Being Present
Fast or slow, your life is always changing. These changes can be challenging, sometimes stressful, always inevitable.
Imagine having the ability to surf the changes of your life like waves in the ocean. By being present and mindful, you have the opportunity to respond to and influence your circumstances, instead of simply reacting to and being carried away by the events in your life. By using the awareness of your breath, mind, and body, you can develop clarity and the ability to improve your life.
Mindfulness helps you develop the mental flexibility to become more focused and to see the big picture. It can also increase creativity, interpersonal communication, and stability.
Fortunately, mindfulness is not something you have to "get" or acquire. You already have the capacity to be mindful. By developing the skills of attention and moment-to-moment awareness, you can leverage this powerful resource of being present.
With that in mind, relax a bit, take a deep, cleansing breath, and quietly take in the surroundings. This is the present moment. You are present in and with this moment, with this space, and with this amazing planet. Take another deep breath and spend a few moments in mindful contemplation of your present world.
You are always in the present moment. It is your choice as to whether or not you will be mindfully present in it. It's a great gift. Use it wisely.
Ah! The Spirit
The word "spirit" has an interesting history. The earliest English derivation comes from 13th C. Middle English, earlier from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, espirit, ultimately comes from the Latin spiritus, literally, breath, from spirare: to blow, to breathe. The first definition in the online Miriam Webster dictionary reads: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.
Spirit and breath are in fact the same thing.
You live only because you breathe. As you learn to breathe with more awareness, you live with more awareness. So, as you continue to read, relax as much as you can, even if you're in a public setting. That may not be easy, but do your best. Now, notice your breathing. You'll find that it changes when you notice it. It becomes a bit more rigid, more controlled, less spontaneous. That's okay. We go through that stage as we learn to follow the breath. Ultimately, as you relax, your breath returns to a more even, flowing pattern.
Breathing Life
Breathing Life
Pay attention to your breath for a few moments. Consciously choose to breath from your abdomen rather than your chest. Let your tummy expand on the in breath and relax completely on the out breath. It is said that we should breathe through our noses. Okay, if you want to get technical. But, right now, just breathe in whatever manner is comfortable for you. Breathe in, let it out. Take a few more moments and just allow yourself to breathe. Don't force anything. Don't try to get relaxed if you can't. It's better to just be with yourself in whatever way you are responding in this moment. No one is judging you...unless you are. Allow your judgments to pass. They're actually okay, too. But there's no need to hold onto them any longer than necessary. Again, breathe in, let it out. Keep breathing in this manner for a few more moments and allow yourself some quiet contemplation. Just keep remembering that the very breath you breathe is where the Spirit resides. You exist in Spirit, and you remain in Spirit for all eternity.
You have taken the first step toward real abundance. Now, just breathe...and let it be.
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