Breathe, Relax, Feel, Watch, Allow
The amazing part of being human is our ability to step into the seat of witness consciousness. It is not something we are taught in school, or even by our parents, at least not in those terms. The opportunity to pay attention to our wandering thoughts and emotions that often times seem to take over, is one we fall short of taking advantage of most of the time. In my opinion, there are no emotions we have that are bad, they are part of our experience because they inform us about what is going on with how we are relating to our circumstances and our higher self. They should not be ignored, dismissed or put down. It is hard not to take our adverse emotions personally, but don’t! Your thoughts and emotions are tools, they are not the essence of your being. When we practice observation without judgment, we strengthen the muscle of pause.
The cornerstone of the Kriplau tradition of yoga I studied, is self-study. This technique I am about to teach you, is an amazing tool, meditation or mantra. Use it how ever you like to. In my “Dig Deeper” video, I guide you through the process as a meditation with additional cues.
Prompt: Next time you are experiencing anxiety, depressive feelings, self doubt, limiting beliefs or another emotion or thought that you would like to shift into something different, try this:
Find a quiet comfortable seat.
Take serval long, slow, deep breaths.
Repeat the five main key words to your self and take several breaths between each one.
It’s not enough to just to say the words but you need to shift your perspective to fully engage in each one. This will change your life if you use it.
BREATHE: notice the sensations of your breath, the rise and fall of the belly and chest, the stretching of the body. from the inside out.
RELAX: Lean back into the space behind you a little, soften any parts of the body you are holding, let go of tension.
FEEL: Notice sensations in the body and your senses.
WATCH: Tune into the witness consciousness. The ability to see your self just as you are right now.
ALLOW: As you deepen into that witness perspective, simply let your thoughts and emotions be what they are. They wash over you just like a wave and before you know it, it shifts.
When you first start this practice, go through the process several times. I suggest doing it as a morning meditation, that way it will become familiar to you when you need to call on it in a time where stuff maybe coming up, you will be able to access it more easily.
I am so excited to offer this tool to you. It is such a powerful way to take control of any situation you find your self in. Problems are only problems if we believe they are. With attention and action you can change the way you feel and think by paying attention. Keep up the good work and let me know if you would like to connect to gain some more insight and knowledge into this type of self inquiry. I would love to work with you.
