by Mandie
Connecting with our higher selves can calm our nerves, bring us clarity, bring us comfort, and get our minds and bodies back in balance when life has turned upside down. And there’s no doubt that these are challenging and stressful times right now. It’s not always easy to get in touch with that part of ourselves, and it is particularly hard to do so in a crisis because all the the worry, stress, and anxiety is clouding over our thinking and we’re stuck in a fog.
According to The Law of One, a channeled text from a being known as Ra (a collective of soul consciousness that serve as a memory data bank), our higher self is actually us from the future. It’s essentially a version of our soul that’s further along its path of evolution and is accompanying our physical self as a sort of guide/mentor. (If you want to learn more about what Ra has to say click here.)
Connecting with our higher selves can give us a glimpse of our true nature – which from my limited understanding is like a pure love energy with unlimited potential and no fear and resistance. It gives us a reprieve from the anxiety we feel as a result of everything going on in our lives.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
– Buddha
Clear the Clutter
You can’t expect to be able to go from feeling stressed out and overwhelmed to a calm and clear state of consciousness. The struggles of life sometimes need to be addressed in a practical way, or at least make an actionable plan of something you can do toward resolving the problems. Some things are obviously outside of our control, and we’re forced to make the best of things the way they are.
Clear up the clutter in your mind so you can stop spinning your wheels and mentally relax.
Write down everything that’s on your mind – what your thoughts and feelings are about what you’re struggling with. If there are any actions you can take that would help ease your mind, pick one and do it.
“Suffering is due to our disconnection with our inner soul. Meditation is establishing that connection.”
– Amit Ray
Meditate for 5-10 Minutes
I know it sounds short, but here are my reasons:
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a very busy mind. When I try to meditate for 20 minutes or so, I either start getting frustrated with how much my mind wanders, I start falling asleep, or I never even meditate at all because I don’t have enough time.
When I decide to meditate for less time, there’s a higher likelihood of me actually doing it.
Sit in a way that’s comfortable, in a chair or on the floor. Try to have decent posture, and if that’s difficult due to body tension or injury you can sit with your back against a wall or lean against the back of a chair. This tip came from my husband, who’s been studying martial arts/healing arts/mind-body training for over 20 years. You can even lie down to meditate, just proceed with caution if you tend to fall asleep when you relax!
You don’t actually have to be sitting in a traditional posture with your thumb and fingers touching to calm your mind. Although this may be ideal, our busy lives don’t always provide us the luxury of being able to do things in the best possible way. It’s better to make time to practice meditating when and however we can than not do it at all because we don’t have an ideal situation for it.
In fact if we can get better at relaxing our body and mind in any given situation throughout the day, we begin to live in the present moment more and more of the time.
I like to focus on feeling one part of my body relaxing at a time, every time I exhale. Working from the top down, I start with relaxing the face and head, then the neck, shoulders, upper back and chest, stomach and lower back, pelvis, and so on until I get to my feet. I do a few breaths for each body “section.” This gets my focus away from my thoughts and releases tensions I didn’t even realize I had.
Another thing I’ve found helpful is to not get upset when I notice my mind wandering. Just acknowledge the thought, then bring your attention back to your breathing or physical body.
Read something in the spiritual genre
Read something in the spiritual genre that feels true to you. Some of my favorite books, are The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama, The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, A Course in Miracles or related works. Or listen to related podcasts or radio shows. These help remind me that we are more than our bodies and minds and are part of something much, much bigger.
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Photo credit: Kirsty Barnby on Unsplash