Fieldnotes - 11

s.t.o.p

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself thinking? Thinking not so pleasant things? Your problems, maybe? Your future anxieties, or past regrets? At that very moment, know that you have a choice to make a conscious effort to bring your attention on the inner energy field of your body, your inner aliveness. And from that moment on, you suddenly enjoy being awake at night and feel the intense aliveness is in every cell of your body. This in fact is a kind of mini-meditation practice that takes your attention away from your destructive thought patterns. You can do these mini-meditations throughout the day by taking two or three conscious breaths while you're standing at the bus stop or waiting for the elevator. Try doing something that is generally a “means to an end”, and make it an “end” itself…This way, you become totally present...You can deliberately and consciously direct your attention to whatever you do at that moment. These little mini-meditations gradually help you to dis-identify from the movement of thought...

Your presence dispels the darkness. Know that you can always go to your state of being no matter what the challenges are during you daily activities.

One simple technique we’ve learned from wonderful Deepak Chopra in New York is “S.T.O.P”. It’s basically an acronym of a simple technique you can use tin any situation to return your state of being, to return to your calmness and manage your oncoming anxiety.

So here’s what STOP stands for: S stands for stop. You just stop the moment you feel anxious or find yourself in a controversy or confront an unwanted situation. T stands for take 3 deep conscious breaths and smile. Smile everywhere in your body from head to toe. O stands for observe. You observe your body and emotions, what is happening in your body and your mind. P stands for proceed your day with love, kindness and compassion.” When our mood is down, our vibrations become stale and low.  However, when we shift our thought patterns and moods by stopping, even just for those few moments, we get the freedom to interrupt the vibration.  The deep breath and the smile cause the vibration to recover and go higher. Even a small shift can make all the difference.

As the saying goes, “You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf”. By using this technique, you may find balance and piece in your busy schedule. We humbly suggest you make this technique a habit.