Breathing Space

Most people benefit from some quiet, reflective time.

Time to meditate, contemplate, pray or 'be'; whatever your personal preferences are.

For some of us finding time comes naturally; others may have to put in a bit of effort to find a 'breathing space' in their busy days.

 

Breathing space or contemplative practises start with the discipline of making time. Most contemplative practises in East and West use the breath as a tool to enter the stillness. In the stillness, we are growing and deepen the relationship with the Divine wisdom and love.

Entering the stillness is not merely sitting and breathing in silence; we are actively engaged in letting go of thoughts. Stillness, is a place of loving-kindness without judgement to self or the world, a place of being filled with compassion and gentleness.

Breathing in, we fill ourselves with the Divine Love; breathing out we let go of all the thoughts and worries of the world. You may like to try this for a few minutes and see how you find it.

Silence

'Be still and know that I am God', the psalmist writes.
Be still and know that in the silence, you can hear my voice and sense my prompting.

Silence and stillness are not the same. Silence, to a lot of people, means the absence of noise.
There is silence and silence. We all know the difference between a hostile silence and a companionable silence. The silence I am referring to is distinct from the ones mentioned above. It is a sacred silence; without noise and distractions, an inner silence with a quiet mind.
This sacred silence is not something we achieve instantly. Entering the stillness is growing our inner silence so that we may encounter the Divine Presence / God.
To experience this sacred stillness, is not dissimilar to developing a personal relationship with people; it takes practise and commitment.
Relationships are about mutuality, sharing, enjoying each other's company and getting to know the other. You will find it is the same for your experience with growing your inner stillness.

Stillness, for me, is about inner peace; the place where I may encounter the Divine Presence.
To quieten the mind is the first step to inner peace. Like a lot of things, you cannot expect to get the result you desire after one session. Time after time, you need to train your mind. To let go and breathe in and breathe out.
There are many techniques one could use; from both the Eastern and Western traditions. The Christian tradition has a variety of meditation practises, although it is not uncommon for Christian monks to practise Zen Meditation.

Ultimately, it takes practice
and more practise
to grow the inner stillness
and wait for a glimpse of the Divine Spirit.

Monkey Mind

Thoughts and images are jumping backwards and forwards and chasing around the trees in your head.  Brilliant ideas are rushing around and are fighting for attention. In the meantime, you remain focused on your breath.

People say it is simple. You only have to breathe. Breathe in and out, in and out. Sounds easy enough, to focus; to breathe with attention. To be able to enter the ever-present stillness.

Research tells us that the mind struggles to remain in the present moment. It either goes back to rummage through past- experiences or daydreaming about the future. Staying 'in the moment' is very difficult.

Monks, in a diversity of faith traditions, will tell you that meditation is called a practice for a reason. It takes years to tame the stream of thinking, years to tame the monkey mind.

There is a variety of meditations to help you quieten the mind.

The more familiar are the word-based meditations; Buddhist and Christians using Mantras and Sacred Words. Some traditions use walking meditation or art for their practice.
Whatever you use as your focus, when the Monkey Mind takes over, gently return to your candle, mantra or sacred word. 

Stillness, a place to encounter the Divine/God. This place of stillness is always inside us. Inside each one of us is that quiet place. 'Entering the Stillness' is about acquiring inner peace.

Holy Week

Such a strange feeling.
Holy week has started. Without going to church.
Sure there are many Eucharistic Celebrations 'live-streamed' and broadcasted on TV, YouTube, or the web.

Still, sitting on the sofa or behind a computer screen is not the same as attending Mass. There is no need to 'get ready', no need to rush. There is no sense of a slight apprehensive anticipation of a solemn church service.  It feels odd, just the two of us, instead of a church full of people.
Watching the screen, flicking between channels, wondering what is the best Mass to watch. Curious who will deliver the most inspirational message in this time of uncertainty. The readings are familiar.  Will there be a message of love and hope?

Like a lot of people who have been going to church on a regular base, I feel isolated and disconnected. Even with my spiritual practices in place, not attending church feels odd.
Holy Week, we remember the Passion of Jesus, and wonder how this relates to my life? Palm Sunday of Passion Sunday, what is my take?

The triumphant entering of Jerusalem, am I waiting 'open-handed' to what is to come?
Am I part of the excited crowd, soon to turn into an angry mob, while others are simply standing by?
Will I join Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and watch and wait?
Are we all in the garden, waiting for the lockdown to finish. Awaiting the resurrection of Jesus’ or waiting to get on with our lives?

Stillness

We live in unprecedented times. The newsreaders remind us daily of this.

A virus, so small, is ruling our world. Our thoughts, our economy and our health are affected. Even our fear is heightened and is adding to our usual anxieties.
Fear of the unknown can be overwhelming. It can affect our well-being and our comfortable way of life. The familiarity of daily life has its rhythm. The departure of what we know what to expect, and what is expected of us can be daunting.

The world of today is certainly a change from our comfortable position of abundance. Most of us have a multitude of choices of where to go, and what to buy when we want.

It is rather unsettling. Like moving to a new country where you don't speak the language, where you don't know the customs or where to buy your groceries, or even what to do with yourself all day.
After a while, you get the hang of it. Finding your way around and establish a new rhythm, and eventually, a new normal.

I assume if it will be the same with this virus.
We get used to the virus hanging around. We find a new normal and life again continues as if nothing has changed.
The question is: will we as a nation go back to what was? Dividing our time between work,  commitments and some creativity.

Some people may have used the time in lockdown to learn a new craft, started exercising or maybe a meditation practise. In times of stress and anxiety mediation, mindfulness, or prayer can help to find a place of inner stillness.