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Mortality: why our own impermanence is such a wonderful gift

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Mortality wealthMortality or immortality? Given the choice, which would you choose? Those who regularly buy lottery tickets dreaming of untold riches might think living forever would be the most fabulous gift of all. Provided the money didn’t run out, of course. That view might change as the body begins to creak and groan. Nevertheless, certain events in life can – and should – make us reflect on our own temporality. Such thoughts are not always happy, hence the burgeoning market for anti-ageing serums, Botox and the like. But perhaps mortality is not something to fear and could bring a sense of freedom, even joy.

No end, no beginning

When a tree dies, we know that all the materials that made that tree simply change into something else. There isn’t an end, just change. In fact, it’s very hard to say when the tree began. Was it when the seed sprouted, or the seed itself – perhaps the flower of the mother tree? It’s the same with us. The chain of events that led to our appearance is without beginning. Remove one ancestor from any generation and we would cease to be.

Mortality ancestorEmbracing mortality can be a blissful release

Instead of resisting life’s natural flow, we can embrace the ephemeral nature of life. That doesn’t mean simply accepting the obvious fact that one day we are going to die. Rather, it involves understanding that our appearance on this Earth, and that is what life is, is a miraculous product of constantly changing conditions. Our body didn’t suddenly materialise out of thin air. There are causes which put it together, maintain it and change its form. That’s all mortality is – impermanence of form. Not only that, our body is made entirely of recycled material. It is actually recycling all the time and the body we had in our youth simply doesn’t exist anymore. That’s pretty amazing. Don’t resist the changing face in the mirror. It’s meant to change. Cheers!

See more in The Art of Not Doing

Free guided meditations

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Seasons and ageing: the life-enhancing secret of Nature

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Seasons autumn leavesSeasons are wonderful. They are like a gift that can teach us so much, not only about the world around us but ourselves, too. The optimist embraces the change of the seasons and our culture has always recognised the significance of the equinoxes and solstices in the annual cycle.

Seasons are Nature’s rhythm, so let’s dance

Often, we associate November with gloom and dampness but this year in the UK, Nature is particularly glorious. Thanks to the hot summer, the colours of the leaves on the trees are now spectacular. Is this a hint that if we live a full life, our own autumn will be colourful? Perhaps not necessarily for all, but it does indicate how deeply the past affects the present. Always living fully in the present enhances not just life today but our future, too. For the pessimist, spring is too wet, summer too hot, autumn miserable and winter just too cold to be mentioned – life is just shades of grey. But if we embrace all seasons, both Mother Nature’s and our own, life will be like a kaleidoscope – a continuous play of colour and rhythm.

Seasons hang in thereDon’t resist – hang in there and enjoy the ride

As our individual life goes through its phases, it is easy to see the correspondence with the seasons outside. The spring of youth and the summer of adulthood are full of energy. Seeking to prolong them is perfectly understandable. Knowing that these periods won’t last, people have been looking for the secret of eternal youth since time immemorial. Who can blame them? But internally we create resistance and interfere with the flow of energy through us. Instead of being happy with life, there is a cloud of dissatisfaction lurking in our hearts. In tai chi, which should be an effortless flow, our teachers will always find the knots of resistance in us. Gradually we learn to let go and practice becomes easier. The same applies in life. Outside, enjoy the seasons; inside, welcome the present with an open heart.

Much more on living in tune with life cycles is in The Great Little Book of Happiness.

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  1. Longevity: seven secrets of ageing gracefully
  2. Be rooted again: how a simple trick enhances life and wellbeing
  3. Mortality: why our own impermanence is such a wonderful gift
  4. Movement: why listening to our body is vital for health

Energy circulation: why it is better for health than jogging

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Colourful energy circulation Energy circulation in the body is probably the most important factor in maintaining good health. When illness strikes, it is usually the result of an imbalance in the body that has been going on for some time. Inflammation and congestion are known causes of many modern ailments and are the result of poor energy circulation. Cardiovascular health is a top priority in fitness regimens, as is body mass index, but the slimmest, fittest person I know was recently found dead in a ditch, following a massive coronary attack whilst on a bicycle ride. Intense aerobic exercise is not always the best option and often ignores body types and constitutions. Energy circulation acknowledges the importance of overall health and fitness but approaches it with a different emphasis – nurturing the body rather than seeing it as a challenge to be overcome.

How can I use energy circulation?

There are many techniques and practices that help to circulate energy through the body. Most involve physical movement of some kind and, essentially, all employ the mind. There is a very close correlation between mind and energy. Borrowing from Taoist thought, yi (mind) leads the qi (energy). If the mind is tense, so too is the body. The natural state of the mind is openness but past conditioning and innumerable emotions create tension in most of us. Letting go of these is a gradual process and is a key component in allowing qi to flow through us, so promoting health and vitality. Meditation is one very useful practice; qigong is another. Tai chi (taiji) can be thought of as combining the two in a system of slow martial arts moves.

Energy circulation focus

A simple qigong exercise

  • Stand with the feet apart and back straight. (Alternatively, sit upright.) Lift the head slightly, as though you are lengthening the neck. Place the tip of the tongue lightly on the hard palate, just behind the teeth. Breathe slowly.
  • Bring the hands to a few inches in front of the chest, as though holding an orb of light, with the fingers pointing upwards.
  • Breathe in and imagine the orb expanding, pushing the hands apart a little. As you exhale, close the hands, shrinking the orb to its original size.
  • Continue doing this for at least a couple of minutes and then lower the hands and rest them on the lower abdomen, just below the navel, for about half a minute.

This is a wonderful start to the practice of energy circulation.

For a free guided meditation on circulating energy, go here.

Other free meditations.

More information on health and energy in my book on happiness.

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Rest or be busy? 5 essential tips for restoring balance

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Rest or be busyRest almost seems a bit of a luxury at times, even though we know deep down that it is the natural partner to activity. In spite of that, we are not very good at it. Somehow, perhaps stemming from the work ethic, it is common to attach a certain amount of guilt to resting. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing,” is so common, isn’t it? Oddly, we probably encourage others to rest but for us, well – we’re far too busy.

There is a choice – rest and live fully, or age faster

A really strong draw to getting the balance right is the thought that we are probably ageing faster than we need to. Life is often said to be a journey. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather enjoy the trip than end up at the terminus having missed the scenery. Unless we take time to do that, the body will tire needlessly and wear out more quickly. Of course we must meet our responsibilities, but we have a responsibility to ourselves, too. It is only the ego that thinks it is indispensable, after all.

Five essential things

  1. Stop. If you tell someone that you are really busy, you probably aren’t. More likely, your mind is very cluttered and disorganised. Asserting we are busy is a classic method of avoidance – avoidance of being who we really are. Try stopping for a few moments and see if the world falls apart. It won’t.
  2. Breathe more deeply and more slowly. When the mind is erratic, so is our breathing. If we slow our breathing down, the mind tends to follow. The emotions settle and so does our energy. Even if we are still moving around, we can begin to learn the power of rest.
  3. Do you make lists? Lists can be helpful and many people swear by them because writing things down often helps to clear the mind. Here’s a suggestion, though. If you have a list of seven or more items, make a second list which has just one item. It might sound daft but working through a list often means racing through it without enjoying any of the things we planned to do. So take one item only from the first list and turn your first list over. Work on that one task only and then stop and breathe. Activity and rest, that’s the plan.
  4. Walk and move slowly, taking time to feel the Earth beneath your feet and the space around you. There’s plenty of advice about taking vigorous and high-intensity exercise but precious little about the benefits of moving slowly. Don’t do it all the time, of course, otherwise you will miss your train or get fired from your job. However, a few moments of slow movement can do wonders. It’s another form of rest for the mind whilst working the muscles more deeply. (If you’re really interested in this, learn some tai chi.)
  5. Meditate for a few minutes every day. Meditation can give us a very deep experience of rest and just ten minutes can refresh mind and body, leaving us clearer and more relaxed. If you don’t know how, follow this link for an easy method. (It’s free.)

Rest in the woods

For much more on the importance of stopping and how to achieve a clear mind, take a look at my book The Art of Not Doing, available in print and as an ebook.

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  1. Habits – when and how to manage them
  2. Seasons and ageing: the life-enhancing secret of Nature
  3. Mortality: why our own impermanence is such a wonderful gift
  4. Losing those we love, and the search for constancy

Be rooted again: how a simple trick enhances life and wellbeing

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Be rooted treeBe rooted and you can become almost unshakeable. This is a common principle in martial arts, especially taiji (tai chi), where we can become so firmly grounded through the legs and feet that another person finds it impossible to push or pull us over. It gives an illusion of enormous strength but there is little muscular force in it, in fact quite the opposite. To be rooted, we have to learn to become centred and to relax. Although this technique, if we call it that, we express through the body, it is a mental approach that we can apply throughout life.

Be rooted: find your centre

When we are anxious – and we are living in an age where there is much anxiety – whatever we think or do plays out on a background of instability. Our energy is unsettled and our minds are too active, too yang. As a result, events in life and even what people say can pull us this way and that. Our stress responses go up and quality of life goes down. We have forgotten how to be rooted.

The first step in coming back is to find our own centre. Instead of letting our energy go up through the chest and into our head, creating chaos on the way, we bring it to the centre of the body and down into the belly. Just focus. Let the energy build. Focus at the navel or slightly below and slow the breath down. The energy will come home to its centre. It’s a good feeling and is entirely natural.

Relax: keep your head up but let your feet sink

Letting the energy come home to the centre is the first stage. To be rooted well, we also need to let go of everything and relax. Relax your legs and feet, too. Your feet are designed to be in contact with the ground, so let them enjoy that. Let them sink. Really feel the earth through your feet. Thich Nhat Hanh used to say, “kiss the Earth with your feet”. Or we may like to feel as though we are breathing through the soles, drawing in nourishment from the ground beneath us. Once we have learnt to be rooted like this, there is no cause for anxiety. Centred and relaxed, we belong to the Earth and wherever we are, we are at home. Life is so much better like that. And it’s easy.

There is more like this in The Great Little Book of Happiness and my other books, available here.

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  2. Energy circulation: why it is better for health than jogging
  3. Longevity: seven secrets of ageing gracefully
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