#positiveflow – Presence and Positivity

Belief Patterns

Letting go of preexisting belief patterns has become a natural flow from focusing on ‘being present with self’ in the previous post. Not to lose the fabric of one’s self or throw ethics out the window, but to open up to the possibility that thoughts may have been hindering growth and a more full existence in the past. The object is to be fresh and fully awake for what each day will bring.

If there are beliefs in you about what you can or cannot do, if you are not open to seeing ways around or through a situation, and if you hold fast to past experiences as more than a teacher then you may be limiting your present experience. Let’s make room for more of the good ‘stuff’ by eliminating what no longer serves us.

My child has adopted a pet lizard in the last month: a bearded dragon named Gandalf. In watching his lizard grow we have seen some starting signs of molting. As the lizard’s form grows, we can literally see him shed the old to make way for new; a perfect analogy to my mind in our own process of allowing our inner selves to shed as we grow and change.

Presence with Self

Gather everything you think about yourself as a strength and place these things as your focus for the longest possible increments of time. While focusing on your own strengths you will find it easier to draw out those of others as well because with practice it will become your habit. We often fall victim to patterns of habit energy ingrained in years and years of acting without clear thought about what it is that we are doing or passing on to others. How about highlighting everything that is your best and the best of others instead? When you train your mind to find the good parts of people (this means you too!) or situations it becomes easier to reside in a place of acceptance. This perspective assists with actively living from a balanced center and connecting to the infinite wisdom of your soul.

It is my goal for this week to have presence with self and to move from the center. By that I specifically mean:

1. Focus on good feeling thoughts

2. Express Gratitude

3. Act in accordance with desired change

I know there will be challenges and unpredictable occurrences but the place from which we operate can be consistent. Here’s to being consistently present and focused on the thoughts we generate about ourselves and the actions we share with others!

Please join me if you’re up for it this week and let me know how it goes …

The Journey of a Breath

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ~Thích Nhat Hạnh

I was asked today, before one of my yoga classes, to teach them how to breathe. Then they asked, “Why don’t I know how to breathe? Why hasn’t this been taught to me before, what’s the problem with our culture that we don’t know how to breathe?”

As adults, we usually breathe from our chests unconsciously. Our bodies take over and we stay alive every day with most of our attention focused on productivity, earning and spending money, food, and I’m sure you can fill in a few more blanks. This is an act that nourishes our entire bodies, calms our minds, and allows for ‘a say’ in our mood and reactions at any given time. Yet, we leave our breath to a small and quiet rhythm with little notice.

Breathing is the only vital function that we have full and continuous control over.

3 Part Breath: Reclined or seated, place one hand on your lower belly and the other on your chest. Relax your torso and begin to breath naturally, flowing toward long, slow inhales and exhales. Notice which hand rises first or if both are equal. Let your mind divide your inhale into 3 parts: lower belly, middle ribs and chest. As you begin fill your torso with air starting low and pausing in between each of these 3 sections. Retain that breath for a moment before allowing your exhale to flow slowly down and empty your torso 1/3 at a time.

Learning to breathe with purpose is about slowing down and listening, relaxing, and leaking air in slowly. This leak, this Ocean Breath, creates a sound much like the rhythmic, subtle ocean. We then have time to observe and impact the journey of each inhale and each exhale.

“Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.” ~Krishnamacharya

The Uphill Flow

Post by: Tracy Weaver, Life Coach, EFT Practitioner

So there you are doing something, some cranky ol’ bear of a task, that really really was not even on the same planet as your “Can’t wait to!” list. What’s the use, gotta get it done. What choice do you have? Physically, maybe not so many choices at the moment. But inside, in that interesting universe called your mind, your imagination? Well! If anybody knew the things you think about!

So, what you’re saying is, you actually do have choices, they’re just inside your head instead of outside. Well, what’s wrong with that? Your emotions are reactions to your thoughts, right? An idea pops up and you react to it. The thought makes you feel better, the same, or worse. If what you’re thinking isn’t helping you to feel good – seems obvious – change the thoughts! Look, if you were alone watching TV and you didn’t care much for the program, what would you do in a heartbeat? Grab that remote and find a more enjoyable program, right? Darn straight.

You may be stuck doing some task, but chances are there is some room inside to choose thoughts, memories, imaginings that make you happier. Let’s just work backwards here. Start here: how would you like to feel right now? Thought so. Well, what kind of thoughts or memories make you feel that way? Without abandoning attention to your task, could you call up just enough of a memory or use a little creative imagination to catch that feeling? That’s it, I saw that little smile. Now, hook onto that good feeling. Just enjoy its company for a bit. Doesn’t have to be a memory, you know. What about your secret plans, your cherished goals? Nobody can take those from you, and they would just love a visit from you.

If you are having a tough time getting the flow going, you might need some bigger guns, at least to start. How about some music? What tunes make you feel the best, make you soar? How about a little soulful singing on your part? Depending on your task, what about a recorded book? A self-improvement audio course? Nature sounds? If you can spare your eyes, what about movies you’ve been meaning to watch? They say you can learn anything on YouTube, right? Here’s a challenging one, how aware and alert can you be? Wake up your senses. Reach out and really hear all the sounds going on around you. What’s happening out there? How about smells? Anything you didn’t notice before? I can see you’re getting the drift.

You know, if you really wanted to, you could do your onerous task and still have a party going on inside! It’ll take some practicing, and maybe you’ll have to let go of some resentment so you have room to think some better thoughts, but really, which way would you rather spend your time? Thought so.

Our Thanks to Tracy for contributing!

Clouds & Being There

I want real things –
live people to take hold of
to see-
and to talk to-
Music that makes holes in the sky-

Georgia O’Keeffe

Finding the Positivity in today:

Think of the things that make you feel grateful. This can be and is encouraged to be simple. Is there a warm cup of tea or coffee in your day? Can you feel your feet on the ground when you stand? Are you able to feel the breath in your body? Each and every moment has something for which you can feel gratitude, if you choose.
Spend time focusing on these things and minimize anything in your thinking that does not make you feel good. If you have a tendency to fixate on problems you can practice minimizing by recognizing the thought when it comes, acknowledge it with words like “I see you there”, and then dismiss the thought that diminishes your happiness by releasing it. Learning to use the mind as a tool takes practice and will become easier with time. Know that you are responsible for your thoughts and what you allow to be present in your thinking. You deserve to focus the majority of your thoughts with areas that are uplifting, tapping into an internal source which flows compassion for humanity.
Write down the things you are thankful for each day and take note of how this feels. Try it for a week and recognize if there is a change in your ‘being’.