Ayurvedic wisdom says that our waking consciousness rests in the heart. Experiencing how your mind lives in your heart is central to understanding how your feelings and emotions affect your experience of wholeness. Sebastian Pole – A Pukka Life, Finding your path to perfect health.
It’s a grey wet February day, perfect for going inward and having a quiet moment with yourself. We’re so used to our perpetual inner chat and the glorifying of busy. When our environment is still largely in hibernation should give us a clue that our frantic outpouring of energy and stimulation is out of balance with natural rythms.
Today might just be the day for a little centering and grounding, being aware of the present moment, inhabiting our body fully and truly being there. Pausing the flow of constant thoughts to just witness the day and ourself is very soothing. If you don’t know where to start you could begin by being mindful of your senses: sound, touch, sight, taste and smell. Feel your world.
Then try singling out one of those perceptions. What sounds can you hear, notice the sensations and let the vibrations touch you. Completely tune in to hearing the flow of noise in your environment. Listen to the silence.
Move to an awareness of touch and feeling. Observe the impressions of clothes on your skin, your body against the floor, air on your face, hair on your neck, palpating of hands on skin, breath touching your nostril.
Next use your eyesight to really see, notice colours and shapes, movement in your scope of vision. How far can you see, do you pay attention to objects in your very close surroundings?
Bring your awareness to your sense of smell. This brings the earth element forward. What aromas can you distinguish, objects may emit aromas. Try to pick up the scents of your household. What do they evoke for you?
Finally move to your tastebuds. Are there any flavours in your mouth as it is, in different parts of your tongue or mouth? What are you experiencing?
Breathe, filling up the belly first, expanding the abdomen. Feel the rib cage lift and expand front and sides as you continue to breathe in then finally feel the collar bones rise as your breathe comes up. Exhale from the upper chest, relax the lower ribs and gently pull in the abdomen to empty the lungs fully. A few minutes of this deep 3-part breathing technique familiar to all yoga practitioners will bring you to your core.
Observe the stream of thoughts come and go without engaging.
Now just be with yourself. It’s my hope that you found stillness and the wholeness within, a moment of connection with what is, and peace.
For a little more grounding why not try this naughty recipe from Full Moon Feast, Food and the Hunger for Connection. This is the recipe as Jessica Prentice writes it but you could swap the palm sugar for coconut butter for a slightly healthier version (that’s what we’re about isn’t it) and the cocoa for raw cacao (here‘s an explanation of the difference & benefits):
HOT COCO CACAO
Serves 1-2
1/4 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon Palm sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1&1/2 cups raw whole milk
Few grains of sea salt
1. Heat the water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat
2. Add the palm sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk vigorously as the mixture comes to a simmer until both sugar and cocoa are dissolved.
3. Add the remaining ingredients.
4. Heat gently until the cocoa feels hot to the touch, but not so hot that you can’t keep your finger there (about 110*F)
5. Remove from heat and pour into warm cups or mugs
Bliss!
Anne Schouvey 