WORKING WITH INNER MOVEMENT TO CREATE CHANGE
We have all felt stuck, maybe even frozen and unable to move in any direction, immobilized, at some point in our life. Maybe you are at this place right now. It can be a very uncomfortable and even a frightening place to be. Our society is very goal oriented; continually driving us forward to obtain these goals and achievements for recognition and acceptance. We are not rewarded or appreciated for pausing, slowing down or taking time to reflect. The results from this collective belief system are that we have created the potential for burnout, disconnection, judgement and dissatisfaction in our lives.
This can sometimes result in our mental and emotional bodies losing clarity, direction, ease and creativity or the physical body experiencing illness or injury and coming to a complete halt in being able to move forward. We tend to move ourselves out of this place of perceived “stuckness” by turning our focus to the external and looking at changing something in our life, our career or our relationships. These actions can be helpful, and I invite you to take a different perspective and take the time to create movement in your life firstly from within!
Get “unstuck” by making movement in your interior landscape and then observe how it becomes a creative force in motivating movement and change in the external environment. There are many modalities to do an inner exploration: journaling, creative expression, related reading, mindfulness practices and working with a guide, Coach or Counselor to name a few. Following a simple guided meditation can also be a tool to start your work of exploring your inner being and create positive movement in your life.
INNER MOVEMENT MEDITATION ~ as you work with this simple meditation practice, be open to the subtle and unexpected shifts in your life. You may want to record the meditation on your phone so that you can easily relax into the meditation
Find a comfortable, quiet and undisturbed place to sit. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths into the belly. Allow yourself to be with this moment. Let your breathing become steady. Invite the shoulders, the jaw and brow to relax. Fell your body relax; allow it to release into the support of the chair. Feel a softening through the whole body. Keeping your eyes closed; use your imagination to create a vision within your mind of a beautiful meadow. Notice the gentle blue sky and warm sun, the grass and the flowers. Notice a deep calm softening through the body, the ease of your breath. With your imagination notice that there is a path through the meadow. Step on to this path and slowly follow this path allowing you to take in the beauty and peace of the meadow. Notice the ease of your movement and how relaxed your body is. Allow any disturbing thoughts to pass like clouds in the sky and just feel the ease of strolling on the meandering path. Notice the feeling of connecting to the eartha you feet connect with the path. Allow yourself to be on the stroll through the meadow for as long as it is comfortable for you. When you are ready to return, thank the meadow and the path and slowly open your eyes, keeping your gaze soft. Notice the relaxed ease in your mind and body. Enjoy!
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” ~Ernest Hemmingway
Written by Lori Pinnell and originally published in Beyond 50 Spring 2013
