Active Awareness Journey

Today I would like to suggest an alternative to meditation, something that you can perform at any giving time. Lately, upon suggesting a consistent meditative practice, I have received mixed feedback, consisting of a list of excuses and reasons why some consider meditation does not work, may it lack of time, of understanding, of consistency, it it not important at this time, because I am about to suggest and alternative, that you can easily practice and integrate in our everyday life.

Mindful body experience, which is an inner journey that you take in your own mind and body, while riding the bike, walking in nature, taking the subway to work, or anytime when you are not really engaged or required to pay your attention or focus. Even better, you can use this purposely by taking 10 to 20 minutes (or even more when possible) to detach yourself, to get out in a park, in nature, somewhere where you feel comfortable, and just take the journey.

First, stop having expectations, anything beyond a deep feeling of relaxation. Relieve yourself from the burden of having to achieve or to reach a certain objective while taking the inner journey.

This is to bring balance, to relax you, to smooth the way for you to get inspired, to open a communication channel between your mind, your body and your heart. This is your time, this is your space, this is your choice to make. All you need is to be present in the moment, self-aware and attentive to your body sensations, as well as the thought passing through your mind.

You can start with the sensations in your feet, as you walk through the park, or perhaps barefoot on the grass in your nearby park. Then you can continue by moving your awareness to the movement of your hands as you walk, then your breath . Then you just let yourself fall in the rhythm of walking, and move your attention to the thoughts you are experiencing.... 

Going back to the beginning, if you are to take the journey in the train, or metro on your way to work... start with finding your balance on your feet, feel the movement of the train, how your body is compensating, how your muscles are joining in to help you maintain your balance. (I recommend setting an alarm 5 minute before the expected time to get off - so if your trip to work usually takes 25 minutes with the train, set an alarm in 20 minutes, so that time is not a concern while taking the journey. not having to check the number of stations left until your destination).

Now, returning to maintaining your awareness on your body, your presence in the space you are, maintaining your focus on our breathing, while fully aware, fully present, let your mind go, let your thoughts pass, observe them, do not respond to them, do not reach to them, let them be, you are not now controlling your thoughts, but you are opening a channel of communication between your body, your mind and your heart. You are now a conductor of energy, allowing it to just flow... you only have one purpose at this moment, to connect, to balance, to be. 

If you are distracted, go back to your breathing, start from there and build up again... connection is now everything that matters to you, balance and presence. Anchor yourself in this moment, anchor yourself in your breath... be aware of your body, of the presence of your body and mind in the space you are occupying. Be there and let all that is to also be there with you, your thoughts, your emotions, your body.

After time, after getting grounded in this practice, you can ask a question that you would like an answer to, and then start the process, your purpose being again, fully being present, experiencing the here and now, through your body, your mind and heart, scanning the body, letting the mind go, letting the thoughts flow, not controlling, not wishing, not desiring, not wanting. You accept everything as it is in exactly that moment, in exactly that place, in exactly that time... 

After a while, when already grounded in this practice, you can start implementing new techniques and build upon this already solid foundation. For example, you can use some of the NLP techniques, to anchor your state of relaxation and clarity, your sense of presence and awareness.

You can discretely rub 2 fingers together, gently tap an easy to remember rhythm, or humm your favorite song, or perhaps anchor your personal mantra. The idea is that the Inner Awareness Journey can represent a solid foundation for future techniques to be built upon, so that you get the maximum benefit from using this for you in most creative, innovative and also positive and beneficial ways.

Also, I made a video on this, so when you want, you can see it on YouTube, here.

I hope this helps.

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