So many people I talk with say they are living in a world of overwhelm. They have so much going on, so many things on their to do lists that they don’t know where to begin.
Their lives are happening all around them and they have resigned themselves to the idea that this is just how life is going to be.
But really, we get to choose.
Imagine a hurricane. There is wind, and noise, and chaos. Anything and everything is flying and blowing all around and, no matter how hard you try, there is nothing you can do.
And yet, in the center of that crazy storm it is calm, quiet, still. This is the eye of the hurricane.
Life is often like a hurricane. So many things are happening all around us, we can’t hold on, we can’t keep up. We can barely run for cover.
But if we breathe into the eye, the I, of our lives, we can find calm. We can find peace. We can experience stillness.
When we come back to our own center, we are suddenly grounded, stable, quieted, even if the whole world is flying all around us.
Coming into the I is as simple as breathing.
When we focus on our breathing, we immediately detach from everything OUTSIDE of ourselves and connect INSIDE with our own life force, our breath.
Following our breath in and out is calming. Centering. When we focus on our breath, we aren’t thinking about carpools and deadlines and the piles of dog hair that need to be swept.
When we connect with our breath we aren’t thinking at all. We are simply breathing.
I know it sounds too simple. But try it.
The next time your world feels crazy like a hurricane, close your eyes and just notice your breath.
Follow your breath in.
Visualize it filling your lungs, your diaphragm, your belly.
Breathe deeply, slowly, consciously.
Then release with that same conscious awareness.
Stay connected with the rhythm of your breathing for several wonderful minutes.
And when you return to the outside world, notice how different you feel.
I guarantee you, the more often you do this, the more you will find that calm in the eye of the storm.
My new book Heart Sparks: 7 Practice For Loving Your Life is all about helping you claim more time for you and the things that really matter.
Available through amazon or order a signed copy directly from me!
I have gratefully known Ruth for a long time. Whenever I share with her a particular issue I am having, that throws me off kilter, she reminds me to breathe. She has suggested this to me sooooo many times, that I am actually able to do it now, before sharing with her. And…. it works!!!
My focus changes as I am in tuned with my body, and then my spirit.
So thank you Ruth, and please continue to suggest breathing to me, because there are those times when I need the reminder.
I ask, listen, read, meditate, write, listen some more…and do something that makes me smile. Might be a fresh chocolate chip cookie, a walk through the Botanical Garden, a movie with popcorn (and sometimes JujyFruits!), talk with trusted ones, both keep up my awarenesses and defocus…and listen.