Power Tool: Presence and Calm vs. Scattered and Anxious ...

By: Dawn?Weaver

Meditation serves as a way to bring your attention and focus in a calm and relaxed manner to the present moment. Through an intention to become aware of your body and breath your mind calms and your energy shifts to the only moment you have available to you, which is NOW. As you bring your attention inward and intentionally relax your body you begin to gain a sense of peace and clarity. This peace and clarity is the space that is created for fresh ideas, a renewed sense of energy and a connection to Self. Meditation brings the body into a state of deep relaxation and provides the tools and resources needed to deal with stress. As the body and mind learn to relax, the mind will calm down and the body experiences a state of tranquility. Meditation has a profound effect on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. Whether the issues you face are linked to any or all of these areas everyone can benefit from daily meditation. Meditation can increase your emotional stability by providing clarity and calm in just a few minutes a day. The effects of this practice build over time, but you may notice a sense of calm, quiet and peace almost immediately. This tool has the ability to change your life from the inside out.

In a scattered and anxious state thoughts run rampant, the body is rigid and full of tension and the present moment gets put on automatic pilot rather than embraced, felt and enjoyed as the gift it is meant to be. When we are scattered our energy tends to get pulled in different directions and we lose the ability to fully give of ourselves. Our minds can only focus on one thing at a time. As we force our body and mind to go in different directions simultaneously we forget why we even walked into a room, we have a conversation with a friend or loved one and don?t remember it later, we misplace things, pay the wrong bill and a list of other mishaps. This is all because we allow our attention to be spread out like a ray in all directions without intention and clarity on what it is we want to happen and who we want to be inside of circumstance.

A new perspective can enable one to view their life with new eyes. Whether you are challenged by relationships, or issues of a regretful past or fear of the future meditation allows you an opportunity to set aside scattered and unproductive thoughts that do not serve you and gain new perspective.

Take for example Kathleen, who wants to be able to stay balanced in her life with all the priorities and responsibilities of a single, working mom. She has the awareness that meditation and exercise are two main ways that provide this balance in her life. She has been able to incorporate exercise regularly into her routine but is finding meditation a challenge. Kathleen feels that if she isn?t able to devote at least 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted time to sit in quiet meditation that it isn?t worthwhile and beneficial in any way. I ask if she would be willing to take a mere 3 minutes to be led through a guided meditation and find that presence of balance she is looking for. She agrees and I lead her through a simple exercise of relaxing her body and bringing her thoughts to the present moment. I inform her that any thoughts of the past or future are allowed to be suspended momentarily with a promise that they will be addressed later if necessary. I direct her to breathe deeply into her belly and upon exhalation to imagine all worry, doubt, and fear being released on a cloud of smoke. The remainder of the exercise in presence consists of mentally following her breath in and out. At the end of the meditation Kathleen reports that she is centered and focused and feels a tremendous amount of relief and lightness. This brief time out shows her how she can easily incorporate meditation into her daily routine and it is a reminder of the benefits that it brings in a short amount of time. Before the exercise she was multi-tasking at her office desk and anxious about the day. Afterwards she gained a sense of peace and calm and knowing that she can bring balance into her life in a few minutes. She gained clarity around being able to do this on her own even while at work sitting at her desk. It informed her that the lightness she felt was available whenever she desired it. She was then able to come fully present to our coaching session with the issues at hand in her life.

Self-Application

The first step is to discover your current emotional or physical state and how you are reacting to the situation. The second step is deciding to become present to the moment with peace and calm and clarity. This allows a moving forward into the current circumstance with a new way of being.

Reflection

How are you feeling inside of your life at this moment?

Is this feeling serving you?

How would you like to feel ? calmer, more centered, more in control of your emotions?

Which state of mind would better serve you?

Are you willing to go inward to reach that particular state of emotional stability?

Variations on Meditation

Meditation is a tool that can be applied in various ways depending on the client and what works and or resonates with them. I use it when someone is rambling, confused, or upset as a way to center them so clarity can be gained in regards to their emotions and how they would like to move forward. I often begin a coaching session with meditation to bring the client to full awareness and attention on the present moment. This allows them to drop all thoughts from earlier in the day or later plans for the day with a promise to take care of whatever needs their attention later on.

There are as many different variations on meditation as there are techniques. It can be as simple as counting the in breaths and the out breaths. For example, breathe in and breathe out to a count of 1, breathe in and breathe out to a count of 2, etc. Another simple technique is to take a breath in and think the word ?calm? and as you exhale think the work ?peace, breathe in ?love? and breathe out ?compassion.? Another form of meditation that takes one from a scattered state to a state that provides a calm yet energized feeling is deep, diaphragmatic breathing. This involves filling the belly and then lungs fully with oxygen ? holding the breath briefly (for a few seconds) and exhaling completely to release the stale air in the lungs. This can be done for a few rounds regularly throughout the day. This type of breathing sends oxygen to the brain and blood flowing through the body more fully. This breathing meditation effects great physical change as well as emotional change to include more energy, clarity, and focus.

One of the most profound forms of meditation I guide my clients through is one called Focusing. This is a guided meditation where the client will focus on different feelings in the body as these bodily sensations have a desire to be in communication with them. This is a practice that I have modified from The Power of Focusing by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D. In her book, she lists a series of steps to take to get in touch with different body sensations so to better understand the message it is sending the person. Over many years of self-application with this tool I have come to understand that the simple act of leaning in to listen to what the body has to say can effect amazing and powerful changes within one?s life regardless of how the process is applied. As a client feels a particular feeling in their body around a worry or stress it can show up as butterflies in their stomach or as a tight feeling in their throat or chest. I ask them to relax, close their eyes and take a deep, calming breath and just allow this feeling to be wherever it is in their body. I ask them to say ?Hello? to this sensation and then to begin describing it with a single word such as nervous, fluttery, or restricted until the description resonates with the sensation. The next step is to ask if there is a message trying to be relayed and if so, listen for what it is. It may be very simple, such as ?it? is feeling scared or frightened. There is never anything to fix with the sensation but in allowing it to be heard it can relax in the situation. In most cases the bodily sensations we feel are trying to communicate with us and when we listen they settle down and go away.

Renee, a client, is having trouble making decisions and is feeling powerless in regards to this. I ask her where in her body she feels disempowered in making decisions and once she settles her awareness on her physical body she finds a feeling in her solar plexus, a point just above her navel. I ask her to place her hands over this location and envision it being filled with beautiful yellow sun rays while saying hello to this area. I then ask her to focus her attention there and to sit present to it without judgment or any attachment to changing it. I instruct her to begin describing the sensation and to tell me the size and dimensions of it. As she places her attention on her solar plexus and speaks more of her fear of making decisions and allows these feelings to surface all the while giving a voice to them through her listening the feeling begins to dissipate. Renee begins to feel a release and the relief that is brought with it. The session ends with Renee feeling more confident around her ability to make decisions for herself.

Meditation brings with it many benefits on a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual level. It brings peace, relaxation, a boost in energy and it allows you to regain your quality of life and feel like your best self. It increases awareness, improves fitness and reduces anxiety. This is an all encompassing mind, body and spirit integrative tool.

Reflection

In what areas of your life would you like to improve through a daily practice of meditation?

What structures could you put in place to bring balance to your life with meditation?

How important is a healthy mind, body and spirit to you?

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