What do you yearn for?
Connect your feelings and body/mind with mindful awareness
“Who are you in the silence between your thoughts?
Gil Fronsdal
Have you ever awakened in the morning and wondered, “Who am I and what do I really want?”
And then wondered how you got to where you are?
If you’re like many women I know, the answer is “Yes!”
Then the frustration sets in because we don’t know where to start in finding our true selves. It’s been so many years and she’s so hidden that it feels almost impossible.
The good news is that there really is a way to find out what you really want and get yourself back on track.
It starts with tuning into your feelings. How you feel determines everything you do and how you show up in the world. If you’re feeling inspired and creative, then you’re much more likely to move forward towards your dreams than if you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed and stressed.
Tired, overwhelmed and stressed is the norm these days so don’t worry if that’s where you fit in. There’s a way to change that and the starting point is mindful awareness.
One of the first things I do with new clients is to get them to start connecting with their body and their feelings. When I ask what they yearn for, what I usually hear are feelings of “peace” and “freedom”.
They want to feel peaceful and free.
It’s interesting to me that those are the same sentiments that we hear when someone we know and love has died. We hear and say things like, “Now they’re free” or “They’re finally at peace.”
Peace and freedom. I invite us all to start cultivating those feelings right now, while we’re fully alive. Why do we have difficulty? Because our feelings are created by our thoughts. Our thoughts are creating those feelings of overwhelm and stress and tiredness. We make those long to-do lists and we work hard to live up to others’ expectations. Stress and worry create feelings of overwhelm and lead to sleep difficulties and other health problems.
Some things are out of our control in life, but one thing we DO have control over is our thoughts, and we can start to change our mindset by building our mindful awareness muscles through mindful practices.
One small step you can take today towards creating the feelings you yearn for is to connect with your body, begin noticing your thoughts, and start each day with mindful awareness.
Becoming aware of your feelings is the first and most important step in finding out who you really are and what you really want to do.
One of the best ways to help bring mindfulness to everyday living is to start your day with it.
Many of us have a rushed morning routine and do not pause to be present until later in the day. This exercise can help you start off your day with a mindful moment, and help you incorporate more mindful moments into your day.
Starting the Day with Mindful Awareness
When you wake up, take a moment to pause before you get up.
As you’re lying in bed, tune into your body.
Feel your body resting, and notice how it feels as you begin moving and stretching. Try pointing and flexing your toes and stretching your arms up overhead.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Taking a few deep breaths recognizing that you woke up and are breathing this morning. Spend a moment in gratitude noticing that.
As you get up and begin your day, try to keep some of this just awakening awareness. Our daily routines make it easy to fall into autopilot. And that’s how our days and years go by without us noticing that we’re not living the lives we really want.
Notice when you lose your presence throughout the day, and come back to mindfulness and your breath as often as possible.
Once you’ve connected with your breath, really notice how you’re feeling. Do you feel calmer and more peaceful?
What do you yearn for? Breathe, notice your feelings, and take your next step from that place.
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
Please check out The Journey Within podcast at:
What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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