As an everyday topic, we tend not to mention the word ‘love’. Yet if we were to be very honest with ourselves, and each other, love is what we all want in life. The word ‘love’ has different meanings according to how we use it: we may say we love a certain food but mean we like it very much, whereas when we say we love a certain person we mean a deeper love for all that person is and gives back to us. Two people may meet and apply different meanings when they say they love each other. Romantic love is difficult to sustain under this variance. We may have ‘ideals’ of what a perfect love will be like, and everyone’s picture will be different. In these ways the word ‘love’ brings separation because everyone will apply a different meaning to it according to their pictured ideal.
We are made from love. Observe a small baby, how they smile and move gently, responding to everyone equally, their body language is very open. Can you see a depth of wisdom in the way a baby presents themselves? They reflect a stillness to us. They accept us for what we are, they do not need us to be anything else. Could this be true love? Could this love be a living stillness that a baby reflects to us and which we feel compelled to observe and just ‘be’ with? We experience an unconditional acceptance by another person (the baby), that means we are absolutely met for the very essence of who we are - an amazing, lovable being at our core.
We are still that small baby inside, although now disguised as an adult! If we can get that reflection of the unconditional love that is inside us from a small baby, how powerful are we? It follows that we too, all of us, can reflect that to each other, if we choose to do so. With unconditional love there comes a responsibility to be that love. Is true love in the living stillness that connects us to everyone else? Do we all have that, equally so? In daily life, where we are called to live and move around and with other people, we have an inner life that pretty much lies inside us, undiscovered. Let’s discover it.
Where does space end and the Universe begin? Science is finding that space is not empty - it’s full of particles moving in order and harmony. The particles making up what appears to be empty space oscillate at a higher rate than the particles in our bodies do. We can experience the particles in space as stillness, can we also feel that stillness in ourselves? The world is designed to take us away from our connection with our bodies, and the stillness within us. Have you ever wondered why, despite our technological advances illness, disease and discontentment, resulting in wars and other unsettlements are increasing? Do we feel ‘settled’ in ourselves? Something to ponder on. We are always in the presence of this space - it is all around us, and we are only a few breaths away from connecting to it.
Gentle Breath. That is why if we can cultivate a gentle breath, as opposed to a heavy, racy or irregular breath, we can align to the energy Field of Love, of stillness within and outside of us. We can be connected to this source of Love all the time and be settled in ourselves. If we practice daily the Gentle Breath Meditation® for a few minutes, we find our stillness starts to last as we move around and go about our work or whatever we normally do. We begin to notice when we are not connected to the stillness within, and can easily re-connect by coming to a stop, then resuming our gentle breath.
We deserve gentleness. We are delicate, sensitive beings. It is what our bodies respond to and we can demonstrate this for ourselves. Just bringing our awareness to a part of our body, for example our feet, is very healing for them, and the rest of our body too. The body responds, and that part we bring our conscious presence to will feel lighter, possibly warm and relaxed, which has an effect on the whole body. When the mind is aligned to the body, the mind will settle. Gradually we remember how to love and care for ourselves, and the body responds by calling for more self-care to help us deepen into the love inside us.
By developing self-care and learning about the love in our own body we can start to develop a body that can more easily align to the stillness within. In doing so, we are tipping the balance of what is wrong and unsettled in the world with what is true and loving and deeply settled. Our energies are shared around as they flow into and out of our bodies. This is demonstrated by the Eden Project (Invisible Worlds Exhibition, 2018). If our particles flow out in harmony and stillness to other people, then they feel they can be this too. If we are moving in a driven, possibly anxious or distracted way, so too will other people feel that. Do we want to leave energetic imprints in the world that are racy, imposing and harming, or do we want to share particles that are gentle, nurturing and loving towards others?
How do we start with self care? Notice your thoughts, just observe them. Are they loving and supportive to yourself and others, or are they harsh and self-bashing, critical of yourself and others? Don’t judge yourself, just observe. Sort of like taking an inventory of your thoughts. Move around more gently, which doesn’t have to be slow, simply having due regard for where and how you place your body with care. By changing our focus in life to appreciation of what we already are, our thoughts will naturally change. In a calm and settled state, our body is readily responding to life, our skills and strengths are at their best, and are available to us.
Is self-care selfish? Not at all. If we are feeling empty inside, we only have emptiness to share. The more we have enjoyable rituals to care for ourselves the more our essence can naturally allow its light to be felt. The more love we have for ourselves, the more love we have to share with others. Could our being this way improve our own health by, in turn, improving our relationships and our working lives? Let’s see…
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