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The labour we delight in physics pain.
Macbeth, Act II, Scene 3. |
Introduction to Presence
Formal meditation is a wonderful thing, but it only goes so far. Some of the greatest benefits of practice come from bringing our skills of stillness and clarity into the realm of activity.
Embodiment is the practice of feeling into, listening to and working with the body in the course of everyday activities. Doing so provides great insight into our current emotional state, and offers an ever-present anchor to keep us from drifting into distraction.
To practise embodiment: pick a simple activity, such as brushing your teeth or making a cup of tea. Now, as you carry out that activity, pay attention to your body: feel what's happening as you move through the task. If you notice that you seem to be observing your body as if from afar, see if you can inhabit your body instead; feel what's going on from the inside.
Flow is the experience of 'being in the Zone': a state of engagement so complete that there's no longer any separation between 'me over here' and 'the task over there'. It's widely considered to be the most rewarding form of experience that we can have - and it's trainable.
To practise flow: again, pick a simple activity, but this time give your full attention to the whole activity, rather than focusing specifically on your body. It may help to pay attention to the details, to make the activity more engaging. Give yourself so completely to the activity that you lose yourself in it. Don't check to see whether you're in flow - that will take you out of it - but notice at the end of the activity whether you were in flow.
Intuition is our inner voice of wisdom, the result of training skills so often that they become totally unconscious and instinctive. It turns out that we can often choose to rely on intuition to bypass the 'analysis paralysis' of over-thinking, resulting in a smoother, easier life.
To practise intuition: the next time you find yourself feeling 'stuck', ask yourself 'What needs to happen here?', and see if, on some level, you already know the answer - or at least an answer - but you're trying to talk yourself out of it, perhaps because you don't want to do it, because of how you might look, because of what other people will think, or for some other reason. That quiet knowing is your intuition - and when you learn to trust it, life will get a lot easier.
For much more detail on these methods, including options and alternatives, see my free book Going with the Flow.
Formal meditation is a wonderful thing, but it only goes so far. Some of the greatest benefits of practice come from bringing our skills of stillness and clarity into the realm of activity.
Embodiment is the practice of feeling into, listening to and working with the body in the course of everyday activities. Doing so provides great insight into our current emotional state, and offers an ever-present anchor to keep us from drifting into distraction.
To practise embodiment: pick a simple activity, such as brushing your teeth or making a cup of tea. Now, as you carry out that activity, pay attention to your body: feel what's happening as you move through the task. If you notice that you seem to be observing your body as if from afar, see if you can inhabit your body instead; feel what's going on from the inside.
Flow is the experience of 'being in the Zone': a state of engagement so complete that there's no longer any separation between 'me over here' and 'the task over there'. It's widely considered to be the most rewarding form of experience that we can have - and it's trainable.
To practise flow: again, pick a simple activity, but this time give your full attention to the whole activity, rather than focusing specifically on your body. It may help to pay attention to the details, to make the activity more engaging. Give yourself so completely to the activity that you lose yourself in it. Don't check to see whether you're in flow - that will take you out of it - but notice at the end of the activity whether you were in flow.
Intuition is our inner voice of wisdom, the result of training skills so often that they become totally unconscious and instinctive. It turns out that we can often choose to rely on intuition to bypass the 'analysis paralysis' of over-thinking, resulting in a smoother, easier life.
To practise intuition: the next time you find yourself feeling 'stuck', ask yourself 'What needs to happen here?', and see if, on some level, you already know the answer - or at least an answer - but you're trying to talk yourself out of it, perhaps because you don't want to do it, because of how you might look, because of what other people will think, or for some other reason. That quiet knowing is your intuition - and when you learn to trust it, life will get a lot easier.
For much more detail on these methods, including options and alternatives, see my free book Going with the Flow.