ‘hands off’ approach or non-doing, knowing there is nothing to fix, and also the value of having a teacher who can objectively provide support and guidance with their compassionate presence.
After the session I pulled the card ‘Perception’.
On the back it said…
‘I do not really have “problems”; I only think I do by the way I interpret my circumstance. A “problem” is an illusion. It is a limiting perception without gratitude.’
More wisdom and support from the Universe.
As I am writing about my experience now, I am feeling a spaciousness and gratitude for the tools and support that offer such a loving and compassionate approach to my journey of self- discovery.
The path of self-discovery is not about comfort. Our ego mind, however, is all about comfort.
Always choosing comfort over feeling keeps us stuck in the illusion of the ego. That future moment of peace will always be elusive and at arm’s length. Because there is a goal to change what is real in this moment.
If there is a goal to feel different or to be doing our daily practice to feel different, we are missing the mark. We are trapped in the confines of our ego structure.
True Nature will show us the way ‘back home’ when we take a hands-off approach and explore with compassion in the here and now. I am in awe of the transformative power of non-doing.
If we desire a deeper connection to Self, it can only be experienced in this moment. Exploring our felt-sense objectively is the doorway.
I have explored many different paths over the years, and it wasn’t until I let go of the goal of needing to feel peace all of the time, when I was willing to be in this moment, that transformation began to unfold and continues to unfold in the most mysterious and magical ways.
So, can we allow ourselves and others to feel what we are feeling, while letting go of the judgments or comparisons?
In our society there is a goal to be happy, and everything else pales in comparison.
But what happens when we don’t feel happy? Then what? Are we failures or less than?
The Inner Critic will say things like,
‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘You shouldn’t be feeling this way.’
‘Other people aren’t feeling like this.’
‘Get over it.’
I wonder…what’s more painful? Feeling our feelings or criticizing ourselves for having the feelings?
What I’ve witnessed time and time again is when someone is given the space to share their feelings in a safe and nonjudgmental space, healing happens.
It did for me last week.
When our thoughts and feelings are explored with compassion and met with understanding, there is resolve and clarity. We feel whole, grounded and more connected to who we are.
It is not a weakness to ask for help, it is a strength. That is why I have teachers and my teachers have teachers. They provide objectivity and guidance that helps to shine light on the truth.
If you are feeling stuck or disconnected from who you are and life around you, and are ready to move forward in your life, please reach out for a free consult. I’d love to support you. We don’t have to stay stuck and we don’t have to suffer.
With love and light,
Diane