Five minutes a day on the path to self-discovery
I believe that we are all born uninhibited, wild, and connected to an inner sense of knowingness, but somewhere along the way, many of us become disconnected from this primary truth. As a result, we are separated from our greatest source of personal power. Self-consciousness, self-judgment, and self-doubt often rush in to fill the void. Once alienated from this inner sense, we can often feel untethered, powerless, and unsafe. In an effort to alleviate this discomfort, many of us learn to accept that to be successful, happy, and healthy we need to trust in someone else’s version of the truth, and so begins an endless cycle of searching outside of ourselves to meet our needs for safety, security, love, acceptance, etc.
How do I find my Truth?
We all find our truth by connecting to the present moment through our unique mind-body connection. Can you remember a time when you felt truly alive? What were you doing? Who were you with? Can you feel it in your body as you recall the experience?
I invite you to sit for just a moment feeling these sensations. In those moments when you remember feeling alive, you were living the embodied experience. Chances are you weren’t ruminating over something in your past that you should’ve, could’ve, or would’ve done, and you also weren’t thinking about what you should, could, or would do in your future. You were fully present in your body and to your direct embodied experience. In those moments you were connected to your Truth.
How do I connect to my Truth right now?
You can connect to this inner sense of knowingness, anyplace, anywhere, and anytime simply by pausing whatever you are doing and turning your attention to your breath. As you do this, concentrating your mind on a normal everyday bodily action, you are focusing your attention and allowing your mind to rest. If you’ve ever attempted to do any type of mental exercise that requires focusing the mind, you already know that this is easier said than done. What most of us experience when we try to focus our minds on a singular point of attention is just how busy and frantic the mind actually is, and that’s perfectly OK. All of our minds are filled with this type of activity. The more we practice returning our mind—with kindness and without judgment—to that singular point of attention, the more our mind begins to calm, and more importantly, the easier it is for us to hear the small, often obscured inner voice that communicates our Truth.
Why is the body so important?
When we focus on the present moment by tuning into what we feel in our bodies and experience through our senses, the mind can’t dwell in the past or plan for the future. The body is where our mind comes home to rest. Many of us live a life completely disconnected from what we are actually experiencing in our physical bodies. We miss our body’s cues when we’re hungry or need rest. We ignore our needs for space and/or quiet. Ignoring and denying these needs, or being disconnected mentally from our physical experience, may not have immediate consequences, but over a lifetime it sets the stage for discomfort on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
What can I do today?
Make the commitment to yourself to take five minutes to sit and focus on your breath. That’s all it takes. Five minutes a day to begin this transformative process that builds your awareness of your unique mind-body connection and connects you to your Truth. Is your overall wellness worth five minutes of your time a day?
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