How are you in your quiet moments?
Our quiet moments tell us a lot about how we can be with ourselves and with the world. Do you have quiet moments?
Do you allow yourself to pause and be with all that is here with you right now? The sounds, the feelings, the pain, the thoughts, the smells, the tastes and the energy. Do you find it challenging to stay with yourself in quiet moments? Do you avoid them? Distract yourself so you don't have to feel the discomfort? Are you scared to to be in the quiet moments?
Quiet moments reveal our true selves and allow us the space to connect deeply with ourselves. Connection happens in these quiet moments. Acceptance of what I am feeling and who I am, comes from these quiet moments. Without quiet moments we can't find inner peace and we experience more and more unease.
It's normal to feel unease when we first come to be with ourselves. The quiet can bring boredom, discomfort, anger, sadness, fear and even panic to begin with. This happens because when we come into stillness and pause it signals to our nervous system to let go. So everything we are so good at pushing down or avoiding by being busy is given permission to rise.
A few ways that we can work with this intensity of energy:
1. Place a drop of vetiver and lavender on your solar plexus and soles of your feet.
2. Sit or lay down. Place a "weighted" blanket over your torso ( from womb to heart) then another blanket all around you.
3. Instead of taking your awareness to what is feeling really uncomfortable, start with acknowledging the discomfort, PLUS something else in your reality, like a sound of a bird or wind through the trees or the oil you placed on your body. Find the peace that is also in this moment as well. Bring this peace around what you are feeling. Let LIFE in. A knowing that it is ok to be with the discomfort and there is also life unfolding amongst what my nervous system is wanting to release. It's important to not get trapped into getting taken away by the old karma that is just wanting release and creating a "new" story about it. Having an anchor to this present moment whilst the past releases is helpful to remind you to stay present as this old familiar or unfamiliar visitor passes through.
4. Hold a grounding tool like a crystal, rock, leaf, a piece of earth to support you in staying present. Grounding crystals that are wonderful for this exercise are; tigers eye, black onyx, hematite, rose quartz, jasper, carnelian, garnet and citrine.
5. Practice this in nature to begin with or outside. Outside allows your awareness and consciousness to awaken. Less opportunity for the ego to take hold and run with a new story about the old story. More opportunity of life unfolding NOW. As we see, hear and feel nature being itself, we connect with that part in ourselves too.
6. Practice having quiet moments every day. Even if you start with 5-10mins. It's the start of unpacking what's holding you back from being yourself.
I have come to love my quiet moments, not scared of them. There are still times that intense energy rises but by practicing not letting my mind engage in "inappropriate attention" ( making stories about old stories) and instead bringing my awareness to the other life that is rising in this moment (finding the peace in this moment) I can let the old visitors pass on through without too much noise from them.
In my quiet moments I can now feel deeply into life. I feel expanded, free, calm and at peace ( all whilst the noise of the visitors pop in and out at times :-)) I feel my emotions, without labels about them. I feel, see, smell, taste and hear my environment, and joy and peace rises, allowing my heart to open to life. My quiet moments have shown me and continue to show me the truth of who I am, what I am feeling and how to share that with the people around me.
In the quiet moments life meets you. It is safe. You are held. You find you.
May the quiet moments become your friend, your place of growth and inner peace.
Warmth,
Tracy Whitton
