If one were to describe the makeup of the universe in one word, the most apparent word would be MOTION. The word we use to describe the motion of objects through space is ENERGY. All objects are made up of both as you’ll recall learning in high school physics that what we perceive in life to be solid is actually not motionless; in fact that table, the chair you sit on, and all other pieces of matter are also in motion, moving at an incredibly high rate that the human eye can not quite perceive. The universe and the world as we know and comprehend are one of constant movement, fluctuation and flow.
Even the relatively new science of quantum physics has discovered that our thoughts and words have energy and motion so that everything we think and speak emanates from us in waves. This is one reason why wise speech is so important as our negative words can literally attack and drain someone on an energetic level. This also applies to our consciousness. It too has the ability to expand or contract on a personal and spiritual level. Many believe one of the reasons we are here upon this planet is to learn certain life lessons thereby expanding our consciousness.
An individual is not a body. An individual has a body. An individual just IS. There have been many names to describe this phenomena – the human soul, the spirit, consciousness, and the variety of other names attributed throughout the ages.
There are several pathways that help us enhance our awareness but one very effective way is through Mindfulness Meditation, which may seem paradoxical as it emphasizes sitting in stillness. But when you look at the effect that meditation has on the brain it too is subtlety in motion. Our brains have been referred to as a system of neuronal pathways exchanging information and energy flow. Mindfulness meditation creates new neuronal tracks in both the prefrontal cortex as well as the mid-insular regions of the brain. This means that as we learn to sit quietly and to meditate we engage billions of brain cells to fire, and when Neurons fire (learn new activities) they wire together. So you can if you meditate and desire change in effect teach an old dog new tricks. Thus the axiom Change Your Mind Change Your Brain gives new meaning to the activity called Mindfulness.
Through mindfulness meditation you can tune in and listen to the wisdom of your soul or unconscious, the state in which core creativity takes place, beyond the limitations of the mind’s thought processes. Whenever you reconnect to this core, authentic self through open mind, the temporary circumstances of life stop distracting you. You’re able to trust that the creative process will produce opportunities and possibilities in due time. Meditation is essentially the action of becoming what you already are. It is the action of remembering the total stillness, silence, and the energetic state that all beings truly are.
Mindful leadership at home and work incorporates meditation as daily practices to not only improve one’s spiritual capabilities but also to become more aware of the world in which we live. The more one meditates, the more one has access to the innate wisdom within. That wisdom, which springs from the silence of meditation, allows you to connect with the entity that is most definitely you.
As one goes through life and begins to identify with the world they perceive on a daily basis, it is incredibly easy to forget one’s essence. The world is fast, hard, and often times rough. But you are not the world. You are you. You are the perceiver of the world. So, believing that you are just too busy to take time to sit still, go inside and receive from within is also just a perception or an excuse.
Meditation and mindfulness are so essential at this critical time in the evolution of our species. The educators, parents, managers, captains of industry, and future leaders of the world not only need to meditate~ they must. Or where will the next great idea, vision, image or discovery emerge?
So right now, take five minutes from your busy schedule to close your eyes, focus on your breath by breathing in for a count of 3, hold your breath for 3 and breathe out for 3 letting all stress and distractions dissolve around you and enjoy this moment of relaxation and stillness. To be free means to risk the known and venture into the unknown domain of quiet and stillness the fertile void. As we expand our consciousness, we are open to dreaming big, we are aware of the dream we are weaving the tapestry for creative enfoldment.
In the words of Bob Dylan, “He who is not busy being born is busy dying.”
Adapted from Ronald Alexander’s book “Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change” (New Harbinger Publications, 2009) plus a contribution from Brian Culkin B.A.