~ Walking Back Home To Myself ~

Lately life has felt like a wild ride.  It’s been fun, creative and exciting, and it’s been” take-my-breath-away” shocking and heart-wrenching. 

A long-ago memory of me on a raft that was being swept downstream by a fierce river current just popped into my mind.  Some crazy sh*t happened and I was holding on with all my might for an out-of-control wild ride.    (For my river running friends: Selway River. High water. Class 4 stretch below Moose Creek Junction. Just sayin’)

Yep. My life has been feeling a little like that. 

But a shift happened on that raft. Suddenly and surprisingly I became absolutely present to respond in that timeless, slow-mo matrix way.

And these days, when the out-of-control-ness flares up, to bring myself back home to my body and that slowing of time, I’ve been turning to one of the treasured practices I learned from Byron Katie.  Like many potent practices, its simple but not easy.  Katie calls it “The Morning Walk.”

Not only have I been practicing on my walks, I come to this when I’m sitting on the terrace.  Just gently and simply noticing what is here right now.

Calming. Grounding. Settling.

Grace.

Below, I’m sharing that practice with you. You don’t have to wait until the ride is wild. This practice can be luscious anytime.  Play with this and see what it holds for you. 

Happy Exploring!

With love right here,
Sharon

* You can find Byron Katie leading you through this on YouTube and the Insight Timer App

*Walk in silence.   

*Begin by seeing everything around you, as if you’ve never seen this before. Look at your surroundings as if they had no name.

*Walk this way for for 10 – 20 minutes   ( or 10 -20 seconds)

*As you walk, practice naming the world – “the scene” – to yourself as if you are God creating and naming things for the very first time.

*Announce to the “thing” and to yourself its name in each moment.  As you walk, what do you actually see right now physically? Name it.

*Stay with “first-generation” thoughts. For example:
sky, flower, insect, tree, cement, shoe, woman.

*As you notice thoughts moving one more generation away, such as tree with leaves; old beautiful tree; or this tree would be great to sit under-stop!  Just notice.

*Return to simple one-word, first-generation names:
ground, sky, woman, etc.