In the indigo sky, my soul unfurls, I ask you why? – are you afraid to live, as though you’ll die? – when just allow your heart to flow merging with the winds, to eternity you’ll blow forever, and ever, alive spirit knows no death or birth just endless cycles upon the earth energy morphing, with freedom’s will and that’s how, sweet child you’ll thrive. * * *
This weekend I leave you with this little poem, written a few months ago, from my debut anthology I am working on.
Since my last post about finding home within wherever we go, I have settled into a lovely new space that is finally giving me the physical setting to support deeper peace, relaxation, and stability.
For a moment, everything had been cast up in the air. The lady I was to-be house-sitting for had decided to postpone her trip abroad — and so no longer needed me to come right away. After a few seconds of panic, I re-listened to her voice message and breathed calm into my bones: she seemed willing to make things work in one way or another, and not leave me stranded. A short conversation later and it was arranged: we would live together overlapping for about a week, I would get to meet her and her dogs, and get my bearings around the house and property before she left. It turned into a lovely week, the seeds of a new friendship sprouting, my heart exploding with gratitude.
Things always work out, in one way or another. The more we relax, the easier it always is to find solutions. When one door closes, another one opens. When we soften into the ebb and flow of our journey through life, we avoid getting caught up in unnecessary tensions and dramas that would otherwise hinder us from seeing the bigger picture, navigating forwards along the path of least resistance.
Many of my friends who live locally here are going away for a holiday elsewhere in these coming weeks. A phrase I often hear (and say myself!) is about the “intensity of life in paradise”, which we all need a break from every now and then.
There are many challenges we face living here — which those who come for a brief holidaying visit do not experience. Tranquil moments watching the sunset are often counter-balanced by stresses such as the hiccups of car breakdowns (the roads here are rough on vehicles!), electronics failing (from the humidity), the struggle to make money in low-season as the cost of living increases, and so on. Pura vida”, or “pure life” as the saying goes here in Costa Rica, refers to a way of life that is relaxed and chilled out… but paradoxically (and to those who are not accustomed to such a laid back approach) sometimes things can feel too relaxed. For example, we spent the last week drowning beneath a pile of dog-blanket laundry (and things get smelly here!) since the washing machine broke. Trying to set an appointment (a day, let alone a time) with the repair man was like trying to pull the moon down from the sky. Each day would pass and we’d be told “mañana” (tomorrow), only for tomorrow to arrive the next week.
But on the other hand, all this teaches a deeper kind of trust and surrender. It’s an initiation of sorts, to invite living with greater presence for the here and now, to let go of expectations for the future, and appreciate the beauty all around. There’s simply no option but to let go, and go with the flow. You either learn to do that, or spend your days in a perpetual cycle of stress which frankly rivals that which I experienced as a lawyer in the city of London. And the more you struggle for control, the more you’ll find yourself swept up in the storm of the external, absolutely powerless in the winds that blow mercilessly wherever they want. You cannot command them: you can only command your own inner reactions.
Below I’ll share a favourite meditation of mine that helps me connect to the “flow” and easeful rhythm of life, navigating obstacles and challenges, and just allowing myself to “be” through instability and uncertainty.
- Breathe in, visualising the air that you are absorbing, air which has travelled all around the world and contains a little bit of the essence of every living creature that has also breathed that air. Feel yourself fill up on the wisdom of all these other beings, and places where the air has travelled. Feel a sense of interconnectivity, feel yourself at home and at ease — you a part of this world, and so too is the world within you.
- Breathe out, visualising a little piece of your own essence travelling back out there into the world, allowing it to join in with the dancing breeze and the essences of all other living beings. “Give” that part of you to the world, sharing your energy. And allow yourself to wander out into the world and experience it, and gain wisdom from the journey. Also, release any tension that you’re holding on to — that tension is just stuck energy which is not meant to be in your body. When you let it go, you release it back to the universe for it to be utilised where it is needed.
- Focus on creating harmony and balance between the in-breath and the out-breath. As time passes within your meditation, slowly let the mental distinction between in and out blur, and eventually dissolve away. There is only a sense of oneness, a simultaneous giving and receiving of energy, that allows you to simply exist with flexibility, adaptability, and the strength and wisdom to handle any situation that comes your way.
I hope this little tool may assist you bring more ease and flow into your life. This very simple meditation in fact has many layers to it, and the more you practice it the more you may discover. It’s also an invitation to move beyond the duality of perceiving tensions within you as “bad” and something else out there as “good”. Simply allow your energy to circulate with that of the world, through the breath. Allow yourself to come to a point of balance and recalibration, without letting mental perceptions and judgments get in the way.
Finally, if you’re interested in diving deeper with meditation, I offer guided journeys (online or in person, depending on your location), as well as health & lifestyle mentoring. You can visit my services page to learn a little more about my wellness work, or drop me an email at bridgesbetweenrealities@gmail.com
I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, and have a great start to your week ahead!
Cara