Greetings again... friends, family, and other acquaintances...
I recently sent you an email with the following question:
What method or practices do you use to return your awareness to a more centered state [when experiencing upsetting emotions or obsessive thinking]?
I sent out some responses in Part 1 and here are some more responses that have come in:
----------------------------
"I
am learning to scan my body and feel the painful sensations in my body –
which energy center is holding the emotions. For me it is usually a
combination of heart and solar plexus. It is difficult to stay with
the pain, but keeps me from escaping into intellectualizing. I imagine
myself detaching from the pain, like watching it flow under a bridge.
This practice is based on the work of Gary Zukav and Linda Francis. I
also breathe deeply, then go for some comfort food (i.e. chocolate)... Thanks for the opportunity, John! I don't need to be anonymous"
... Cheryl, MN
... Cheryl, MN
----------------------
"There are two phases:
1) Emergency method: taking some deep conscious breaths, to get
away from compulsive thinking/emotion pattern and back to Now.
2)
I consciously list/count everything I'm grateful for in my life. (i.e.
the water I bathed with, the sun, the day, friends, being able to
evolve, every part of my body, etc etc) Switching to grateful mode works
miracles for me."
...PH, Brazil
-------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
PART1: [repeated]
"Good morning John,
Meditation or prayer to get peace of mind first and foremost helps me
when I am upset or obsessing. Having a good cry or a good laugh helps
relieve the tension. Also doing something physical yet is gentle to myself
such as Qigong or pilates or yoga stretches to release
tension. Get a hug from a friend. Soak in my hot tub until I look like a raisin.
I use distractions such as taking a walk or a hike in nature, or I go out
dancing or out to a restaurant to socialize, or make a great meal (the kitchen
can be my place of zen)..watch an inspirational movie or listen to a motivational
speaker. Get a massage. If budget allows, some retail therapy at the local Goodwill.
I either draw or paint something, putter in my garden.
Give myself small rewards of chocolate or add a few dollars into my travel
jar when I have a certain amount of time I do not obsess about a person, thing,
or place..
Talk therapy -either with friends or group therapy. Ask for advice. Ponder on that
advice. Find other positive thoughts to replace the obsessive thoughts. Reward
myself again...Chocolate...
Do something nice for a friend.
Read a good book. Go on the internet or to the library to
research the topic I may be upset or obsessing about.
Buy myself some flowers or plant some flowers.
Take a bunch of vitamins thinking I might be low on something
that I am feeling upset due to a chemical imbalance or a vitamin
deficiency..
Take a drive, take a vacation, plan a vacation or
......just get a good night's sleep..
This is what I do when I am bothered..." LLL, Oregon
-------------
"Deep breathing usually works for me... " PDM, CO
---------------
"Hi John.....what a wonder-full invitation to share spirit...who is the real author, no need for anonymity!
The tool I use is an ancient Buddhist technique called Tonglen....you breath into your heart center anything that needs transforming. Picture the issue in a black cloud, have the courage to breathe it into your heart center (knowing you can never take it on) and breathe out as white light and love to the thing in question. Do it as long and often as you like and it's guaranteed. Been doing it many years and love the simplicity of it. What I've learned from studying Heart Math is the scientific measuring of the heart's electromagnetic field.....it's huge and way "huger" than the electromagnetic field of the brain! The ego doesn't like it much, but it'll just have to get used to it! Heart trumps brain every time! The scientists still can't pinpoint exactly how the heart starts beating in a fetus, the closest they can surmise is that it actually starts itself, way before the first brain cell is developed! Way cool.
Speaking of Namaste, I just got a t-shirt that says "Namaste y'all".....
Much love to you from the Ohio Hillbilly on the path!" ... KSG, Ohio
----------------
Hi John,
A very interesting question ,and one i have been paying attention to.
Here is something i read in a Doreen Virtue book, Goddesses and Angels.
She says that a cledon is a message from the universe which does not seem directly related to you but somehow answers your questions. She says you should go out in nature, present the question and watch for what you can see.
For example i went on a walk to ask about a man who had been very verbally abusive to me. i saw the following cledons:
A very interesting question ,and one i have been paying attention to.
Here is something i read in a Doreen Virtue book, Goddesses and Angels.
She says that a cledon is a message from the universe which does not seem directly related to you but somehow answers your questions. She says you should go out in nature, present the question and watch for what you can see.
For example i went on a walk to ask about a man who had been very verbally abusive to me. i saw the following cledons:
1.) a robin sitting on a dead tree stump. there were lots of healthy trees and grass filled with juicy worms, but the robin stayed on the stump. I thought."Who is living in the dead past and not enjoying new possibilities?"
2.) i saw a bag of garbage on the ground. The message seemed to be."Some people just dump their garbage anywhere."
3.) There was a young man who was riding a ride-on mover. As he approached me he looked at my face,and stopped the mower until i had safely passed. I thought, "Wise young man. He makes sure the other person feels safe before proceeding. My (now former) friend did not do so."
4.) I later received a phone call from a girl friend about a completely different person who had been abusive to her. There were so many similarities in the situations! As I helped my friend to understand that her former boyfriend was abusive because he was jealous of her success , I understood that this was a factor in my problem also.
The cledons seemed to give clear messages as to how to interpret what was going on in my life. This is because everything is connected, and if we pay attention we can always see messages which relate to our issues." ....CN
[[[The above from CN is similar to the Native American Medicine Walk in Nature in which the participant would take certain concerns or questions with them as they walked through nature and allow Great Spirit to speak with him or her in a quite natural and intuitive way... This also is the forerunner of the Fusion13 Rune Readings that I use and share with others... jh]]]
--------------
Thank you for these responses and look forward to more to share... I will add my favorites in Part 2....
Namaste,
John
PS>> This will also be posted at the www.sunhutch.com blog site...
.......
Expect the unexpected... and may Loving Kindness be our Guide...
John Hutchinson ~ Denver, Colorado
Life Coach, Dream Guide, and Transition Consultant
.
"A Heart filled with Love is like a phoenix that no cage can hold." ~ Rumi
.
