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Consciousness – your most important asset

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Consciousness is more than a description of wakefulness. It is as fundamental as life itself. Without consciousness, we do not exist but does its quality matter?

Quality of consciousness v. quantity of actions

What is more important – our consciousness or our actions? Society tends to judge its members by what they achieve and, sadly but inevitably, we are affected by that. Value is put on what people do. Life is dominated by an ethic that demands that we be doing something, all the time.

This belief creates patterns of thought in virtually all of us, so that we are preoccupied with doing and being busy. Whether we spend our life consciousness busyrunning a home, studying, going out to work or caring for others, in most of us there is a tendency to need to be doing things. Because of a sense of guilt, many of us feel a need to be seen to be doing things, otherwise we may be perceived as lazy. It becomes a habit. Many people who retire from work find that they feel they have to be engaged in something because that is the culture we live in. One man told me it took him five years after retiring before he could allow himself to sit and do nothing for a while without feeling guilty.

But is what we do always so important? Pareto came up with the principle that 80% of what we achieve comes through only 20% of our actions. From my observations throughout life, even that is optimistic for many people. Given that we spend so much time engaged in action, is life so much better for it?

Why are we here anyway?

If we look at why we are here on the face of the Earth, we might come up with several answers. Some may say we are here to improve the lot of others, some may say our purpose is to love, whilst there are those who say we are here to learn and gain experience.  Quite a number, who perhaps haven’t looked at things as deeply as they might, hold the view that we are here by chance or accident.

It is for each of us to find why we are here and the answer for each of us may be different in its detail. But the essence of all the answers must be that the reason we are all here is to evolve.

That process of evolution must include improving, widening, deepening and clarifying our consciousness, an unfolding that is often called enlightenment. If that is the case, it must be that whatever we undertake should be done with the fullest awareness we are capable of. If our awareness is only partial and is on other things while we are carrying out an action, we are only living partially. Our consciousness is split, which makes improvement difficult.

It’s not what you do…

That brings us back to the question posed a few moments ago – what is more important, our consciousness or our actions? The quality of our consciousness is the most important thing in any given moment and provided we look after our consciousness, the actions that we carry out will be filled with quality. As the old song says, “It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it.”

Please do not think that I’m encouraging you or anyone else to stop doing things. But it’s better to do something well and with full awareness than to rush through half a dozen things with only half a mind on the job. Make sure you are always fully aware in the present moment. This means relaxing in your body and carrying out whatever needs to be done with calmness and clarity. It may be that you will carry out fewer actions but you will be fully alive and that is what matters. This will bring poise and gradually your life will become more serene. Being will become part of doing.

consciousness last breathThe in-tray’s last breath

Someone wrote years ago that the in-tray is never empty. There will always seem to be something waiting to be done. One day this life will be over and we won’t be able to reach for the in-tray. But what we will have with us is our consciousness. Will that consciousness have been improved as a result of our life? At that point, that very final point, that is all that is going to matter.

From The Great Little Book of Happiness

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Thinking too much is a loss of life

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Thinking – we can’t stop it but is that good or bad?

This may sound odd, but have you ever thought about your thoughts? From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we fall asleep at night, we produce an endless stream of thoughts. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say “streams” of thoughts because there appears to be little relation between many of them. But each thought we have is preceded by a thought or an event of some kind – the phone ringing, perhaps, or someone speaks to us or we hear a noise – and produces another thought. It’s like perpetual motion but in the mind. If all that thinking was effective and productive, what amazingly efficient beings we would be!

A waste of time

Unfortunately, most of our thoughts are a waste of time and energy. If we observe what we are thinking about, thinking waste of energywe will probably find that at least 90% is about what has gone on in the past or what we think is going to happen in the future.

In thinking about the past, we might be reflecting on what has happened. How well did we deal with a situation? Why did someone speak to us the way they did? What made a neighbour act in a certain way? Maybe we reflect on a pleasant evening we had, and so it goes on. That’s human nature, isn’t it?

We also think about the future. What time we need to be somewhere, hoping something turns out ok, imagining how we are going to deal with a situation, how someone is going to react, looking forward to a holiday etc. It sounds exhausting and it is exhausting.

Thinking uses up energy

Thinking uses up energy. It uses up physical energy in the form of calories (a good thing, you might say) but unnecessary thoughts also dissipate our chi and other subtle energies. This results in our awareness lacking focus and coherence. Thinking can stir up emotions, too. Everything seems hunky-dory and all of a sudden our mind flits back to a painful event in the past – and whoosh – up come all the old emotions; or we start to worry about what might happen in the future.

All this is truly remarkable because the one thing we are not thinking about very much is what lies between the past and the future – now. All we have, ever, is the present moment. There is nothing else. Life is just an unfolding present moment, but if we are not present in the present, life is lost to us and we are lost to life.

There is more on this in The Great Little Book of Happiness, available here.

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Saying sorry can be very healing

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To err is human. So is saying sorry. We all make mistakes most days. Most of them are insignificant but if they affect someone else, we may feel a little (or very) uncomfortable. That discomfort is reflected in the energy of our body. Unless it is put right, we will be out of balance. Some say it’s karma, the universe paying us back. I prefer to think that we set up a disturbance in our energy system that will need redressing.

Putting things right

If we know we have done wrong or made a mistake in some way, we should try to put it right. That might simplysaying sorry out of order be making a sincere apology or it could be making amends in some way. By making a genuine attempt to put things right (and we cannot always do so) we inject positive energy into the memory and so help to heal a negative pattern.

But what if we can’t? It might be that we cannot do anything or apologise because we do not know or cannot contact anyone who was on the receiving end of what we did or said. Sometimes – and we’ve probably all been there – it may be that to say or do anything would make matters worse.

Saying sorry as a meditation

In those instances it can be helpful to visualise saying sorry. In other words, we imagine the other person in front of us and offer from our hearts a deep and sincere apology. Note the words deep and sincere. It is as though we are saying sorry from our soul or spirit. It is not an unburdening of guilt so much as the expression of a genuine desire to undo any harm we may have caused.

This is like a meditation – a focus of the mind to create a positive effect. Of course, the offended party is totally unaware of this process. But at a more subtle level, who knows what may go on? In ourselves, we shift what can be a huge energy block. That can heal us and because of that it can also help to heal relationships.

You are a recording star!

Here’s a thought – everything we do or say is being recorded. Our whole being is a recording instrument and what it records affects our energy at all levels.

How we think, speak and behave leaves an internal imprint. This in turn alters the flow of our energies. These dictate how we feel and react to people around us and our environment. They affect our mental state and therefore how we perceive things. Others can often sense whether our energy is positive and open or whether parts of us are closed off. So how we are inside will determine to some extent how others react to us.

If we are positive and reacting reasonably well with the world around us, our energies will tend to be more settled. We will feel happier and calmer. Conversely, if our energy pattern is chaotic, it will tend to draw us into situations where things often go wrong. Even sod’s law is not entirely without reason. So we need to avoid negative actions and negative ways of thinking. This is not an injunction to be angelic, but at least if we try to act and think ethically, we will be more comfortable with ourselves and life will be more enjoyable. Saying sorry when we have messed up is a no-brainer, then.

More on this in The Great Little Book of Happiness

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Stress? Cut it in 5 minutes or less

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Stress is not good. Over time, tension and overloads can seriously harm our health. A constantly stressed person stress and tensionis not a happy one. With unnecessary tension, we age faster. The immune system becomes weaker. Some people say they thrive on stress but they usually mean they enjoy challenges and stimulus. As with most things, balance is the key. Stimulus can be good but we also need to rest our minds and bodies. Here is a wonderfully easy stress-busting technique.

Stress buster – an easy technique to calm mind and body

Anyone can do this. It’s an ancient method and I make no claim for it. It works superbly and it’s simple.

You can do this standing, sitting or lying down but I recommend doing it seated to begin with. In fact, if done whilst seated it can be used as a form of meditation for quietening the mind and is probably one of the simplest, and oldest, forms of meditation.

For the first couple of times you do this, place the flat of one hand on the lower abdomen, just over the navel or a fraction below it, and breathe right out. As you breathe out, you should be able to feel the abdomen draw in slightly. As you breathe in, it should expand. If you find the movement goes the opposite way, it means that you are shallow-breathing. The diaphragm moves up rather than down on the in-breath which results in a shallow breath.

After a few breaths, take the hand away and begin the technique:

  • Sit up reasonably straight with the hands resting in the lap or on the knees or thighs. If you are sitting in a chair, make sure that the legs aren’t crossed at the knees and the feet are flat on the floor. It’s important to be comfortable but if we slouch, we constrict the energy channels in the body, especially in the back, and we won’t have the same benefit.
  • Place the awareness on the lower abdomen and exhale, feeling the movement of the abdomen.
  • Close the eyes and continue to breathe normally, simply being aware of the movements that come with the breathing.

stress release balloonsIt’s important not to try to control the breath in any way; this is not a breathing exercise and we should be relaxed. If you don’t like having the eyes closed, having them half closed with the eyes downcast is fine.

That, simply, is it. We should sit like this for at least five minutes. Once we become used to it, we can extend it to a ten minute session, which will work wonders. When we find the mind wandering, we simply bring our awareness back to the movement of the breath.

Help the brain, lose stress and concentrate the chi

Call it an exercise, a meditation or a technique. It doesn’t matter what we call it. By engaging in this process, we allow a number of things to happen.

  • Awareness brings our mind and body together (more on this here)
  • As mind and body unite with the rhythm of the breath, we enter a state of rest – pulse rate lowers, as does the blood pressure.
  • This deeper relaxation allows the gradual release of stress and tension.
  • Brain activity changes – a balancing between left and right hemispheres takes place, resulting in greater coherence.
  • Chi or energy in our body settles quickly, particularly in the abdomen. With practice, chi can build up in the dan tian. This is an energy area in the lower abdomen. When our chi is settled there, we feel calmer and are less prone to stress.
  • After our session, we will normally feel some quietness. This is our natural, inherent quietness that gives a calmer and clearer mind.
  • With practice, we will benefit from less stress, greater happiness, clarity and more energy. That’s what I call a result!

What do you find effective in reducing stress and giving energy?

More on this in The Great Little Book of Happiness which is available now.

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Chi: why it is crucial to your wellbeing

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Chi is the key to our sense of inner and outer health

Coursing through our bodies are numerous energy channels that carry our life-force – chi. Chi (pronouncedchi breath “chee” and sometimes written qi) is our vital energy, which flows through us, including the organs of the body. Many of the meridians, the main channels, are named after the organs that they influence. Throughout the whole body, there is a very complex network.

When chi is abundant and balanced, then health is good. The body is strong and we feel well. However, when there are blockages in the network, we get an imbalance. If we think of this system as a sort of bio-electrical circuit, we can perhaps imagine that if there is not enough chi flowing, there will be coldness and lack of energy. In other areas, there may be congestion and overheating due to overload.

The mind and chi

As practitioners of chi kung (sometimes written qigong)  and the internal martial arts know very well, chi can be influenced or led by the mind. In other words, we can affect the flow of chi by our thinking or by shifting our awareness. For example, if we breathe with our awareness focused slightly below the navel, it is possible with a little practice to feel the energy building up there.

Chi can be led by the mind because there are subtle energies in the emotional and mental layers of our being, as well as in our body. The relationship between these is very close. When we have a thought, there is a movement of subtle energy in the mental layer or mental body, as it is sometimes called. If that movement is strong or maintained, it can significantly affect the flow of chi. In general terms, if the flow of energy is good and positive, the blood circulation will normally also be healthy. We may feel some warmth or light tingling sensations, particularly in the hands.

If we think of the connection between the subtle energies of the mind (sometimes delightfully called the mental winds) with our chi, it becomes easier to understand how any upset in mind or body can create upset in the other. If the mind is disturbed, the energy in the body will be agitated. Similarly, if the body is upset or stimulated, it is likely that the mind will be unsettled too. So when we talk about becoming tranquil, it is not just calming the mind. Both body and mind are interdependent.

Breath, body, mind

The breath is far more than physiological respiration. It is the magic bridge between body and mind. Awareness of the breath is a major tool in bringing about tranquillity and, as a result of that, clarity of mind.chi more than air

When we feel agitated or upset, our breathing changes. It becomes shallower and more rapid. We then tend to breathe mainly into the top of the lungs. As we inhale, the diaphragm pulls up rather than pushes down. The pulse runs faster, the blood pressure rises and the body behaves as if the most important thing is to maintain a rapid intake of oxygen. It does this because adrenalin secreted into the bloodstream brings the body to a state of readiness for action – the “fight or flight” response. On the other hand, when we are calm the breath tends to be deeper and slower.

More than air

As well as drawing in oxygen, the breath takes in chi from the air. How we breathe also affects the flow of energy in the body. When our breath is shallow and rapid, it tends to bring more chi to the surface of the body, taking it away from the centre where its presence helps to stabilise us. In effect, the chi is dissipated and our calmness and stability disappear. Conversely, when the breathing is slower and deeper, the chi tends to build up in the centre of the body. In particular, this is at an energy centre known as the dan tian, in the lower abdomen just below the level of the navel.

If the chi is settled and stable, the subtle energies it affects – in particular the “mental winds” – will also be more settled. As a result our thinking becomes clearer and our emotions steadier. The advice that is sometimes given to someone who is upset to “take some deep breaths” has its basis not just in physiology but also in the subtle energy system.

Why breathing exercises can be bad for you

There are many systems of breathing exercise but we have to be very careful with them. If the breath were simply about oxygenating the blood and carrying away the carbon dioxide, there probably wouldn’t be any need for caution, other than ensuring that we avoid hyperventilation or perhaps even hypoventilation.

If we concentrate too much or overemphasise a certain aspect, we can create tension and unwittingly cause chi to accumulate and stagnate in a particular area. A person who once attended one of our tai chi classes attempted to do deep breathing whilst practising the tai chi moves. She made herself quite unwell for several hours because she created tension in the body and upset the chi.

So it is important that we are careful. To that end I don’t advocate anyone doing breathing exercises without personal guidance. However, we can still utilise the breath as a vehicle that harnesses the body, mind and subtle energies, enhancing our calmness, clarity and well-being. Next time, we’ll look at a simple but effective method of doing this.

From the chapter Serenity in The Great Little Book of Happiness

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