Artist: Jilli Manning
Title: Removing the Cocoon
Medium:Mixed Media
Contact: jilli@hushmail.com
FEATURE ARTICLE
Celebrate Every Second
Party in the Present with Moment Meditation
Press pause. Focus your attention on your thoughts. Where are you now?
Relax, let go of thoughts and surrender yourself to now. Sense your body, breath, surroundings and the act of reading. Imagine time is standing still. You have nowhere to go, nothing to do and nothing to think. Release all tension. Can you feel yourself shift to a new level of perception?
Reality blossoms under the light of our attention so we view everything from a fresh, child-like perspective. However it’s challenging to maintain this focus for long, as within seconds the mind strays to future or past concerns. In fact, NLP experts estimate that we spend only about 1% of our time in present consciousness.
I’ve observed that happy people have the ability to spend the majority of their time in the moment. When we live in the present we experience pleasure with our full presence. We step into a state of ‘in-joyment’. After all, there literally is no time like the present. The past has passed and the future is not yet born; only this minute bears the rich potential of ongoing creation. Also, the best investment for the future is to be fully present now so we make the right choices for the best consequences. When we disproportionately ponder the past or fret over the future we lose our present power, creating confusion about present decisions.
However, people tend to get trapped in the time machine of fast forward or rewind, needlessly investing their emotions in things that have either passed or may never happen. When the causes of stress were assessed in a recent study it was found that 30% was caused by thinking about painful past memories and reliving them, 8% thinking about legitimate future worries, 50% worrying about things that never happened, and 12% worrying about things one couldn’t possibly have any control over. When we understand that time is a man-made illusion and all we have is the timeless moment, then we can let go and enjoy the passing play.
Why do we habitually avoid what’s happening now? Mental time travel is a way to divert our attention from present pain and also to stimulate the pleasure-seeking mind. We can avoid a lot of unnecessary anguish about the past or future by accepting the past and detaching from the future, understanding, as Mata Amritanandamayi said, “It’s not the planning nor the hoping that creates problems for us but our attachment to those plans and hopes. Let go of attachment and appreciate the present.”
Observe the following seven day meditation and realise Henry Miller’s truth that ‘every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognise it’.
Seven Day Moment Meditation
Every day for fifteen minutes focus on a different part of the present.
The key is one-pointed focus known as ekagrata in yoga.
Day one – Breath
Walk for fifteen minutes focusing completely on breath. Inhale, ‘I am breathing in’, exhale, ‘I am breathing out’. Or, ‘now’ on inhaling and exhaling. Avoid other distractions.
Day two – Body
Repeat your fifteen-minute walk, aware of your body posture, movement and sensations. Feel areas of tension and ease, asymmetry and alignment, heat and cold, painful and pleasurable sensations in the body.
Day three – Sounds
This fifteen-minute walk attune your hearing to sounds. Listen to the close and distant sounds. Hear your footsteps, birds, cars, movement of your cloth, air flowing past your ear.
Day four – Smells
Repeat your fifteen-minute walk concentrating on smells. You may stop to inhale things also.
Day five – Touch
Today’s walk, focus on touch. Feel your feet as they touch the ground, clothes brushing against your skin, air flowing over your body, your body brushing against itself.
Day six – Sights
Concentrate on sights on your walk today. Broaden your visual screen, practising a Hawaiian technique called Hokalau, also an NLP aid. Look up and allow the left eye to drift to the left side and the right to the right side; you can wiggle your fingers at the peripheral field of vision to aid this expansion. This opens up your perspective and reveals deeper layers of reality. Avoid looking around, simply look straight ahead and take in the visions while maintaining breath and body awareness.
Day seven – Senses
Before walking, stand still and silent for five minutes. Be aware of your breath for ten slow inhalations and exhalations. Next concentrate on your body posture and physical sensations for a few minutes. Then listen to the sounds, smell the air and perceive the tactile sense of your feet and the ground, the air and cloth on your skin, and your body touching itself. Expand your peripheral vision, relaxing your eyes yet seeing everything clearly.
Now proceed for a slow fifteen-minute walk. Maintain awareness of your body posture and breath. Let your senses drift from smells, to sights, sounds and sensations. Keep a gentle smile on your face. Soak up the essence of the moment; relish the feeling of being alive in the present.
Discover the Course in Miracles secret that ‘Heaven is now. There is no other time.’
By Caroline Robertson ND. For Cairns consults, relaxation CD or massage contact 0430 092 601
REGULAR FEATURE
RECIPE – Walnut-Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
4 medium tart apples, like Granny Smith or Braeburn
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash of fresh-grated nutmeg
1 cup walnuts
1-2 tablespoons butter (or dairy-free vegan spread)
Pinch of salt
Method:
Core and slice the apples. You can peel them first if you like, but I enjoy the skins so I always leave them on. Toss them in a bowl with cinnamon and fresh-grated nutmeg before placing them in a pie pan or baking dish. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
In a food processor, grind up the walnuts. When they are fairly fine, add the butter or other dairy-free spread, cut into chunks, and a pinch of sea salt. Process slightly so the walnuts become crumbly and cling together. Sprinkle this crumbly mixture on top of the apples and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the apples are tender and the top is golden brown. Eat it while it’s hot – and enjoy the leftovers reheated or cold.
This dessert can be eaten any time; it doesn’t influence your diet and sugar level. If you are craving for sweet flavour, use healthy xylitol, which is suitable for cooking and baking.
Note: Nuts are very healthy; they supply your body with needed natural fat and vitamins and give energy. Living on a simple diet does not mean losing energy and life force. You can find many vegetarian and vegan Olympic champions who prove false the idea that you need to eat meat and dairy products to be strong. You don’t need to buy the expensive body cleansers if you take care of your diet. Take care of your health because only you are responsible for your physical and health conditions.
Sveta Findlay, Quantum Bioresonance Consultant, Holistic Therapist, Naturopath. Phone: 0468 747 078