Inside-Out Change
nside-out change is as easy as stretching. I smile when I think of the dramas that my Mind would create around the concept of change … “change takes work;” “meaningful change is always big change;” “change requires sacrifice;” “change requires single-minded focus” …
I have discovered a new paradigm for change … “change can be effortless;” “meaningful change can happen in one breath;” “rapid change can happen when I use all of the resources available to me.” It isn’t that the earlier list is not a valid experience of life … that is how change used to be for me when I relied exclusively on my Mind. Notice carefully the wording that I used … “the dramas that my Mind would create around the concept of change.” The worst part is that I wasn’t even enlisting my entire Mind, but only my conscious Mind. A former boss of mine from my previous life in Corporate America had a great metaphor of the relationship of the typical accounting department to the rest of the Corporation: “The flea on the tip of the tail is trying to wag the dog.” Same thing applies when you only engage your conscious Mind in the quest for change.
Revealing the Hidden Cost of Unconscious Tension
And this is the problem inherent with most styles of meditation … you are using your conscious Mind to observe the patterns of thoughts that are running through your entire Mind! No wonder it can take years of seated meditation practice to see a change … because you have to be able to step out of your train of thought in order to consciously observe it. And for someone like me, an Overworked Overwhelmed Overachiever, whose success in life stemmed from my ability to analyze and figure things out, I was so accustomed to being IN my train of thought that stepping out of it was a HUGE and scary change!
It doesn’t have to be like that. Let me help you tell a new story.
With Body-Focused Meditation, you enlist your entire being in the process of change. Now, your conscious Mind has a much larger field that can be observed. And the best part is that your Body communicates to you all the time … anywhere you are. Your opportunity to practice is no longer restricted to the time that you carve out to practice meditation. Rather, you can practice throughout your day … without making a huge change to your daily routine. And … hard to believe that there is even more, but there is! And each time you consciously step out of your train of thoughts, you are cementing the foundation for change. In other words, you will see change faster if you incorporate baby steps into your daily routine, rather than making a drastic change to your routine.
That’s why I say it is as easy as stretching … all you are doing is taking small steps throughout your day… stretching, if you will. That’s also why I call it “inside-out change” … because the change happens from within your schedule out into your life.
So go ahead … say “YES!” to experiencing more of the joyful, vibrant celebrations that Life offers as opportunities to pause and savor.