Nancy Napier - The Practice of Meditation

Meditations

Living in the Flow

In the section on living with intention, I mentioned the idea of a rudder š of how creating intentions is like connecting with a rudder that gives us an inner sense of direction. In this meditation, we‰ll explore how that rudder also aligns us with a particular flow that moves us in directions we seek to go. When we are out of touch with that flow and have let go of the rudder, we may find ourselves bumping up against life in ways that create unnecessary difficulty.

A theme of this meditation is "no struggle". There are many times we may need to exert effort and energy to achieve outcomes we seek, but struggle is an entirely different response to life challenges. When we struggle, we fight the very fact of what is. We demand, insist, protest that what is happening shouldn‰t be happening, that we don‰t want to be where we are. We end up using our energy and awareness to push against what actually needs our attention. We fight the very thing we need to engage in order to bring about whatever change, action, or resolution is needed to keep us safe, arrive at our goals, recenter ourselves.

Another theme of the meditation is that there is a certain flow that is an inherent aspect of our life experience when it is unfolding in a constructive direction, attuned to our deepest purpose and our most empowering intentions. When we are aligned in this way, life tends to move along smoothly, even in the face of challenges. The challenges, themselves, may be mighty, but when we are in the flow of that which is best for us, we meet these challenges with an ease not available when we struggle.

As you explore this meditation, be sure to allow mixed feelings. It‰s natural to move toward struggle when we‰re challenged, stretched, or otherwise in the presence of life circumstances that cause us pain, fear, or some other discomfort. Your mixed feelings are part of your wholeness, and they need to have a voice. As you learn to recenter yourself in the flow that‰s taking you in a positive direction, your mixed feelings will simply become one more aspect of the awareness you carry with you š and they will show you where you have healing work to do.

Meditation: Practicing Living in the Flow

Begin by centering yourself at the bottom of the next outbreath, in the still point that emerges when you become aware of the gap between the outbreath and the next inbreath.

Spend a few moments in the stillness, allowing your body, mind, and emotions to settle. Be sure to allow thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations to wander through the stillness when they arise, as you continue to focus on settling.

Bring to mind a time recently when you realized that you were bumping up against life š when no matter what you did, you seemed to be banging into whatever you encountered.

Notice how you were out of the flow at that moment. In some way, you were struggling with whatever experience you were having.

Take a moment to imagine that you become aware of the fact that you are struggling, aware that you have moved out of the flow of your experience into something choppy and jarring, even if only slightly so..

Notice where in your body you experience the quality of being uncentered and out of the flow. As you practice identifying this body state, you‰ll be able to identify those times when you‰re out of the flow sooner and more easily

Notice what happens when you make a choice to move back into the flow. Orient your awareness to that rudder you carry inside, the part of your experience that recognizes when you are out of the flow.

Experience what happens when you allow yourself to settle into the feeling of that rudder and allow yourself to release any struggle you may have been experiencing.

Letting go of the struggle is like allowing a heavy robe to fall from your shoulders. Experience the relief of letting go of having to push against what life has brought your way.

It also brings a sense of "rightness," an inner, intuitive knowing that you‰re back on track, back in the flow.

As you continue to connect with the rudder, call to mind the fact that this rudder inevitably connects you with the flow of what is constructive and positive in your life š that it points you in a direction of fulfilling the intentions you hold.

Remember that being in the flow doesn‰t mean you don‰t have the capacity to expend energy and effort š to act, think, feel, not act, or anything else that serves the outcomes and quality of life you seek. What you‰ll discover, though, is that when you do these things within the context of the flow, they emerge with a surprising ease and effectiveness.

Recall, also, that when you are in the flow, you are automatically aligned with all those opportunities within collective consciousness that support fulfilling the intentions you hold within you, the choices you seek to bring to life.

Notice what it‰s like to consciously allow yourself to receive all the support, inspiration, abundance and help that automatically emerge to help you achieve the intentions you hold, the choices you want to bring alive.

Where in your body do you feel the presence of the rudder that aligns you with your flow? Simply notice where it lives and how it feels in you.

Become aware of where and how your willingness to allow the flow to guide you lives in your thoughts, feelings, and body.

Notice, as well, anyplace in your body, mind, or emotions where you may pull back from the flow, where you clench down around allowing it to carry you along in line with your intentions. If it feels all right to do so, let go of the tightness and notice what happens.

When you‰re ready, take a moment to settle back into the bottom of the breath, returning to the stillness.

Take a few moments to review your experience and, when you‰re ready, come back with the thought in mind that you are willing to allow yourself to become increasingly skilled at noticing when you‰ve slipped out of the flow and, then, allowing yourself to reenter it.

Notice, as well, what it‰s like to affirm that you are willing to learn to be more skillful in identifying and releasing struggle and, then, identifying and realigning with the ease that emerges when you are moving through life in line with your intentions.

Note: Nothing on this site is intended to take the place of psychotherapy with a trained professional.

Copyright 1999 Nancy J. Napier, Post Office Box 153, New York, NY 10024
EMAIL info@nancyjnapier.com • PHONE (212) 877-2594 • FAX (212) 585-3112

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Note: Nothing on this site is intended to take the place of psychotherapy with a trained professional.

Copyright 2003 Nancy J. Napier, Post Office Box 153, New York, NY 10024
EMAIL info@nancyjnapier.com • PHONE (212) 877-2594 • FAX (212) 585-3112