The Art of Stopping

AA wrote: Tack alla dina visa ord under året som gått!

BB wrote:Oh yes, the art of stopping! What a difficult one it can be!

The Art of Stopping

To confront problems effectively, we must be calm, fresh and solid. That is why we need to practice the art of stopping. When we learn to stop, we become calmer, and our mind becomes clearer, like clear water, after the particles of mud have settled.

                                 Thich Nhat Hanh: Touching Peace

In the middle of holiday stress, we easily lose ourselves in frantic activities. This is a good moment to practice the art of stopping. 

The art of stopping simply means that you:

1. Stop whatever you are doing
2. Stretch your back and relax your shoulders
3. Empty your mind, and smile
4. Take three deep breaths
5. Continue where you left off

It is such a short and simple practice, yet we tend to forget it in our frenzied lives. A good tip can be to use some outer signal to remind us, e.g. the sound of a telephone or church bells, each time we wash our hands, leave a room, or put on our jacket. 

Why not try the art of stopping directly after having read this email? Close the computer or turn your body the other way, rest your hands in our lap and relax. Then follow the instructions above. You will probably feel quite refreshed afterwards. Actually you will have two weeks to practice now, since the Happiness Network is taking a little Holiday break until January 2nd.

A very Merry Christmas to you all, thank you for this year together and a Happy New Year 2017!

Lots of Love,
The Happiness Network

Your Sacred Circle

AA wrote: Lass Dir von dieser Gesellschaft bloß nicht einreden, Du müßtest arbeiten, um wert zu sein! Bitte bitte nicht! Daß jemand Zeit hat und sich nimmt, kleine, goldene Geschenke in Worten in die Welt zu senden, ist so viel wert, ganz sicher viel viel mehr als irgendein Manager, der Wasser in Flaschen abfüllen lässt und das Arbeit nennt! Du tust Gutes! Mir und sicher den anderen, die Deine lieben kleinen Wortfreundlichkeiten lesen.

Your Sacred Circle

Wherever you go for the rest of your life, you’re always in the middle of the universe and the circle is always around you. Everyone who walks up to you has entered that sacred space, and it’s not an accident. Whatever comes into the space is there to teach you.

                              Pema Chödrön: The Wisdom of No Escape

Unwanted events happen in our lives, difficult people cross our paths and we react by getting depressed, disappointed or angry. “Why does this happen to me?” 

At other times we’re suddenly in “the flow” and everything seems to fall into place without any effort - so many lucky coincidences, we can hardly believe it’s true. What have we done to deserve that?

Well, perhaps it's not what we’ve done or not done. We will never understand the Bigger Plan; it's not within our reach. We just need to accept what happens, knowing that the people and events we’re faced with come our way for a reason: life wants us to grow and develop. 

So when you feel that life is hard on you, or you fear your luck will turn, remember that you are always standing in the middle of a sacred circle and whatever enters it is there to teach you. Your task is to open up to the teachings. 

Respond With Your Heart

AA wrote: Tyvärr kan jag känna att det är något jag är dålig på. Jag tar in vad som sägs av mina medmänniskor, känner och förstår, men ger ingen output... Men jag övar!

Respond With Your Heart

There is no greater gift you can give to another human being than your response: to his tears, to his words, to his touch; to her hopes, to her dreams, to her prayers. 

Response is joining; response is heartfelt participation. Response - with your words, with your tears, with your heart, with your arms - of whatever kind is a standing inside the pain and the joy and the hope and the fear and the imagined isolation of another person’s experience.

“I’m sorry to hear that”; “That sounds awful”; “How wonderful; I’m so happy for you”; “You must be scared”; “I bet you’re excited”; “I can’t imagine you that must feel”. 

Respond. Respond with your heart. Respond as much a you can. Respond no matter how inadequate you feel. Response is the cradle in which, very gently, we rock one another’s vulnerable souls.

Daphne Rose Kingma: “A Garland of Love” 

This is one of the quotes where I feel I have nothing to add. Is there anything more important in our relationships than responding to the other with our heart...?