Along time ago you made a decision about life that served to protect you in that moment, and now it serves to subconsciously hold you back. You had an experience that hurt or traumatized you, which then lead you to a belief about what life is and how you need to show up and protect yourself along the way. It locked you in a false reality that is guarded by your self-protective and an incredibly strong subconscious.
Sometimes the way out is as simple as standing tall and acknowledging that you are not your patterns, you emotions, your habits, or your beliefs. From this place of seeing yourself as separate from your compulsions, reactions, or limiting thoughts, you can show love, gratitude, and appreciation for these deeply ingrained ways of being. They are there because they are trying to protect you, and we know that 'what you resists, persists.' With your hand on your heart, soft and deep breaths rolling through your body, and a gentle and compassionate mindset, we can release these patterns that may have had a grip on you for decades.
Your ego mind is constantly seeking pleasure and on the lookout to avoid pain. But YOU, you are the witness behind the scenes. You are the calm, powerful, unstoppable, connected higher-self that seeks growth and does not get caught up in the emotional pendulum swing of story telling, assumptions, judgments, cynicism, or self-doubt.
The more you can recognize your power in your thoughtful response after your initial impulsive reaction, the more you will see that your reactions are grounded in your ego. When we learn to slow down and find our calm state of mind, suddenly there is space for our intuition to be heard and felt, and we conserve way more energy that was once lost by identifying with the constant mind-chatter and impulses of the ego.
For the past couple of months I have been contemplating and playing with the phrase "slow down to speed up" and have seen it morph into "the art of slowing down." You may have noticed that many people talk about the need to find balance, the desire to slow down, the goal of meditating, but very few people actually achieve this. It is tough to break deeply ingrained habits and beliefs that steer us towards being busy, multi-tasking and putting others ahead of our own self care.
What has become more clear to me is that until I embody the action of slowing down, my mind cannot be forced into being calm or slowing down. When I actually roll out of bed and head straight into a meditation to check in with myself, notice my thoughts and witness the sensations in my body, and allow my breath to be the medicine and power I desire it to be, I get access to calm depths that become my guide and my fuel for the rest of the day.
It is that simple. Your body will follow your mind. Commit to a few minutes of meditation in the morning and you will see that your wise system will begin to make adjustments and send signals that will allow you to get to know your pathway to decreasing stress and finding joy in simplicity. Meditate with the goal of being present in your body and in this moment. Feel the sensations in your feet and your hands and open your ears to listen to your surroundings. Without judging or story-telling, just be a witness to what you notice. Practice without the desire to be perfect. Do it without the need to be the best. Be where you are without shame, judgment, or doubt. Slow your mind-chatter, and your body will follow.
**Check out this short video to witness the grip of subconscious limiting beliefs and the possibility of substantial change when we recognize our own power**