In times like these we need to learn conscious grounding.
We are inundated with information. It’s coming from everywhere. The content is on so many subjects that it is overwhelming. It’s hard to know what’s true, what’s not; what’s relevant, and what’s inconsequential. It’s confusing and all consuming.
This morning during my meditation, I was unable to quiet my mind. Too many thoughts. Each time I reconnected to Center, bringing my attention back to breath, another crisis emerged. Australia on fire, war in the Middle East, crises in Eastern Europe, in France, in Africa, in India, in China, and in the US. My thought energy is scattered— fraught with anxiety – my resources are becoming depleted.
Mindful Whack-a-Mole is not helping anyone. It keeps my mind so busy I’m unavailable to have fresh creative interaction with my empathy and intuition.
The effectiveness of my intention depends on how focused and grounded I am.
Focus. Remember to stay grounded. I cannot pour from an empty cup. And I certainly cannot drink when the cup keeps moving.
Because of the exponential increase of all the distracting dissidence, it is now more important than ever to find a way to focus; to stay grounded, especially during my meditative times that I need to recharge and tap into my intuitive processes.
I experience a surreal meditative state while I am massaging dogs. When I am in “open state” I exist in another level; one where my receptivity to creative thought is heightened. I breathe. I move in my breath. I respond to the dog’s breath; their shifting nuanced expressions of claws, eyes, ears and coat.
But when I’m in a state of uber-stimulation, I catch myself slipping into thought. I’m responsible for the quality of life in the precious spirit in my hands. And yet, my mind is elsewhere.
Thoughts are powerful. When my psychic energy withdraws, I feel it. I am not participating. I’m filling time. Taking up space. Adrift. The dog feels it too. They turn, look, grow restless, and think about jumping off the table. It makes sense. If I’m not available, what’s the point of sticking around?
How do I restore my oneness of mind-body-spirit?
Spontaneous clearing. My hands are still on the dog and it takes but a moment, one breathing cycle, to regroup and recast the experience.
Here are two techniques that I find helpful.
- Visualize a clear path. Feel yourself moving easily along this path. Breathe and swallow. Swallowing is punctuation. It’s a conscious exclamation mark.
- Tantric yoga Cobra breathing reinforces your focus by intentionally following the cyclic motion of one contained breath. Again, you are focusing on staying on the path.
The cobra breath is a tantric breathing exercise. We use our breath to move kundalini energy. With our inhale it moves up from the root chakra at the base of the spine to the crown chakra at the crown of the head. And then with your exhale you return the energy back to the root chakra.
Cobra breath. Press your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Open your lips and breathe in through the spaces on either side of your tongue. It will make a slight hissing sound. Like a cobra.
With your inhale, pull the energy up from your tailbone and feel it flow up your spine. Feel it rush to the back of your head and around the top to the crown of your head.
Keep your tongue pressed on the roof of the mouth. As it transitions across the gap from the pineal gland in the middle of your brain to the back of your throat, swallow. Feel the pop of liquid pressure in your ears.
Slowly breathe out. Keep your tongue pressed on the roof of your mouth. Close your mouth and exhale through your nostrils. Follow the path of your energy breath as it flows down your neck, sternum, belly, and into your pubic bone. As it jumps across from your pubis to your coccyx, swallow. Notice how the shift in the pressures in your ears helps the breath dance across your peritoneum. Your breath moves up the Governing Vessel, leaps the gap to the Conception Vessel and completes the cycle, leaping back to the Governing Vessel.
With practice you will only need one breath to restore continuity. Caveat: the cobra breath does take quite a lot of practice to master.
These are two techniques that I use to stay grounded, connected, and receptive. When you find your attention wavering during meditation or canine massage, try them. Let me know if they help.
Also, let me know if you have any other ways that you use. Describe them in your Comments at https://petmassage.com/in-times-like-these-we-need-to-learn-conscious-grounding/
Other subscribers to this blog would love to learn how you overcome mindfulness distractions as well.