How do we map out where we are and where we want to go?
How do we stay with difficult emotions so that we know where to go from there?
How do we empower ourselves to change?
"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Andy Warhol
We underestimate the importance of staying in the moment
Of being with those small
Beautiful things that surround us
But it is from there that we can
create a feeling in the body
The feeling
of Flow
Of being in sync
With whatever needs to happen next
With what ever is calling our attention
Whatever needs to be addressed
Fine tuning to make decisions
Fine tuning to the clearest thinking part of ourselves
Our mind may believe
that
we need to react
That we need to address
those triggers
that we are faced with a tiger
that we have to act NOW
that the jaws of fate will snap shut
on us
if we do not
make it happen
Reactive
We are lost
in the signals, sounds
and impulses
that do not belong to us
truly
that are not
at our core
The screams of our mind
even our more quiet thoughts
capture
the attention away
When stressed
When triggered
our focus is directed
solely
on where we do not want to be
not on where we actually are
We constrict
we run
we argue
We look the other way
No wonder that we feel
lost at times
and are unable
to admit
to this state
of rebellion
against what already is
we plug
into the landscapes
of inner storms
and are not even aware of
the existence
of our map
let alone where we
stand
in it
Breathe
Stop
slow down
and
we can then
see
see where we are
see where we want to go
Feel
the beat of our hearts
in our hands
the movement of the breath
with its own momentum
We can just let go into it
There
we meet our present state
in clarity
non reactivity
and
openness
We can observe
without
being pulled into
the
turmoil
of what should be
what could be
waves of fear
are replaced
by the moments
in between the breaths
From there
there
we can we see where to go
Finding our road
getting our bearings
Finding that moment
in between
the breaths
that moment
of sensing into our being
to find the road
to find
and
keep the compass
at our side
We can head
in the direction
with clarity
intent and strategy
We need to see where we are
to navigate from there
to make sense
of our next steps
to integrate
the last steps
to come to fruition
right in this moment
We find
there
the move
into our vision
The clarity
shining through
We can spring forth then
Whole
from that
very bottom of our well
of our own truth
our own
inner being
When we are stressed we have lost focus of where we are
We are solely aware of where we don't want to be
We are focused
on
Fight
Flight
or Freeze
We are that-
If just for a moment
we manage to
Focus
on the dance
of the emotions
even if unpleasant
Observe
how they sway
how they dance
and maybe
they will open
to whisper
to us
the message
of their inner
being
And there
amidst the indentation
of that
particular moment
lies a beauty
right
there
in the anger, frustration
and
grief
we can find
where
we are
on our own
map
and trace our next steps
forward
It is there that we meet
the moment
and the clarity
the breath
and the
heartbeat moving with it
the moments
between the breath
in grace
and power from within
we are immersed in our own ocean
From there we can experience the transition to
Calm
But if we don't pay attention to where we are
If we are not there
not
in our map
Or if we stand in someone else's
We are covered in haze
ripped by the currents
of reactivity
and chance
ruled
by walls and
violence
and
delusion
We are adrift
In the storms
whether
interior
or exterior
Coming to
our own map
heals our inner being
and our outer ability
to change
according
to what is truly needed
Adapting
Flowing
Embodying our very own expression of being
Defining our stress level
Helps
As it
Opens the doors
To know exactly
Where we are
We can move from the
stress response
to the
self soothing response
of our
parasympathetic
ventral vagal system
Our body
wants to return to its own
balance
to homeostasis
Science
Polyvagal theory-CCARE conference, lecture by Porges on the Polyvagal Theory Stanford 2014
Coaching
Toni Robbins-The decision Map
Daniel Goleman-points for further self reflection
Art work
Josh Farkas-Cubicle Ninjas