Go to that moment
where you felt alive. Maybe it comes after a run, great conversation, sex,
workout or meditation. Mentally take yourself to that experience. Feel the
energy of life pulsating through your body. That electric sensation courses
through your body, makes you feel alive, and fully in body.
Can
you still feel it now after the activity has long past? It's inevitable that
burst of energy into our system eventually slows. To be alive and not just living is to ride that electric pulse as it
calms to a purr. I love exploring mindfulness and presence, but their path to
trendiness has dulled their buzz. So when I read Mark Nepo's words, "When
one with what we see, hear, and feel, we enter the secret kingdom of aliveness
that is only secret when we remain separate," I was sparked.*
As I play with the
ideas of presence, mindfulness, and aliveness, I've come to believe that
they're all on the same team but have slightly different responsibilities. To be alive is to be intimately connected to the electricity of life, fully in the moment, and thoughtfully engaged. [tweet this] We
are alive when we embrace our experience
in all its glory without stifling the energetic purr. Caving into the
temptation to numb a bad feeling cuts off our energetic connection to life and
the good feelings too. We don't know happiness without sadness or excitement
without boredom.
What amplifies the
pulse of life within can ignite our drive to stay connected. It is how we respond to life after that that makes the
difference in feeling alive and not just living through the tasks of life. I practice and teach others to dive into sensation of mind, body, and breath and
respond with compassion. We train our awareness
on the mat/cushion/trail/etc. so that when we step off we're intimately
connected to the buzz of life within and empowered to make better choices. In practice and when we take the techniques into
our day, we are alive and enjoying the
Beauty of life.
As we encounter the
ups and downs, may we maintain our connection to the electricity of life and thoughtfully engage with compassion. [tweet this]
Lynn Marie Nelson
