#meditate — Public Fediverse posts

The Gift of Slowing Down

A Sunday Softening Practice

As the years flow ever onward, I continue to seek quiet and calm—a softer pace, a slower life.

The moments of stillness heal and refresh my spirit, allowing that sense of calm to flow into other areas of my life.

I caution you, dear reader, though: do not believe for a moment that I am calm, cool, and collected at all times. I lose my temper. I become frustrated. I get overwhelmed. I have moments when I am anything but serene.

And that’s okay.

These moments of intense emotion are completely normal and natural. We all have our triggers, those little things that catch us off guard and remind us, Ah, yes. This is where I still have some work to do.

Growth isn’t a destination. It is a continual unfolding.

And sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves is simply create a little more space within which that growth can happen.

The pace of modern life can make that difficult. There is always something competing for our attention. Another notification. Another headline. Another message. Another life to look at through a screen.

For this reason, I continue to limit my time on social media.

Less time scrolling and more time with my dog, with family and friends, with good books and cozy cups of tea. More time noticing the warmth of summer, the smell of the woods, the sound of birds. More time immersed in the moments of my own life, rather than scrolling past the lives of others.

This has become one of the most beneficial gifts I can give myself:

The gift of attention.
The gift of noticing.

When I slow down enough to notice, I find small moments of wonder everywhere.

A shaft of sunlight falling across the floor.

The warmth of a cup held between my hands.

The sound of birds outside the window.

A walk through the woods.

My dog’s ridiculous happiness at something I will never understand.

None of these moments are particularly extraordinary. And yet, together, they make up a life.

There is a simple, exquisite joy in actually being here for it.

And it is often in these moments that I realize how little my frustration and impatience accomplish. Being angry about how life is unfolding does not change its unfolding. Worrying about what has already happened does not change the past. Trying to hurry what isn’t ready to happen only creates more tension within me.

If only it were as easy to remember this in the middle of turmoil as it is when I am sitting quietly with a cup of tea.

So I pause.

I notice.

I ask myself what is truly deserving of my attention—and what isn’t.

I step away from habits that leave me feeling scattered and make room for the things that bring me back to myself.

And slowly, I begin again.

More deliberately.
More intentionally.
More authentically.

Perhaps this is what slowing down really means.

It isn’t necessarily about doing less. It is about being more fully present for what we are already doing.

It is choosing to taste the coffee instead of drinking it while answering emails.

It is taking the long way home because the evening light is beautiful.

It is reading a few pages of a book instead of reaching automatically for the phone.

It is sitting quietly with your dog.

It is allowing yourself to rest without feeling that rest must be earned.

It is noticing.

It is allowing yourself to arrive fully in the life that is already happening around you.

And perhaps that is the greatest gift we can give ourselves—not another goal to accomplish, but the opportunity to actually experience our lives as they unfold.

A Guided Meditation for Slowing Down and Living Deliberately

If you’d like to take this idea a little further, I created a guided meditation to accompany this reflection.

This gentle practice is an invitation to step away from the noise for a little while—to soften, become still, and reconnect with the simple beauty of being present.

We slow the breath, settle into the body, and explore what it might feel like to move through life with a little more intention and a little less urgency.

So find a comfortable place, press play, and give yourself permission to simply be here for a while.

You don’t have to accomplish anything.
You don’t have to get anywhere.
You can simply slow down and notice.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ECKQm5lhBwLzt9U2M2Fer?si=hmClvZCuQhqBYbAKp_1uMg

Work. A birthday poem for Great Zen Master Chang Sik Kim. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #work https://youtube.com/shorts/_Wxg2fjeowo

Gone to the Other Shore. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma @meditation #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #practice https://youtu.be/fvs4CsXh99w

Practice is Essential. Practice is just as important as understanding. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma @meditation #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #practice https://youtube.com/shorts/vPaJzS_WHXU

A Zen Moment. When weeding the garden became the reward. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #work https://youtu.be/xr6Ac902aqQ

Chanting Meditation. Chanting is a form of mantra meditation and together action. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma @meditation #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #chanting https://youtube.com/shorts/jrQ9eu6nnng

Chanting Meditation. Chanting is a form of mantra meditation and together action. @buddhism @meditation @dharma @dhamma #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife #chanting https://youtube.com/shorts/lZrhIZ5w0QU

Bowing Meditation. Explaining how bowing can be a form of moving meditation. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma @meditation #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #movingmeditation #bowing #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife https://youtube.com/shorts/3GTIBgdPHKs

Temple Practice. Life at a Buddhist temple. @buddhism @dharma @dhamma @meditation #zen #zenmaster #dharma #meditation #buddhism #mind #spirituality #selfhelp #knowledge #wisdom #philosophy #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #awakening #buddhist #meditate #heart #enlightenment #karma #love #compassion #koan #zenstories #mantra #zenlife #templelife https://youtube.com/shorts/tvaRzkFKl0A

“The purpose of meditation is personal transformation.” – Henepola Gunaratana
· ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ꕥ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ·
#bodytransformation #consciousness #evolve #evolveorrepeat #evolvetogether #group #groupchat #groups #growth #growthroughwhatyougothrough #healing #instamusic #meditate #meditation #meditationpractice #meditations #mentalhealth #mindset #people #personalgrowth #positivity #transformation #transformationchallenge #transformations #VEROwellness #TMGcommunity @verowellness

From a post reply I wrote about visualization:

It’s not a magic bullet train; you asked specifically about “holding onto a visualization” - it’s almost the opposite you want to do, in that you want to have it, then let it go…

Here are a few things I have found that work well for me. It’s all about working with the underlying subtle energy of the thoughts and feelings that relate to what you’re wanting to focus on. I am not delving into those specifics here, just sharing some of the tools I’ve found to be helpful in playing with this pool of opportunity in visualization.

You can take or leave what works for you of these processes and you will encounter more that you can add to the list:

#Clear your mind through daily meditation. Earlier in the day before interacting with other people is better. Keeping at it for a month or more is essential. I have not missed a day in almost nine years and it has made a huge difference in my life. It is a daily reattunement. DAILY. There are many ways to meditate; I would stick with one way for at least a month before you try another. Some might say longer. The reason for clearing your mind (other than that it feels awesome) is that it makes you much more receptive to intuitive impulses that relate to the visualization/manifestation trajectory.

#Look for small, incremental changes in the direction you want to go. Make note of when they occur; noticing builds momentum, in my experience. Jot down what builds on what, make connections, and let yourself go with the flow of the little changes, no matter how small or tangential to your goals. Baby steps build out the visualization (even if you can’t see exactly how, in the moment).

#Make more small decisions to build momentum in your day! That’s a big one for me and I always tell that to my team members at work, too. Can be tangential to your goals; building something in a positive direction is good - the idea is to get the energy moving in a wanted direction. Does not have to be about the visualization. Just about feeling faster forward momentum generally.

#Find the feeling of what you’re going for, not just the “thing” you’re going for. Look for evidence of that feeling throughout your day. Feeling first. You’re already on a good path with writing down your goals so keep doing that… just focus on WHY you want what you want, find the feeling place of what you want wherever it occurs in your life, even if tangential to your main, visualized goals.

#Collage it! If you are a visual person, you can “codify” these thoughts, feelings and processes with a collage. Then let it go, put it away, forget about it, and move on with the rest of your small, incremental decisions that build energy generally in your life. LET THE VISUALIZATION GO and then CHILL OUT! (Do I sound like I am yelling? It’s because this part is important!)…

#Flow! Find your flow and enjoy the ride! Allow yourself to find a playful place in it all. It’s not all about the final destination.

Overall:

#Meditate. Ask yourself why you want what you want. Feelings first. Allow yourself to go with the flow. Have fun! And expect serendipity; more and more opportunities will open up.

And if you are interested to read more about these creative visualization processes, I recommend the work of #ShaktiGawain, #EstherHicks, and #NathalieGoldberg. Of course, there are many, many more. These are just a few of my favourites/favorites (Canadian/American here). :-)

Thank you for asking. 🙏

#Allowing #Breathing #BreathWork #Change #ChillOut #Clearing #Collage #Connections #CreativeConsciousness #CreativeVisualization #CreativeWriting #Creativity #Decisions #Destination #Direction #EarlyMorning #Energy #Expecting #Feeling #Finding #Flowing #FlowState #Focusing #Fun #Goals #LetItBe #Looking #Making #Manifesting #Meditation #Mindfulness #Momentum #MoodBoard #Morning #MorningMeditation #Noticing #Opportunity #Playing #Pool #Processes #Reiki #Scripting #Serendipity #Storyboarding #SubtleEnergy #Tangents #Thoughts #VisionBoard #Visualizing #Writing

From a post with @cosullivan and broken out here separately on purpose for general discussion.