Trent RhodesWe’ve heard it plenty of times: we’re information overloaded.
Access seems to be everywhere (in the U.S.) and the more technology we choose to accept into our daily lives, the more often we’re turned on and the less quiet (introspective) we become. Is it a poison or a potion? Like any raw power, the harm isn’t in the thing itself; it’s the user’s usage.
But I do notice this subtle side effect of volumes of information at our fingertips: we take for granted the small things, the simplistic understandings, the basics.
For example, we’re growing in understanding about the importance of elevating consciousness. “Consciousness” is a loaded word with various perspectives on what one means when the word is used. Overall, we seem to have a grasp that it means it’s something we are or have and use and want to improve, to make better, to enhance. That’s fine. Elevating consciousness endows the owner/user with a number of benefits that might sound magical (it is), alchemical (it is) and just downright amazing (it is) like:
Reduced distress if any: When you can convert any trauma or poison in your life into an asset to learn from, it no longer serves as a trauma. It’s a learning gem and distress dissolves despite how painful it might’ve felt initially. You’ve transformed lead into gold.
Focus: And not just the plain “focus on your work,” but a heightened focus that propels your mind to see several layers into a situation instead of one. Eventually you start seeing into the nature of things and want to share your insight, only to find out you’re the oddball (in a good way, of course).
Health: Yes, health is enhanced as your consciousness evolves. Without drugs? Yes. Why? Because it influences every aspect of your system and how you perceive things affects your material body. As you think, so shall you be. As you desire, so mote it be.
These are just a few of the numerous benefits of this elevating. Feel like you could use one of those bullets?
The fruits sound like they require some heavy work. It does; time, attention and diligence on committing to treating your body like a temple and mind like the rooms with furniture does require an investment of your energy and discipline. But a process such as this, that delivers in this way, is worth it right?
Usually many questions come up like, “How do I do it?” and there are as many ways as there are paths on the earth. Ancient and modern civilizations have their “ways,” some lost, some found and many misunderstood, but just to gain a sense of these paths I tend to emphasize the basics.
Why? Because we ignore the simple for the more profound, when the simple can take us to the profound, like this one:
Breathe. Breathe? Yes, but not just breathe the way you’ve likely been doing it since you became an adult. You have to re-learn how to breathe the appropriate way, and then learn some new ways. Breath is connected to your emotions, mental patterns, internal massage and simply staying alive (maintaining your life force), so it makes sense to focus on mastering how to breathe so you maximize your efficiency at controlling your emotions, thoughts and energy. When an emotional pulse rises in us, for example, anger, sadness, fear or love, we breathe a certain way. And you can reverse engineer this process by breathing and thinking a certain way to generate an emotional state.
Try this: Breathe from the abdomen and not the chest. A quick practice is to place one hand on the chest and another on the abdomen. Feel if you can “choose” to breathe from the chest without the abdomen. Then “choose” to breathe from your abdomen instead of your chest. If you have trouble, it means you’ve been using the inefficient breath all of this time. We knew how to breathe as babies. Gaining access to abdominal breathing will allow your system to take in more air / oxygen / Qi and fill your body with energizing qualities. From this basic technique, you can then again access to understanding how your emotions operate, chill out or turn up your thoughts and do battle with challenges that come your way with cool, calm, collected-ness. Your inner awareness increases as your breathing becomes more rhythmic. You then start to “sense” these nuances in your states. This mastery can be accomplished in a formal class room, an online teaching modality, the comfort of your home, car, park, bus or wherever you sense you have time to breathe (which should be all the time!).
See how the simple can reveal the profound?
There are many more aspects like this that we just take for granted because we’re trying to fly before taking steps to walk. Curious about the others? Contact me. We’ll talk.
