A Practice to Connect with our true Self
As we move through difficult situations or experience circumstances that open us to the raw and tenderness of our pain, it can be hard to not identify with the intensity of our emotions. Sometimes when strong emotions come on, it may feel like you are engulfed in them, that there is no separation between you and the sadness or anger, or whatever emotion you may be feeling.
Jnana yoga is a branch of yoga that is described as the path of knowledge and self-inquiry. It teaches us to look for the truth of who we are, to look inward and ask “who am I?”. When we become still and ask ourselves this question, we notice that the emotions we are experiencing are like the weather, they come and go, they are always changing. Underneath this weather system is a part of us that is never changing, that is always rooted in a calm and loving presence. This is the divinity that is within each of us. It is the part of us that is connected to the whole, a higher consciousness.
When we remember that we are connected to this greater and higher intelligence, we see a truer version of ourselves. We can then offer a loving spaciousness to our emotions, knowing that they are a part of our present experience and nothing needs to be different but rather that this is an opportunity to meet ourselves with more grace and compassion. Within that spaciousness we can breathe and begin to come home to an inner sanctuary.
Life is about learning to hold the full range of this human experience. When we allow ourselves to be how we are, where we are, we stop resisting and allow for transformation to occur. When we judge and see in black and white, we are closed to that higher part of ourselves. The gripping and closed off energy doesn't allow for any breathing room, there is no opportunity for things to shift. We live within a polarity planet and there will be times that we feel more of that contraction, where we want to close off, and there is a necessary element to this. Nature naturally expands and contracts. And when we can step into the witness consciousness, put our hands on our heart and let all of it be as it is, in this moment, we begin to expand. Can you be a both/and to what is - allowing the contraction and expansion to be here at the same time. This is a practice but when we meet each experience with a curiosity and a deep reverence, we see that it is here to show us a different and interesting aspect of ourselves, of life.
I invite you to the following practice. Have a journal nearby and anything to set yourself up to feel supported and relaxed.
A Practice to Connect with Your True Self
Find a quiet space where you can close your eyes and go inward.
You can be lying down or sitting on a cushion, whichever feels most comfortable.
Take a moment to orient yourself to your present moment, place one hand on the heart, one on the belly - ask yourself how you are feeling right now? Notice what thoughts are present. How is the body feeling? Are you experiencing certain emotions or sensations within the body?
Can you allow it all to be here now, without trying to change or fix anything?
Begin to deepen the breath. As you breathe in, imagine the breath expanding and creating space within the mind, within the body.
Can you begin to notice that part of you that feels rooted and grounded in love?
What does it feel like to begin to see your experience from this aspect of yourself? What do you notice? Any shifts within the body?
Continue to breathe for at least 5 minutes and stay within that space of holding and bearing witness to the life moving and living through you.
Bring your hands together at the heart center and bow down to your heart. Honor yourself for taking the time to connect with your true essence, your divinity.
May you move through your days and weeks with more grace and a deeper awareness that you are divine and also human. That two truths can be held at the same time.
And as always, Shar(e)on Lightly.
