Becoming Yourself

Becoming Yourself

In a sense we never completely “become ourselves”; we are always in the process of becoming. But in order to have a sense of the beauty of that process, invite yourself today to consider exactly where you are in your journey.

                            Daphne Rose Kingma: A Garland of Love

If somebody asks us “Who are you”?, we most often answer by telling them about our profession, perhaps our age or our civil status, and maybe what hobbies we have. Now, all that tells them are “outer facts”, like our place in society, but not who we are deep inside. Perhaps we don’t want to get that intimate with strangers, but let’s at least try to answer that question in a deeper way for ourselves… 

So: Who are you? Once you’ve answered that question, there’s a second one: “Where do I come from?” Take a look back and acknowledge the path you’ve made. You’ve come a long way!  However, you want to continue. 

What can you do TODAY to advance towards becoming your true self? Expressing your creativity is one good way to Being You. Why not start looking for new ways that seem interesting or fun to you! Writing little poems? Building a garden shed? Knitting? Painting? Planting herbs on your balcony?

But in the end, the best way to become yourself is to fall still, drop thinking and only BE.

Breathing

Breathing

Breathing deeply and fully will always put us in touch with unresolved feelings, and we sometimes develop shallow, contracted breathing to stay away from old hurts. Since breath is life, this short-term solution to unwanted feelings is slow suicide – an unconscious, moment-to-moment choice to feel less and to be less than fully alive.

Michael Sky: Breathing

We all know how essential breathing is for life. Yet we keep on neglecting our breath, taking no specific care of its quality. If we're tense or stressed, our breath almost comes to a standstill, when, precisely at that moment, we would really need some fresh oxygen into our system by breathing slowly and deeply. Sometimes we even “develop shallow, contracted breathing to stay away from old hurts” as our normal way to breathe.

What especially struck me in the quote above was the phrase “Since breath is life, this short-term solution to unwanted feelings is slow suicide”. It’s that important to breathe properly! Breathing is vital for us, and even if our normal breath is not shallow or contracted, it can be worthwhile to do some breathing exercises on a regular basis. I warmly recommend the simple and efficient exercise below!

http://www.medicaldaily.com/life-hack-sleep-4-7-8-breathing-exercise-will-supposedly-put-you-sleep-just-60-332122

Free Your Body

Free Your Body

The body is a prison

For those who do not love their bodies

Anonymous prisoner

It might seem superfluous to write about loving your body in these times, when cultivating it seems to be the main task in life for many.  However, doing strenuous training in a gym, following a super strict diet or always wearing the latest fashion is not the same as truly loving your body. You might just want to re-shape it according to certain ideals, or push it to it’s very limits to show how strong your willpower is. 

Of course it’s important to take well care of our bodies, to give them enough exercise and healthy food in appropriate quantities. But that is not all: we have to listen to them too, and take care of their needs. All too often we are not at ease in our bodies! We sit or stand uncomfortably, we tense up, we don’t feel happy and relaxed.

Am we imprisoned in our bodies? Today we can decide to not only take well care of it, but to really show it that we love it. Relax, listen inwards, and move freely through life. Express yourself through this miraculous human body!

Our Own Artistic Medium

Our Own Artistic Medium

Our lives are our own artistic medium, and there is nothing holding us back from shaping them except our limited ideas of what is possible. 

                                                  Sharon Salzberg

I love the notion that we are all artists! We all have something that we can consciously shape into a form that we love, want or need: our own lives. Perhaps you have never considered your life under that aspect, but give it a try.  You could see it like a magnificent collage, put together by innumerable different pictures. Some are light and happy, others darker and heavier. There is a lot of poetry in some of the pictures, and quite some aggression in others. But somehow they all fit together.

However, the pictures aren’t just put together by “coincidence”.  We can personally steer what we want to see in the collage. If I want to see more love in my life, I bring more love into my heart and spread it to others. If I want to see myself diving in the Red Sea, I enroll for diving classes ;-)

It feels so empowering to see life that way, and somehow it opens up unknown channels to beauty and poetry.  We are all artists, creating the most magnificent piece of art in the whole world: our own lives.