Rushed?
Well, it’s been a year now since I made the promise to myself.
After a summer that was far too busy, rushing here and there, trying to get dinner ready, my upcoming class organized, my son ready for school, laundry, shopping, cleaning etc etc etc… I finally threw my hands up in the air and said “I am not doing this anymore!!!”
And I promised myself that I simply would not rush anymore. I don’t mean just rushing out the door or rushing in traffic. I mean no more rushing at all.
That meant from the way I get out of bed in the morning to my shower to the way I prepare meals or style my hair to doing laundry to walking to the store…. you get the picture.
Every time I noticed myself rushing, even if it was just while chopping an onion, I took a breath and made myself slow down.
While I’m sure a few moments slipped past my notice, for the most part it made a huge difference.
Did you know that if you rush home from work, you’re more likely to rush while preparing dinner and more likely then to keep rushing even as you eat? You get so caught up in rushing that you do it even when you don’t have to!
Don’t even get me started on multi-tasking! (I don’t believe in it at all.)
If you slow down, you might be surprised to find that you still get everything done that you need to (some less important things might have to wait till tomorrow) and here’s the best part: You’ll feel good at the end of the day.
I have often talked about meditation being a time when you connect with your “highest self” or Spirit or whatever you want to call it.
And I noticed that when I was rushing, I felt disconnected. Call me spoiled, but I like feeling connected to that beautiful, loving energy all day and all night long.
So the logical decision was… no more rushing!
I hear you saying that you’ll never get everything done in the day if you don’t rush and multi-task. I know that’s what you truly believe and what most of society reflects and almost expects of you.
You don’t have to try my way if you don’t want to. But if you want to feel peaceful, be healthier and happier, have better relationships and a more balanced life, why not give it a try?
I can’t believe it’s been a year already. It’s easier than you think.
Just observe yourself and when you notice that you’re rushing, close your eyes and take at least one conscious breath.
Remind yourself that everything works much better when you are “connected” and then continue your activity in a more mindful way.
I think you will be positively surprised by the results.
Finding your Happiness
I was wondering today about how different my life is from the norm in our present society. I spend hours each day meditating, practice reiki and lead meditation groups for a living. But even more than that, I don’t make plans or think things through too much. I try to sense what I’m being guided to do and to trust that. This calls for taking some risks but has always led me to happiness. It really works so well that I would never dream of going back to the other way (ie plan-making).
So I was thinking: How did I come to be helping others live more like this? Why are they happier when they do? Why do I feel called to do this and if it is so important, why don’t we all know how to do it naturally?
And it suddenly became clear to me that we once did. There was a time, not very long ago, when all human beings on Earth lived much more in tune with their spiritual selves. It came much more easily because we lived much closer to nature, and were therefore surrounded by life energy and everything that it was communicating to us on subtle levels constantly. In some cultures in the so-called “developing” world, this is still true.
Listening to our hearts must’ve been a lot easier then. It would’ve whispered in the sound of wind through the leaves of a tree or spoken to us as our gaze met that of a passing deer in the woods. Today that tender voice is constantly drowned out by television, radio, traffic, telephones, crowded malls and all the other noise, so much so that we almost don’t notice anymore. We almost don’t notice anymore how sadly disconnected we are from our own inner selves.
It makes me sad to even write that. We need so desperately to reconnect. For our own survival, happiness and health; as well as the survival, happiness and health of every other form of life on our Earth. Only by being so disconnected could we have managed to mess things up as much as we have with our natural environment; to treat animals with such cold brutality; not to mention how we treat each other.
Once again, I place my hope in meditation. If we all learn to meditate, we will feel what we are doing to each other, to animals, to the Earth itself. Our breath connects us with that life force flowing through all things and reminds us that we are all one. And without needing a lecture, a guilt-trip, a threat or shock to make us do it, we will stop our egocentric behavior and start to play our part in restoring balance – to our outer and inner worlds at the same time.
At least, that’s what happened for me.
How did we manage to get so far away from ourselves? That is a great question that we can and perhaps should each be asking. But the good news is, no matter how long it may take to find an answer, today, in fact, in this very moment – by making your next few breaths conscious ones – you can begin the journey back to wholeness.
Can Meditation help you in your relationships?
Can meditation help you in your relationships?
The answer is a great big YES!
A lot of people who come to me for counseling or to join a meditation group are
experiencing difficulty in one or more relationships in their lives. Sometimes it’s
serious – abuse or very very toxic.
Other times, it’s just that person at work that irritates the heck out of them…
After letting them vent for a bit, I gently test the waters to see whether they are
willing to do their part in creating change in that relationship.
And so often, they are astounded to hear me say that without even needing to
involve the other person, they can improve the relationship.
Of course, this is done through meditation.
There are several methods involved but one of the most powerful and empowering
is finding out what you are doing, consciously or unconsciously, to attract this
situation into your life.
(pause here for protest: “I’m not doing anything to attract this! He/she is just _____!!”
Okay, now take a breath and read on…)
Once we accept and uncover our role in it, the conflict usually disappears.
Everything’s a lesson. Once the lesson’s learned, it can go away.
I’ve seen this work in marriages, between siblings, friends, co-workers, parents and
their kids….
And of course, it has worked wonders in my own life. I can honestly say that I am at
peace with everyone in my life. If something comes up which disturbs that peace, I
meditate on it and inevitably find the lesson, which leads me to an even deeper
peace.
The people you think are driving you crazy are not the problem. Buddhist thought
would say that they are your teachers.
Your reaction, however, might be a problem.
Here’s the bottom line: You’ll never find peace by trying to change them. So why not
try changing you?
My Law of Attraction/meditation class in September is designed to help you create
the life you want – including relationships.
Register Here
check www.sitadookeran.com and “classes and workshops” or e-mail me for more
info: sita@sitadookeran.com
Meet Sita
Profound change is within your reach
“I have a vision of everyone waking up and starting their day by meditating – even just for a few minutes. How would this city – this world – change if everyone started their day by connecting with their Higher Self?”
Slowing Down
My mother was a stay at home mom. With 5 kids and a husband to take care of, it was a big job! I loved having her there when I came home from school.
These days, many women are working outside of the home and still trying to fulfill all the emotional and physical needs of their families. I wonder sometimes how long it will take before we realize how ridiculous this is. There are so many reasons why this is not working and will never work. We are women – not super-women. We don’t need to be super-women. We just need to be.
Recently I found myself thinking about my grandmother. The simplicity of her life seemed like a long lost paradise that we had banished ourselves from, without realizing it at the time.
I longed to spend an afternoon just chopping up vegetables for a home-made soup, like she did, rather than running home from work and throwing something in the microwave or buying something on the way.
Why are we striving to accomplish so much every day that it leaves us feeling exhausted and eventually burnt out? What is driving this insane pace of life? I could go into lengthy explanations of what I see happening here but instead I’d like to offer you one piece of advice: Meditate.
I consider meditation to be the ultimate self-care. Not only does it require that we put everyone else’s needs and demands on hold for a few minutes a day, just to tune into ourselves, but it also connects us with that very place inside us that holds the answers to the above questions: Why am I doing all this? What am I running from? Who am I trying to impress? Compete with? Conform to? Please? What void am I trying to fill? What am I afraid I’ll feel if I slow down?
Insights and answers turn to wisdom and clarity over time, and we soon find ourselves living lives of balance and joy instead of deadlines and to-do lists. Meditation is a great way to start making time for yourself a priority, which will help you to very naturally slow things down to a pace that is healthy for you. And if you do it, everyone will benefit because you’ll be happier and calmer.
Remember, you only need a few minutes a day to start feeling the changes in your life. How about 8 conscious breaths before getting out of bed in the morning? That would be a great start. Try it tomorrow and see how your day goes. Spending those first few moments of your day in peace and quiet will make a huge difference over time. YOU ARE WORTH IT!!