Renewal … From the Inside Out
“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.” ~Pearl S. Buck
When we are in need of renewal, our first thought may be to get away, go somewhere, do something to rejuvenate ourselves - body, mind, heart, and soul. To take a vacation, go on retreat, or visit a spa. Anything that will restore our “joie de vivre,” our joy of living.
It’s true, in times as challenging as those we find ourselves in now, the desire may be strong to escape, or to place ourselves in someone else’s hands to feel better. What if, instead of journeying outward for relief, we traveled inward? What if we could access an “inner healer”? What if there was a place inside of us where renewal could be found - anytime, anywhere?
There is, though many of us do not take the time to develop a connection with it. We are programmed, deeply habituated, to go outside of ourselves for relief from the pressures, the hustle and bustle, of everyday life. Yet, in as little as a few minutes, withintention, focused attention, and practice, we can access our inner spark, that spark of divinity sourced in the larger Spirit (or God, Love, Truth, the All - whatever term you use for the Sacred).
One way to begin is by learning to get quiet, not an easy task in a noisy, distracting world, but it can be done. No matter how busy your mind may seem certainly there have been times when you were able to quiet yourself. What were you doing in that moment? Were you enjoying nature, listening to music, playing with a pet, making love? Note, that when you were engaged in this way you were not thinking, ‘I must get quiet.’ You were simply absorbed in the activity. You were focused. Getting quiet requires nothing more than recalling the scattered pieces that often define us and redirecting our attention toward a focal point.
Here is a simple technique that can help us move into our center, that inner place where peace and calm naturally reside. The key word here is “naturally.” Straining, struggling, at getting quiet does not work. In fact, our thoughts may actually accelerate if we “work at” getting quiet. The trick is to point our attention with laser-like awareness toward this center.
Begin by bringing your attention to a location in the middle of your body. Imagine a line, a cord, running vertically through your body, up through the crown and down through your feet. Now imagine yourself AS this line. BE this line.
Keep your attention here as long as you can, then notice how good it feels to be functioning as this solid, stable axis. Notice your level of calm when you think of yourself in this way. Your breathing is more relaxed. You may have a sense of being “home.” Stay rooted in this place of center as long as you can.
When a thought moves in (and they inevitably will!) simply bring your awareness back to this center line. Feel the solidness of it and allow yourself to be it again. Thoughts will come and go. It helps if you can imagine them as nothing more than clouds passing through an open, blue sky. Cloud thoughts come, cloud thoughts go. Each time a thought distracts you away from your center, simply take a breath and return your attention to the mid-line of your body.
You may want to personalize your centering practice. Instead of a line or cord to focus on, you may want to focus on your heart, or your breath. There is no one way to center yourself, only to bring yourself back to this place on a regular basis.
In time, with practice, just thinking of your center can bring you back to it. Very little effort will be required to access a sense of inner peace and joy, your well-being. A mindset can actually begin to form that says, ‘I ammy center. Iam peace. I am joy.’ And you will be …
Accessing our center for the purpose of renewal is a profound form of spiritual practice. In a world that prescribes quick fixes and material pleasures, it is easy to assign our well-being to others. In truth, we are each responsible for our own peace of body, mind, and heart. Connecting with our spirit in practiced ways can take us there.
When the need for regeneration calls, come back to your center, a bountiful place where the springs of renewal never run dry.
Brad and Jan Lundy are the authors of Perfect Love: How To Find Yours and Make It Last Forever. Jan is an inspirational speaker, Interfaith Spiritual Director, and the author of Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You Are Meant to Be (Sorin Books). Brad Lundy is a publisher and spiritual counselor. Both offer in-person and long distance spiritual mentoring. Learn more about the Lundys on their website www.awakenedliving.com, or at Jan's blog: www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com