Hi everyone! As some of you know, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a silent retreat for five days in Northern California. I loved every minute of the restful rejuvenation, peace, and love that came from simply being in the silence for a lengthy time - and highly recommend it to all of you. I look forward to including the beauty of silence in future retreats because I believe in its power to support inner confidence. In this vein, I offer... The Flow of Love When we fall back into the very core of ourselves and rest in peace/spaciousness/stillness, we experience that love is ever-present. Love simply is; there is nothing to do. With awareness of our natural state, love flows from spaciousness through the heart to those around us. There is no “I” to love as nobody is there when we rest in what we already are: silence/spaciousness/presence itself. Yes, we can take care of our needs and appreciate, accept, and respect ourselves. And all of these important and powerful practices originate in the mind. Love is beyond the mind. It simply is; our natural state and love is one and the same. Knowing the truth about love at an experiential level is key, particularly for a giver. This awareness has the possibility of shifting old habits of fixing, pleasing, and/or rescuing that can actually lead us away from love and toward control and manipulation. For example, I may give to someone when the giving essentially comes from a thought centered around the word, ‘should’. Underlying the should are such thoughts as: “They’ll be upset with me if I say no”, “It feels so good to be needed”, or “I’m such a good person - I’m okay only when I’m acting unselfishly”. This kind of giving is really about myself rather than the other person - born from thought patterns that may sound familiar to you as well. If not these patterns, consider reflecting upon what spontaneously comes to mind when you complete the sentence, “I should do this for that person because...” When we take the time to be, we touch into our natural state that gently arises in the fertile soil of silence. In the silence, we understand that we don’t have ‘to do’ anything, in particular. Instead, we let go of control and accept whatever arises, whether it is a physical sensation of tension, an emotion, or a thought. An attachment to any thought that arises melts away. All emotions are held with a welcoming heart. We sink into any tension and feel into it completely. In this practice, the heart softens and expands so that love flows ever more fluidly. A felt connection with all that exists grows. Clarity blossoms. Inner confidence thrives. My invitation to you is to give yourself the opportunity to rest in silence. Upon awakening in the morning, simply ‘be’ in the silence. Sit in the silence with your spine straight and tall. Be with whatever arises by stretching into any tension or ache as well as any feeling that arises from a thought or memory. Embrace it all. Breathe. Relax into the body. Allow yourself to enjoy this time of connection with your true nature and rest in the spaciousness of love. Notice the heart expand and soften. When you’re ready, make eye contact with another without the need to actually ‘do’ anything. Simply notice what happens. If it is difficult for you to spend twenty minutes in silence, begin by a minute at a time throughout your day. Use the timer on your watch or computer to remind you to stop for a minute of silence and then set another random time when you will stop again, continuing to do this throughout your day. Watch the fruits of slowing down into the silence on your sense of well-being. With coaching, I can also teach you tools to accept what is and to fall back into your true self more and more deeply - integrating all of this into your daily life to gain greater freedom, intimacy, flow, and vitality. In the spirit of being complete and not finished, Inner Confidence Coaching supports naturally-giving men and women who Read an overview of my services Call me: 905-228-3047 You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, please add coaching@jeanniecampanelli.com to your address book today. |
