The 4 Steps
STEP 1 Brief Introduction.
The concept of “Presentness” - being present, is being able to focus on the present rather than on what has been or what will be - the past or the future. Generally, as human beings we are NOT good at this discipline.
However, all is not lost! Advances in science confirm that our hearts can help.
Ancient wisdom taught ‘that ‘out of your heart flow the issues of life.’ In the original Aramaic language this simply means ‘living from the inside out.’ The issues of life such as acceptance, peace, rest, fulfilment, joy and love are already programmed into us, in the ‘brain’ of our heart. “My heart has a brain?” I hear you exclaim… YES. Science has confirmed it! (You can discover more about this in my book.)
The separation isolation and guilt we feel is the disconnection of our head-brain from our heart-brain. Therefore, the first step is to practise reconnecting these vitally programmed cellular management systems. In engaging with practising ‘presentness’ what you are doing is ‘creating a sacred space’where peace from conflicting thoughts is found. In other words, the goal is to bring your mind to stillness.
Let’s begin.
- Find on your phone the timer and set it for 3 minutes. Do not press start yet.
- Find a quiet comfortable place where you can sit upright and close your eyes.
- Begin to relax all the muscles in you body, especially the arms and legs: allow all tension to begin to drain away. Be conscious about this, take each area of your body in turn and feel it relax. Take several deep breaths.
- Import an ‘attitude of gratitude.’ Just say: “thank you.”
- Pick up the tool called imagination. Your imagination is a wonderful thing and we use it to help the conscious mind become present.
- I want you to imagine you are standing under a waterfall.
- Give yourself a few moments to imagine the scene, allow it to be ‘alive’ in your imagination, hear the sound of falling water, feel the water as it falls upon your body. Imagine yourself going up the waterfall.
- To help your mind focus on what you are imagining use these three words. ‘ I am loved’ and “I am enough,’ as focus words.
- Press the start button on your timer and for 3 minutes focus on ‘going up the waterfall’ while saying quietly out loud - slowly, in a whisper, I am loved, I am enough.
You will very quickly find that your mind will wander off and you get caught up in thinking about the past or future, or accusing and questioning thoughts. Do not be alarmed, this will happen. Gently re-focus your mind on being under the waterfall and keep saying your three ‘sacred words.’ (See Step 2 for help here.)
Step 1 Cont/.
Falling Upward's!
If while doing this exercise you may as you continue, sense yourself actually going up the waterfall in your imagination, then ‘let go,’ all is well. A sense of fear may intrude at this point, fear questions the ‘rightness’ of this process. Treat fear as just another thought. Be courages and adventurous and let go. What is happening is, you are beginning to fall out of time, to experience eternity.
Questioning, accusing and fearful thoughts are a way your conscious mind will try to maintain control. This is what you are wanting to manage and avoid. You want your conscious mind to know you are in control working in harmony with your heart-mind and you want your conscious mind to learn the joy of doing this, rather then feeling guilty of acting independently.
Frequency
Do this exercise at least twice a day for a week at least. You may want to increase the activity if you can - fine. In between these ‘sacred space’ moments, be mindful of your 3 ‘sacred words’ to assist in this mindfulness discipline. Another sacred word to use I recommend is ‘I AM Enough.’
If you can, each day write down what you experienced, whether difficult or easy, where your imagination took you.
Scrutinise what thoughts which disturbed you with regard to their particular quality or intent, or the emotions that were aroused that were connected to them. We’re they neutral? were they positive? were they accusatory?
Remember be deliberate in spending 3 minutes of mindfulness at least once as soon as you wake and then in the evening. You can gradually increased the time as you discover less accusatory thoughts harassing you.
Pen & Paper.
Have a pen and paper ready to jot down things you remember you must do. Once this is done you can return to your mindfulness without trying to remember those issues.
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