Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Secret of Instant Serenity

Do you sometimes feel all wound up? I do. At such times the body is tight, the breath is shallow. And you feel stressed and troubled.

Do you sometimes feel that everything seems to conspire against you? Maybe you try something at work and you just can’t get it right, even though you try so hard.

The upshot is a sense of frustration and self-blame.

The body expresses such frustration with mounting tension. It’s an unpleasant feeling. Some people live with this kind of unhealthy tension each and every day.

We beat ourselves up – even though we maybe tried hard to overcome barriers and challenges. Others may also blame us. Sometimes this load of frustration and blame drags us down and we become despondent. But there is some good news:

There is a way to escape this negative spiral of emotions.

The simple action I’ll describe in a moment is the physical expression of loving-kindness meditation. This is a kind of meditation where we turn loving and kind thoughts towards ourselves. When we are wound-up and blame ourselves for not performing well enough, we need to break this negative cycle of emotions through being kind to ourselves.

A simple touch can return us to serenity

What I’m going to show you is a powerful technique. It means touching the heart with the hand of love. You will notice a change when you do it. But it’s not going to make you serene for ever, just by trying it once! The tension in your mind and body is apt to reoccur. However, if you use this loving touch regularly, you will be able to prevent a build-up of stress in the future.

Touch the heart with the hand of love

Here is a beautiful and very simple way to find serenity.

  • Step #1 Take one deep breath and notice it flowing in and out.
  • Step #2 Take your right hand and place it gently– in slow motion and with warm awareness – on your heart area.
  • Step #3 Leave it resting there lightly for a couple of complete breaths and notice then changes in your body and mind

What your hand is saying to you is, “It’s all right. I love you all the same.”

When your hand comes to rest, you may notice that you spontaneously take a deep breath. Leave your hand on your chest for a while and notice your breathing deepen, your shoulders relax, and your face soften.

Repeat this magic action as often as possible

We cannot get too much of loving-kindness. All of us are in need of it. And we ourselves are often the ones who are our harshest critics and withhold our self love. When you touch the heart with the hand of love, your soul unfolds and your whole being lightens up.

From Good Life Zen