I am back! All recharged and renewed! I haven’t forgotten about you.
I’ve only been spending a lot more time with myself and more so, within myself; I needed to disconnect from my routine for a bit. I have missed this blog though; it has, after all, become part of me ever since I created it. And to be back after so long feels so good!
When I started this blog I not only wanted to provide cruelty-free recipes to feed the body but also nourishment for the mind and spirit. I feel now is the time to share with you my own experience and reflections that might inspire and enlighten you. (So, this post is a different one from the usually recipe/food topic).
I realized that even feeding the body properly is not enough if you want to experience yourself in your full potential of being. And the mind and spirit are too often neglected. There is a distinction between physical energy gathered from food sources, and the life force that sustains the body and the soul.
Ever since I was very young I felt a calling towards discovering myself from within and as a child I used to listen to my inner voice. When I grew up I lost that feeling a little bit for a while but then I remembered how good it felt when I was a child to connect within myself and feel this vibration and energy.
As I grew up this feeling would come and go, reminding me every now and then that there is something more to this life. When I started asking more and more questions within myself, the answers would come one after the other in different forms. Sometimes I would come across a book, an article somewhere, a dream or I would just get a flash or sudden insight from within. I am sure we’ve all had these kinds of experiences in many different ways.
One thing I’ve noticed is that the soul is much hungrier for spiritual food (or knowledge) than the body is for physical food! The more knowledge I was receiving the more I wanted. It was like my hunger would never be satisfied. I realized knowledge alone would not suffice when I came across this book from Dan Millman – The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. It all became much clearer to me.
Quoting from the book: “No amount of knowledge will sustain or nourish your spirit; it can never bring you ultimate happiness or peace. Life requires more than knowledge, it requires intense feeling and constant energy. Life demands right action if knowledge is to come alive.”
I am now still slowly putting this knowledge into practice by doing a little everyday in various ways. Basically the mind is there to be used merely as a tool to achieve what we want. So, one way of putting this knowledge into practice is to learn how to master this tool (or this mind of ours).
A cluttered restless mind is what creates a diseased body and a messy life. Illness starts with the mind. One way towards a healthier, peaceful and happier life is to occasionally put a break and stop the mind from thinking.
And, in my own experience, the best exercise for this is meditation. Meditation exists in many forms and levels and is now actually part of my everyday life and can be practiced every moment of the day.
In the world of today where everyone is living a busy lifestyle always doing, doing and doing, we don’t even stop to take the time to think about what is it we are actually doing! Multitasking is a common practice these days. It is even listed as a skill or job requirement in so many job adverts! People are on the phone and on the computer, eating lunch on the job or at their desk while working, dealing with half a dozen tasks at once. This is why so many mistakes are made!
We could start by doing one thing at a time, paying attention to it without judgment or comment or letting the mind drift elsewhere.
A still mind means allowing the mind to think when it is required to. Of course thoughts can not be stopped! But they can be directed to stay in the present moment and give full attention to the current action.
Be in the moment. From my own experience, the most boring tasks have miraculously become richer and more interesting by just focusing on the current action. Boredom usually arises from a busy chattering mind. A still mind learns something new with every moment.
The question is now how do we address this chattering mind? I have found the most effective ways to do this by a number of meditation techniques. However, there are some processes that is too involved or complicated and that actually incurs more thinking! We want to achieve a state of ‘no thinking’. So, any process has to be simple and direct with minimal instruction and technique.
The good news is I have recently been introduced to this simple software application – Stillness Buddy.
Stillness Buddy, is a unique software application that helps you to be more aware of the present moment, feel calmer and more at peace, while working at the computer.
It is like mini-meditation sessions that you can have all through the day. It takes quite some energy for a person to be nice and more civilized, for example. And at the end of the day especially, we tend to get a little more irritable. This is because we are tired. We feel tired because our inner life force is low in energy. The same way you would feel low in physical energy in the afternoon if you haven’t eaten for a whole day.
When I tried Stillness Buddy I was amazed as to how powerful this application was! Although I practice meditation and yoga in the morning before setting off for work, but by the end of the day, sometimes petty things still get to me! Stillness Buddy regular reminds me to stop for a moment, breathe, center myself again and then continue. It helps me refuel that inner life force and maintains my vitality and creativity all day.
When I first installed Stillness Buddy on my work computer, I was a little uncertain about what colleagues around my desk might think. I did get some questions about what this application was about and I explained. There were some blank looks but I guess you have to try it to understand its usefulness. Now I’ve had it for more than 3 weeks and it doesn’t disturb my workflow but in fact improves it and brings my energy and creativity to a next level.
I would really recommend that you at least try Stillness Buddy. It provides simple exercises that help you stay in the present moment, feel calmer, more joy and alive! The exercises are very discrete to do in the office without anyone noticing the re-connection you will be experiencing.
You can download a 30-day FREE trial and if you decide to purchase the application on the Stillness Buddy website, a user license is £23 (approx. US$37 or approx. €26), which I feel is worth the price and very reasonable considering the benefits.
I hope you enjoy it and I’ll be happy to know thoughts about it if you try it!
Quietude and joy to you all!
