Before being in the flow of contentment, we need to know what it is to be connected to our self.
Connection can be understood in a number of ways. For instance, when you’re in touch with your real self, when you’re living life in concert with your real self, when you’re willing to acknowledge what is happening in the moment without turning away. When what you feel on the inside is consistent with what you express to others. When your real desires and dreams are what commonly come true in your world.
Sadly, as a society we’re not very good at living from this place of connection. We’re so externally driven. So oriented towards pleasing others, living up to someone else’s expectations, driving ourselves to an external standard of success, ignoring the body and its signals along the way. All these things, and more, can take us out of connection.
And we pay dearly for it, with any number of stress related health conditions that can develop, be they physical or psychological. Not to mention the misery and unhappiness that can follow.
But how do we re-connect? How do we build the bridge to being connected with ourselves again?
It’s quite simple actually. It won’t take up loads of time or cost you a lot money. You won’t have to adopt any particular spiritual doctrine or change your wardrobe in a dramatic way.
But what it will take is willingness, attention, and a good dose of patience. It will mean having the desire to build that bridge, be attentive to the moment and spend some time there.
It will mean summoning from within a good dose of patience too. Attention requires patience. If you struggle with being patient, chances are being in the present moment is a struggle too.
You know what one of the root words of the word ‘to suffer’ is? Patience. To suffer is to know what it is to be patient. Of course, who wants to suffer? But we suffer just the same when we don’t practice patience, as when we do.
With willingness, attention and patience, this bridge to connection with yourself can be built. If you feel as if you’re at a place where have none of these things, not to worry. They can be cultivated, just like a beautiful garden.
On a practical level, here’s a few things you can do right now to start building that bridge to being connected with yourself.
- Listen to your body, Find a moment when you can put on pause what you’re doing, and listen. Listen to your body’s signals. If you have an upset stomach, pause and listen to that; perhaps not having that 3rd cup of coffee, for example. Or, if you’re exercising and feeling pain in one ankle, pause and listen to that; modifying your routine and the pressure being placed on that part of the body. Your body is trying to talk to you all the time. Are you listening? Let what you hear build a bridge to yourself.
- Spend time in nature. Sit near the ocean and its undulating waves, or under a favorite tree in your backyard, or in the forest, or in a favorite spot in your garden. Be in nature and let yourself be present to all that you find there, especially the Stillness. It’s in the Stillness that you’ll find connection to yourself.
- Be present to your breath. Find a moment when you can put on pause what you’re doing, and turn your attention to the movement of your breath in your body. Notice its rhythm as the breath rises on the flow of the inhalation, and falls on the flow of the exhalation. That’s all, simply notice what you notice as you breathe in this way. Your breath is a powerful and ever present bridge to yourself.
- Notice your senses. Through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, you experience your world around you. Your experience of your senses ripples inwardly, and makes contact with the mental, emotional and spiritual places within. Your senses are a bridge to these hidden layers of your experience.
These are 4, simple, no cost ways of getting connected to yourself. Try one out, or try them all, and see how it feels.
See how doing these things can help you build your bridge to feeling connected with yourself.
Enter the flow of contentment. You’ll be glad you did.
