Travel the World & Take Time Out
Travel and taking time out puts life in perspective. It cultivates gratitude, encourages ease and flow, and opens up a whole new world of potential and opportunity. I have spent much of my life wondering why things are the way they are. Why do we do the things we do? Where do our impulses and behavioural patterns come from? Where do our thoughts come from? Why can't we all just get along? And today as I write, I realize that my desire to know is slowly being replaced with my desire to simply be. Actually, it is more of a continually shifting paradigm, whereby the thoughts that used to consume me, aren't really there anymore. Where did they go? Well, I supposed it's the whole process of unlearning.
Thoughts into Reality
Realizing that our thoughts create our reality and so, diligently choosing different thoughts until the old ones have completely disappeared. Often, it can feel like a battle. Maybe we spend a few days, weeks, months floating around, feeling happy and upbeat, positive and energized. 'Ooooh, I feel amazing. Life really is so beautiful! Nothing can bring me down.' We feel superhuman, pursing our lips in pity at those who are feeling a little down, offering words of wisdom, because we have overcome and we have really figured out the secret to success...and then, one day something happens, a trigger, a word, a glance and then the mind wanders down an old battle ground, stumbles upon some mines and spears, maybe tempted to pick up a weapon and attack.
The Power of the Mind
You brew, your eyebrows begin to furrow and your heart starts beating faster, and you're thinking 'if that other person could just realize how hard I work, how tired I am, how burdened I feel and how much I really do...' Festering in a slump of negativity. And then, a flash moment, you realize where the hell you are and what you are doing and how completely insane you are! You think, 'hold on.' 'Stop.' 'This does not feel good.' And then a moment of surrender. 'Please God, release me from this burden, release me from my pain, from my old patterns.' And then it comes. Forehead relaxes. Breath deepens. Body softens and you feel relieved. Suddenly, there is more space, there is forgiveness, compassion...maybe a little tear, because you realize how hard you've been on yourself or someone you love dearly. And this is the power of the mind.
Shifting Awareness
With awareness, we can change the course we are on and drastically change how we feel about ourselves and the world. Saying all that, it's great when there is instantaneous relief, when we catch ourselves, when we win the battle. However, some are ongoing, some take great persistence to see it through to the end, until we completely dissolve that pattern of anger or resentment, or whatever it may be. And the beautiful paradox is this: it happens when we really start to love and accept every little bit of who we are, right now. The moment we fight it, start hating it, get all bent out of shape, willpowering our way to try and change, we only add fuel to the fire, we create more tension, we keep the battle going strong.
Holiday in Cambodia
Last year, I was working through a lot of 'stuff.' And the end of year culminated in a month-long travel holiday to Cambodia where I was fortunate to have destiny encounters where complete strangers would say something in a way that I had never really heard before. These words go deep. Often things people have been saying to you your whole life, but the stars line-up and suddenly there's an epiphany, an 'ah-ha' moment. Not only do you hear the words, you feel them. They go right to your heart and you can see where you've been going wrong. Where you've been pushing too hard, where your thinking's been a bit distorted. And all this, from purchasing a ticket to a foreign country because all you knew, was that you needed a break. And this is the miracle. These are the moments where you know it is all perfect, that life is Divine, that all the lessons you need to learn will come to you at exactly the right time and place, and the more you trust, the more you open, everything gets better. Life gets easier. You're listening, observing more intently for the signs, the signals, the impulses that keep guiding you toward your purpose. And, it is oh, so beautiful. Just over a week has past since I returned from my glorious holiday in Cambodia. I'm a little tired, I'm as busy as ever. But something feels different. I feel lighter, I feel more empowered. I feel that little bit more trusting that everything I need will appear at just the right moment and that the Universe totally has my back. That I need not struggle, push or force my way into life, that I need only allow life to unfold, to meditate, to keep smiling and do whatever my inner voice tells me, even if it feels a little scary sometimes!
Emptying my Mind
Today, I am in bed. It's midday, and I am writing down some thoughts about my experience on life...whatever that means. I admit whole-heartedly that I do not really know anything, and this confession makes me feel light, happy and relieved. Inwardly, in this moment I know only that I want to continue breathing, smiling and emptying my mind of closedness, of darkness, of negativity. I know that I want to be a light for this world, that I want to be free and peaceful...oh, and travel the world and take time out. Hallelujah!
Emptying your mind can be achieved in many ways from taking up meditation, or even through yoga. If you are interested in looking within, All to love have a variety of courses from our online yoga course to our online spirituality course.
