Stress of staying in the now

[3dnow]

Hi forum,

I start to believe that most of my actions result of my inability to stay idle in the now.

Staying idle means, staying peaceful like a plant, not doing/thinking anything non-sense. Since this is new to me, this state creates a stress and I am easily trapped again by the mind garbage.

I am correct? This is what's happening?

Thanks,

3dnow

[Lisa]

Putting your attention in the inner energy field of the body is a ground.

Going into the body- this helps tremendously.

[3dnow]

Putting your attention in the inner energy field of the body is a ground.

Going into the body- this helps tremendously.
Thanks Lisa but you confirm? This is what's happening?

Going into the body? What do you mean?

Thanks,

3dnow

[Emmalevine]

Focus on how your body feels right at this moment. This is the way I go back into the present moment. Really feel your entire body, starting with your feet and working up if you need to. Then feel your energy field. This takes your attention away from thoughts and is enormously relaxing. I do this even if I'm in physcial pain as it brings focus to it rather than trying to pretend it is not happening. This lessens the suffering around the pain.

[northstar]

thats what all the meditation and stuff is about 3d... methods... if you can bring yourself to 'no thought' then everything after that is 'new thought'... without pre-conception without pre-judgement... seeing with new eyes just 'what is'...

[3dnow]

thats what all the meditation and stuff is about 3d... methods... if you can bring yourself to 'no thought' then everything after that is 'new thought'... without pre-conception without pre-judgement... seeing with new eyes just 'what is'...
It is not necessarily "no thought". you can very well have thoughts but "not believe" them. I wasn't talking about meditation (it would certainly help of course).. I am talking about living this way which apparently most do.

3dnow

[Lisa]

Thanks Lisa but you confirm? This is what's happening?

Going into the body? What do you mean?

Thanks,

3dnow

Hi 3dnow, I recommend reading the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Or watching a dvd like The Flowering of Consciousness. Honestly- sublime! It is a practical teaching, not just "Oh that sounds great." :smile: The following is long, but it is worth it. Jewels here!

Power of Now portals are exits out of mind identification. Like watching thoughts, looking at stillness, listening to silence, accepting the Now.

Being in the body, connected to the inner energy field in the body is another one.

This is no mind, going beyond the mind.

Have Deep Roots Within- Eckhart Tolle

The key is to be in a state of permanent connectiveness with your inner body- to feel it at all times. This will rapidly deepen and transform your life.

The more consciousness you direct into the inner body, the higher the vibrational frequency becomes, much like a light that grows brighter as you turn up the dimmer switch and so increase the flow of electricity. At this higher level, negativity cannot affect you anymore, and you tend to attract new circumstances that reflect this higher frequency.

If you keep your attention in the body as much as possible, you will become anchored in the Now. You won’t lose yourself in the external world, and you won’t lose yourself in your mind. Thoughts and emotions, fears and desires, may still be there to some extent, but they won’t take you over.

Please examine where your attention is this moment. You are listening to me or you are reading these words in a book. That is your focus of attention. You are also peripherally aware of your surroundings. Furthermore there may be some mind activity around what you are hearing or reading, some mental commentary. Yet there is no need for any of this to absorb All your attention. See if you can be in touch with your inner body at the same time. Keep some of your attention within. Don’t let it all flow out. Feel your whole body from within as a single field of energy. It is almost as if you were listening or reading with your whole body. Let this be your practice in the days and weeks to come.

Do not give all your attention away to the mind and the external world. By all means focus on what you are doing, but feel the inner body at the same time whenever all possible. Stay rooted within. Then observe how this changes your state of consciousness and the quality of what you are doing.

Whenever you are waiting, wherever it may be, use that time to feel the inner body. In this way traffic jams and line ups become very enjoyable. Instead of mentally projecting yourself away from the Now, go more deeply into the Now by going more deeply into the body.

The art of inner-body awareness will develop into a completely new way of living, a state of permanent connectiveness with being, and will add a depth to your life that you have never known before.

It is easy to stay present as the observer of your mind when you are deeply rooted within your body. No matter what happens on the outside, nothing can shake you anymore.

Unless you stay present- and inhabiting your body is always an essential aspect of it- you will continue to be run by your mind. The script in your head that you learned a long time ago, the conditioning of your mind, will dictate your thinking and your behavior. You may be free from of it for brief intervals, but rarely for long. This is especially true when something “goes wrong” or there is some loss or upset. Your conditioned reaction will then be involuntary, automatic and predictable, fueled by the one basic emotion that underlies the mind-identified state of consciousness; fear.

So when challenges come, as they always do, make it a habit to go within at once and focus as much as you can on the inner energy field of your body. This need not take long, just a few seconds. But you need to do it the moment a challenge presents itself. Any delay will allow a conditioned mental/emotional reaction to arise and take you over. When you focus within and feel the inner body you immediately become still and present as you are withdrawing consciousness from the mind. If a response is required in that situation it will come up from this deeper level. Just as the sun is infinitely brighter than a candle flame, there is infinitely more intelligence to Being than in your mind.

As long as you are in conscious contact with your inner body, you are like a tree that is deeply rooted in the earth, or a building with a deep and solid foundation.

Before You Enter The Body- Forgive.

“I feel very uncomfortable when I tried to put my attention on the inner body. There was a feeling of agitation and some nausea. So I haven’t been able to experience what you are talking about.”

What you felt was a lingering emotion that you were probably unaware of until you started putting some attention into the body. Unless you first give it some attention, the emotion will prevent you from gaining access to the inner body, which lies at a deeper level underneath it.

Attention does not mean that you start thinking about it. It means to just observe the emotion, to feel it fully, and so to acknowledge and accept it is as it is. Some emotions are easily identified; anger, fear, grief and so on. Others may be harder to label. They may just be vague feelings of unease, heaviness or constriction, half-way between an emotion and a physical sensation.

In any case what matters is not whether you can attach a mental label to it, but whether you can bring the feeling of it into awareness as much as possible.

Attention is the key to transformation- and full attention also implies acceptance. Attention is like a beam of light- the focused power of your consciousness that transmutes everything into itself.

In a fully functional organism, an emotion has a very short life span. It is like a momentary ripple or wave on the surface of your Being. When you are not in your body however, an emotion can survive inside you for days, or weeks or join with other emotions of a similar frequency that have merged and become the pain body- a parasite that can live inside you for years- feed on your energy- lead to physical illness, and make your life miserable.

So place your attention on feeling the emotion and check whether your mind is holding on to a grievance pattern such as blame, self-pity or resentment that is feeding the emotion. If that is the case it means that you haven’t forgiven. Non forgiveness is often toward another person or yourself, but it may just as well be toward any situation or condition- past, present or future- that your mind refuses to accept.

Yes there can be nonforgiveness even in regards to the future. This is the mind’s refusal to accept uncertainty, to accept that the future is ultimately beyond its control. Forgiveness is to relinquish your grievance and so to let go of grief. It happens naturally once you realize that your grievance serves no purpose other than to strengthen a false sense of self. Forgiveness is to offer no resistance to life- to allow life to live through you. The alternative are pain and suffering, a greatly restricted flow of life energy, and in many cases physical disease.

The moment you truly forgive you have reclaimed your power from the mind. Non forgiveness is the very nature of the mind, just as the mind made false self, the ego, cannot survive without strife and conflict. The mind cannot forgive. Only you can. You become present, you enter your body, you feel the vibrant peace and stillness that emanate from Being. That is why Jesus said, “Before you enter the temple, forgive.”

Your Link With The Unmanifested

“What is the relationship between presence and the inner body?”

Presence is pure consciousness- consciousness that has been unclaimed by the mind, from the world of form. Your inner body is your link with the Unmanifested, and in its deepest aspect Is the unmanifested: the Source from which consciousness emanates as light emanates from the sun. Awareness of the inner body is consciousness remembering its origin and returning to its Source.

“Is the unmanifested the same as Being?”

Yes, The word “unmanifested” attempts by way of negation to express that which cannot be spoken, thought or imagined. It points to what it is by saying what it is not. Being on the other hand is a positive term. These are no more than sign posts- don’t get attached to them.

“Who reclaims consciousness from the mind?”

You do. But since in your essence you are consciousness, we might as well say that it is an awakening of consciousness from the dream of form. This does not mean that your own form will vanish in an explosion of light. You can continue in your present form yet be aware of the formless and deathless deep within you.

Feeling will get you closer to the truth of who you are than thinking. I cannot tell you anything that deep within you don’t already know. When you have reached a certain stage of inner connectiveness, you recognize the truth when you hear it. If you haven’t reached that stage yet. The practice of body awareness will bring about the deepening that is necessary.

There is a simple but powerful self-healing meditation, if you use it at frequent intervals and with intense focus. It will also counteract any disruption of your energy field by some form of negativity.

However it is not a substitute for the moment to moment practice of being in the body, other wise its effects will only be temporary.

Here it is.

When you are unoccupied for a few minutes, and especially last thing at night before falling asleep and first thing in the morning before getting up, “flood” your body with consciousness. Close your eyes. Lie flat on your back. Choose different parts of your body to focus your attention on briefly at first. Feel the life energy in those parts as intensely as you can. Stay with each part for 15 seconds or so. Then let your attention run through your body like a wave a few times. This need only take a minute or so. After that, feel the inner body in its totality, as a single field of energy. Be intensely present during that time, present in every cell of your body. Don’t be concerned if the mind occasionally succeeds in drawing your attention out of the body, and you lose yourself in some thought. As soon as you notice this has happen. Just return your attention to the inner body.

Let The Breath Take You Into The Body

If at any time you find it hard to get in touch with the inner body, it is usually easier to focus on your breathing first. Conscious breathing, which is a powerful meditation in its own right, will gradually put you in touch with the body. Follow your breath as if moves in and out of your body. Breathe into the body and feel your abdomen expanding and contracting slightly with each inhalation and exhalation. If you find it easier to visualize, close your eyes and see yourself surrounded by light or immersed in a luminous substance, the sea of consciousness. Then breathe in that light. Feel that luminous substance filling up you body and making it luminous also. Then gradually focus more on the feeling. You are now in your body. Don’t get attached to any visual image.

Going Deeply Into The Body

Make it into a meditation. It needn’t take long. Ten-fifteen minutes of clock time should be sufficient. Make sure that there are no external distractions such as telephones or people who are likely to interrupt you. Sit on a chair but don’t lean back. Keep the spine erect. Doing so will help you stay alert. Alert natively, choose your own favorite position for meditation.

Make sure the body is relaxed. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths.
Feel yourself breathing into the lower abdomen, as it were. Observe how it expands and contracts slightly with each in and out breath. Then become aware of the entire energy field of the body. Don’t think about it- feel it. By doing this you reclaim consciousness from the mind. If you find it helpful, use the “light” visualization I described earlier.

When you can feel the inner body clearly as a single field of energy , let go, if possible, of any visual image and focus exclusively on the feeling. If you can, also drop any mental image you may still have of the physical body. All that is left then is an all-encompassing sense of presence or “beingness” and the inner body is felt to be without a boundary. Then take your attention more deeply into that feeling. Become one with it. Merge with the energy field so that there is no longer a perceived duality of the observer and the observed, of you and your body. The distinction between inner and outer also dissolves now, so there is no inner body anymore. By going deeply into the body you have transcended the body.

Stay in this realm of pure Being for as long as feels comfortable, then become aware of the physical body, your breathing and physical senses and open your eyes. Look at your surroundings for a few minutes in a meditative way- that is without labeling them mentally- and continue to feel the inner body as you do so.

Having access to that formless realm is truly liberating. It frees you from bondage to form and identification with form. It is life in its undifferentiated state prior to its fragmentation into multiplicity. We may call it the Unmanifested, the invisible Source of all things, the Being within all beings. It is a realm of deep stillness and peace, but also of joy and intense aliveness. Whenever you are Present you become “transparent” to some extent to the light, the pure consciousness that emanates from this Source. You also realize that the light is not separate from who you are but constitutes your very essence.

[3dnow]

Thank you very much Lisa.

3dnow

[3dnow]

Focus on how your body feels right at this moment. This is the way I go back into the present moment. Really feel your entire body, starting with your feet and working up if you need to. Then feel your energy field. This takes your attention away from thoughts and is enormously relaxing. I do this even if I'm in physcial pain as it brings focus to it rather than trying to pretend it is not happening. This lessens the suffering around the pain.

Thanks Starbuck I 'll try it.

3dnow

[3dnow]

Hi 3dnow, I recommend reading the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Or watching a dvd like The Flowering of Consciousness. Honestly- sublime! It is a practical teaching, not just "Oh that sounds great." :smile:


cool it is available on the web.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2546949894540352546 (http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/redir.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvid eoplay%3Fdocid%3D2546949894540352546)

3dnow

[3dnow]

Hi again,

What is this force that pushes me out of the now?

Fear? Is there anything else?

Thanks,

3dnow

[Sentientno1]

How about a bucket of cold water.....

You have years of thinking habits and patterns, a few days or even weeks of interruption are not going to over ride that habit. In truth it will never stop when you are occupied with something else. What does happen is it becomes so superficial, riding on the surface of consciousness it becomes un noticiable, like a radio playing in the background it mutters to itself. if you expect it to stop completely all the time when you are not engaging it you will find yourself toasting your books, reading your bread, and bathing in the birdbath.

[Adrienne]

sorry, changed my thoughts on a reply ... I don't know an answer

[Miss Hepburn]

Staying peaceful like a plant - neighbors can hear me still laughing.

[not human]

Staying peaceful like a plant - neighbors can hear me still laughing.

It does not get any better than this :)

[not human]

Staying peaceful like a plant - neighbors can hear me still laughing.

It does not get any better than this :)

[Xan]

I start to believe that most of my actions result of my inability to stay idle in the now.

Staying idle means, staying peaceful like a plant, not doing/thinking anything non-sense. Since this is new to me, this state creates a stress and I am easily trapped again by the mind garbage.

I am correct? This is what's happening?


Who says you have to stay idle in the now, 3d?

Being present simply means keeping your attention here and now, within yourself, no matter what you are doing.


Xan

[Xan]

What is this force that pushes me out of the now?

Fear? Is there anything else?
3d... It's just habits of mind... the distractions we've been accustomed to all our lives.

This is why we need to train our attention to present awareness. When you find the mind wandering in its usual ways, just Stop... and bring your attention back to this moment.

I find paying attention in my breathing the greatest help in being present. After all, we can only breathe Now. And it keeps me out of the excessive thinking habit up in the head.

Just Breathe....


Xan

[3dnow]

Thank you all :-)

Yes Xan I am trying to watch my breath it works..

Agreed Sentient, mind habits.

3dnow

[Xan]

So to make sure you're not stressing yourself over watching your breathing, 3d, let it be easy.

You're already breathing... just pay attention to it... down in your belly.


Xan

[I AM]

Ask your self; whats it like where you are at right now?

Open youe eyes and show your self the answer.