Dear Friend,
This morning I awoke to the odd sensation that something was amiss. A memory stirring within me, beneath the duvet, surfacing from sleep. Wasn’t I supposed to be running an online workshop?
My calendar looks pretty crowded to me sometimes. Nothing in there though.
I searched through my emails, all of this before getting out of bed, I’m sure many can identify with the demands of the day crowding around before the coffee pot is fired up, before good mornings are exchanged.
Clicking through an email thread I found it. Heart diving towards stomach. Tuesday 27th February 7pm to 8.30 pm A Course In Miracles Online Workshop. Subject ‘The Art of Surrender’ - facilitator, yours truly.
Suddenly I’m sweating.
Apologetic email dashed off. But how come no-one sent over the zoom link? All set for tomorrow, that kind of thing?
How many people turned up?
Feeling awful I dig deeper into the thread, relief washing over me like a salve.
Event rescheduled for the end of March. Thanked for being flexible. Phew!
The art of surrender.
To be in the here and now. The most fundamental element is breath awareness. Breathing happens now. Take a deep breath in and notice how your body changes as the air passes through your nose and throat, ribs expanding. Notice the aliveness of your body. Soft machine. Follow the air as it leaves all the way until your lungs feel empty and pause for the slightest moment, notice the gap, taking in your next breath.
Keep with it.
Stay with the breath. Follow it with your attention. You can walk, write, eat, drink, sit, complete manual tasks like this.
Your mind will wander to the next thing and the next thing or the ‘stupid’ thing you did this morning. Or the thing you didn’t do. That’s the mind. It’s like a spider monkey, jumping and grasping.
On your third or fourth conscious breath you’ll begin to calm. It’s soothing. Has something to do with the vagus nerve connecting your vital organs to your brain.
Body and mind calming. A rhythm. With practice you can breathe like this no matter what is happening inside or outside of you.
Knowing about it is not the key. Practicing is.
The chances are you’ll read this and then forget.
On to the next thing and the next and the next. One step ahead of ourselves we miss our lives.
I wasn’t focusing on my breath as the imagined faux pas unfolded in my mind this morning, but I am now. I’ll forget to tie my mind to my breath and it will run wild and then I’ll remember again. Forgetting and remembering. Practicing imperfectly.
When we were kids we lived in the here and now. We were trained out of it.
I have a phrase I repeat to myself to remember.
Immerse mind in breath.
As we close for today, how many minutes can you give to practicing breath awareness.
A couple?
Maybe more.
Precious moments in the here and now.
If you’re curious about the upcoming online workshop, I’ll share the link nearer to the time.
On the correct date.
Till tomorrow,
One breath at a time.
Love
Mikey
As Tom Waits would say, “You been reading my mail.” Thanks for the breath reminder. One of a few I’ve had in the last days. “Practicing imperfectly.” 🙏🏼