LifeForce

As life becomes busier, it is often easy to lose track of what you did from one week to the next. Moving through life on autopilot may seem like an effective way to get things done, but often you are just carrying out daily tasks. Take a moment to disengage the autopilot and pause at least once a day, to experience the moment and wonder of life. Then you will find that life can become more meaningful and you will experience the simple everyday moments that make life beautiful.

At the most basic, gratitude is something almost everyone has experienced, and have recognised the warmth of good things which can take place in their lives. While basic gratitude is a collection of ever-changing and fleeting feelings, the deeper aspect of gratitude is based on action, not merely experienced but expressed. This kind of gratitude is practised not just because it feels good, but because it is the appropriate thing to do; not just for one’s own good, but for the good of others or society. Such gratitude outdistances the domain of simple emotions and instead develops as a mindset, a stance, and a philosophy.

This practice of gratitude brings forth a myriad of tangible benefits to the mind and body. Research has revealed that practising gratitude improves the body’s immune system, boosts resilience to stress and anxiety, reduces depression, helps to improves one’s energies, and even aids you to sleep much better. The reasons to purposely practice this deeper form of gratitude, radiates over and above these corporeal effects, to those that embrace your inner self.

Breathing consciously is an effective means to completely transform energy and to anchor your mind in troubled times. When you find yourself in the midst of a reaction, you might have noticed how your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, your throat becomes tight, and you may even feel a pulsating sensation in your head or solar plexus. Your face may become hot and your chest might begin to tighten up. Conversely, when you are calm, feeling peaceful or happy, you typically breathe effortlessly.

The next time when you experience an adverse reaction to anything in life, do your utmost to apply some conscious breathing. By engaging your mind to bring focus to your breathing for a few minutes, you can begin to moderate your reactions. Then as you begin to take deeper and more rhythmical breaths, they can help you to find an anchor for your calmness. Allow this anchor to grab hold and steady your emotions as you continue to breathe consciously.

Pay your attention to all things in life, they are more important than you may realise. As you give more focus to each passing moment, life will no longer seem to be passing you by. You can use the period of introspection to increase your awareness of your inner self and lead to your own enlightenment.

It is commonly stated that life teaches us through our mistakes. When you slip up, simply ask yourself what you were destined to learn, as opposed to searching for justifications or to find others to blame. We grow more from our mistakes, errors or blunders when we recognise and accept such lessons with humility and grace.

When every little thing around you appears to be rushing by at a frantic pace, stop for a moment. At that point pose the question, is it the world that is hectic, or is it my mind? You may well discover that the truth is, that your mind is cramming your day with countless and frequently unwanted and often unwarranted thoughts.

Ritual can take over if the essence of your true self is forgotten. Our outward appearances can come to be more important than our inner experience when ritual reigns and dominates the spiritual practice. For instance, if you practice meditation in the hope of enlightenment, how much time, and with whom you meditate, should not be the driving imperative. It is actually more important how your meditation or spiritual practise has allowed you to reach within to your inner self. The greatest value is understanding how your spiritual practice has enabled you to change your heart and transform your thoughts and feelings to those people around you. Always strive to reconnect to your inner self in your spiritual endeavours, allowing you to transform your thoughts and bring to light authentic awakening

Sunya from the Sanskrit language relates to zero, representing emptiness and void or blank. At the same time, sunya represents the possibility of producing all things. Everything starts at zero, including knowledge, business, reputation, wealth, and so on. Sunya does not symbolise the discontinuous, but symbolises the limitlessly latent potential of your Life Force.