At the beginning of each year I intuitively pick 2-3 words that describe my intentions. For 2024 one of the words that I felt drawn to was the word 'Ease' defined as 'The absence of difficulty or effort'.
An enquiry into navigating life with an increased sense of calm and relaxation, letting go of unnecessary stress and tension and embracing a more effortless way of living. Some people may call it living with more grace.
How do we cultivate more ease into our lives. I invite you to be more curious about this. Allow yourself to explore it and what it feels and looks like for you, if you were to live life with more 'ease'.
There is an incredible amount of amazing knowledge, available to us out there in the world. Learning and being cerebral has it's place - I love studying and learning. However it can feed our ego and disconnect us from our 'being' if we focus purely on knowledge. We need to embody both. What do you think the world promotes more of right now? Knowledge or being?
For me studying the contrast of ease (constricted, controlled, difficult, to hinder, to complicate), and how this feels helps me to identify what I would or wouldn't like to experience in my life. I get in touch with what is better for my body and well-being. How do we move from just knowing about ease to living and embodying it more in our lives? Mindfulness is about being present - an embodied mind and body connection. How do we go about cultivating this?
Remember these practices are not just about knowing in your head but allowing these states to drop into your heart and letting your mind, body and soul to soak in it. Feeling it, exploring it, allowing curiosity and spaciousness around it. This is why I always finish with a visualization to help us with mind and body connection. We can't just know about something, we need to experience it. It is hard to live with a divided mind and body connection. To support you to experience the best for your life, they need to be aligned and these practices will help support you in getting there.
Letting go
Inviting more ease into our lives to me personally means letting go. Loosening our hold on anger, resentment, stress, tension, hurt, the need to control, to know the full picture, the stories we go over in our heads, letting these go regularly is a healthy practice. Can I also address the need to be constantly in the mind? No amount of thinking, speculating and theorizing is going to help since a lot of this is out of our control. We invite more ease into our lives by letting go of the need to think so much. Our bodies and minds can be communicating completely different messages because of the dissonance caused by body and mind being divided. I invite you to work on the unity between the body and mind through mindfulness practices. Acknowledge the mind but remind it, it isn't always right and that we appreciate the contribution it wants to give us but it needs to be quiet at times - LOL.
Ease relates to going with the flow. There is a natural flow to life and sometimes we feel the need to fight against it. Perhaps it's due to fear and because we want it to go a particular direction or reach a particular outcome. Because the outcome we desire isn't guaranteed, there is an element of letting go and going with the flow and staying flexible that is needed in order for us to experience more ease. Like allowing life to unfold before you. Just be with yourself, where you are at and give yourself, grace, acceptance, kindness, forgiveness and magnify gratitude. Look at the glass half full.
A balance between having faith, trust and actions. You can only do what you can, with what you have with what you know. Once you've done that, you can wait patiently for the fruit of the seeds you have planted. You can practice letting go and inviting ease into your situation. We can still act and be engaged and fully participating in our lives but from a state of more ease. It's an ebb and flow of acting and waiting, acting and waiting. Your intention/motivation is vital for this part of the equation for more ease. When you get clear with your intention, the 'why' in your life, your intentions are then undiluted and that clarity means you know the bullseye you want to hit. To identify your why, ask yourself questions like - What is important to you? What difference do you want to make in the world? What makes you tick? What sets your heart alight? Spend some time exploring this if you need time. Remember to focus on your intention. It is what matters most. This you can control. Let go of that which you can't control like peoples opinions, reactions, and judgements towards you. Focus on your own inner work, take leaps of faith and you begin to strengthen your inner being and you may just find that life begins to unfold in new exciting ways for you.
Mindfulness visualization
I invite you now to find your comfortable sitting position. Take some deep conscious breaths with me. Imagine that as you inhale you are breathing in what you need more of today. Do you need more joy, peace, calmness, clarity, playfulness, lightness, strength? Imagine these states beginning to fill your body as you breathe in. As you exhale release that which is heavy, constricted, negative, stressful or confusing you right now.
Notice the chair, support or floor underneath you. Notice how you completely trust it to fully support you. Allow your self to relax into this support even more. Feel it holding you and the safety of this support. It is solid and firm.
Bring to mind the word EASE. If you can picture it in front of you. What do the letters look like.
Imagine ease being a particular colour? What colour is it for you? How does it feel? Is it warm?
Picture a serene place where you feel completely at ease. It could be a tranquil beach, a peaceful forest, or a cozy room. Imagine yourself in this place, surrounded by everything that brings you comfort and relaxation. As you visualize this place, notice the details. See the colors, hear the sounds, and feel the sensations. Allow yourself to fully immerse in this scene of ease and relaxation.
Keep breathing deeply and slowly and with each breath, allow a sense of ease to fill your body. Feel your muscles relax, your mind quiet, and your heart lighten.
Imagine this ease spreading throughout your entire being. It starts from your heart and flows outward, reaching every part of your body. Feel your shoulders drop, your jaw unclench, and your hands soften. As you breathe, notice any areas of tension or tightness in your body. Gently direct your breath to these areas, inviting them to soften and release. With each exhale, let go of any remaining stress or worry. Imagine these tensions dissolving, replaced by a warm, soothing sense of ease.
I want you to bring to mind a stressful situation in your life right now, or a situation or an area in your life that you would like to feel more ease in. It could be your money situation, your job situation, a relationship, an assignment, it can be anything. Just pick one thing you want to invite more ease into.
I want you to imagine navigating that situation with the same feeling of ease as the scene we imagined. How are you approaching this situation now. What outcome would you like to experience? Imagine this is happening with ease. Imagine that the solutions you need to navigate this situation is coming to you with ease. Imagine the solution right there in your hand and the feeling of this coming to you with ease. Silently repeat to yourself, "I invite ease into my life." With each repetition, feel this intention settling deeper within you.
Allow this affirmation to resonate, reinforcing your commitment to living with ease and grace.
When you are ready, slowly bring your awareness back to the room and your surroundings. Wiggle your fingers and toes, feeling the surface beneath you again.
Take a few deep breaths, carrying this sense of ease with you. Open your eyes and take a moment to notice how you feel, keeping the essence of this meditation within you.
Bringing ease into your life doesn't require drastic changes. It's about making small, mindful choices that promote relaxation and well-being. Here are a few tips to help you cultivate ease throughout your day:
Pause and Breathe: Take regular breaks to pause and breathe deeply, allowing yourself to reset and recharge.
Simplify Your Routine: Focus on what's truly important and let go of unnecessary tasks or commitments.
Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself and recognize when you need to rest or take a break.
Create a Peaceful Environment: Surround yourself with things that bring you comfort and joy, whether it's a clean workspace, soothing music, or calming scents.
Thank you for joining me on this Day 5 of our 21 Day Mindfulness Inspiration journey. I'm Cath, and I've dedicated this time to exploring and teaching mindfulness. Over the years, I've seen how the practice of mindfulness has helped transform my inner life, bringing a sense of peace, joy, and ease to everyday moments. I'm excited to share this journey with you and help you discover the beauty of living with more ease.
Till next week!
Blessings
Cath xoxo
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