September 8, 2017

Expansive Freedom

Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

“There are two ways you can live: you can devote your life to staying in your comfort zone, or you can work on your freedom. In other words, you can devote your whole life to the process of making sure everything fits within your limited model, or you can devote your life to freeing yourself from the limits of your model.” Michael A. Singer. “The Untethered Soul.”

“Strengthen your mind and refuse to carry the burden of mental and moral weaknesses acquired in past years; burn them in the fires of your present divine resolutions and right activities. By this constructive attitude you will attain freedom.” Paramahansa Yogananda

Our thoughts and emotions are very powerful. They are part of an energetic flow. They are manifestations of a deeper energy within, a limitless life force.
Thoughts and emotions are influenced by our previous experiences and we believe the patterns that these experiences create, to be truth.
The patterns and attitudes that we carry, however, are malleable. We can influence and change the patterns that we experience as truth, so that we can see them as patterns and not as definitions of who we are.

The truth that we believe is simply what we are used to.

There is a much deeper source of being that really defines us. The unseen parts of life within, are a mysterious source of strength and vitality that propel us to grow beyond. The same mysterious force which drives flowers to grow and spiders to spin webs, exists within our molecules.

This vast capacity is often untapped. Each human being has amazing potential that can lay hidden and out of reach.

As we begin to practice meditation, yoga and other contemplative arts, or as we create things with artistic skills and processes, we get glimpses of the shining force that propels us, the part of us that is always still, yet totally alive.
With persistent practice, the mind calms more easily and the nervous system releases tension and we are refreshed from the well of life within. We can be more productive, growing beyond perceived limits. We can then begin to choose to manifest this force in daily life and in unique accomplishments, by practicing those things which unify us in our mind body and spirit.

We love to be inspired by people who embody greatness. We know deep down that we too can accomplish beautiful things, that we can contribute something meaningful and unique to the world, even if our habits, or past experiences, tell us otherwise.
We hold these heroines and heroes close to our hearts and minds to stay inspired. We use the inspiration to be persistent and to move through obstacles.
When we experience art, music, literature, highly skilled athletes, and great teachers and thinkers, we lose our limited sense of self in that wonderful experience, because it all transcends and glows and we are reminded of who we really are- the great human creature capable of unique inventiveness, beauty and creativity.

October 16, 2014

Experiencing Inner Freedom

By Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

“To the degree that you are able to access your soul and allow it to guide you, the less compelled you are to act on desires born from fear, old patterns, low self-esteem, and past hurts.” Rod Stryker

Yoga creates space in the mind and body so that we experience ourselves differently. We get out of our busy minds in which we typically get lost.

When we focus on the body in yoga practice, we feel the breath moving in the body, sinking into sensation. We surrender to a deeper experience of who we are. This deeper experience is an endless well of sustenance, nourishment and clarity. We can relax into who we are and feel safe.

Our minds are often filled with negative patterns, anxieties, and pressures from within and without, which increase tension in the mind and in the body. We typically identify with our thoughts which are limiting and repetitive. Opening to body and breath awareness increases our perceptions to the true dimensions of our being.

We then see options for change, for letting go of patterns and habits which do not serve us well. We begin to see that within us is the clarity of mind and perception that we need to guide us in our growth.

We gradually make changes in our thoughts and in our actions, which accumulate into greater health and wellbeing.

But how does yoga work so that we do experience this internal freedom?

We put ourselves into postures that open the channels of the body so the nervous system relaxes with increased circulation, and we breathe. We observe. The combination of breath and movement opens us up, frees up energy, and fuels our persistence. We shift our minds to a larger perspective of neutral observation. We shift and observe over and over again. We experience that we are really much more than our minds usually allow us to know.

As we sink ourselves into the recesses of our own being we discover a light- filled ocean of calm, a reserve of energy and optimism which feeds our ability to let go of patterns and to feel ok.

In order to change, we need to feel ok, we need to feel safe.

Yoga postures and yogic breathing, deep relaxation, and meditation, all provide different ways of accessing our inner freedom and calm. When we practice over and over again we naturally learn to shift our psychological energies when we are not doing yoga, as well.

This is the miracle of yoga. We train and the training changes us. What we do with our breath and our body focuses and changes the mind.

A new set of automatic habits develop which are grounded in open awareness of choice, rather than in avoidance of discomforts.

The physiological benefits of opening the nervous system profoundly affect all aspects of ourselves, mental, emotional and physical. The Vagus nerve is directly stimulated and released, by the combination of deep breathing and the postures. This effect on the nervous system soothes and promotes health in all systems if the body.

These processes are now proven in current medical research, supporting the ancient practices, which have evolved into modern yoga:

http://yogainternational.com/article/view/scientific-research-how-yoga-works

for more information see my website:

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/

May 7, 2014

This Human Mind

Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

“By connecting to your life purpose, you gather the forces of Nature in the same way a seed does when it starts to germinate.” — Rod Stryker, The Four Desires

There is a light inside each of us that is a part of the grand cosmic light, boundless with possibility. The light inside us is the light of the whole universe.

The forms of nature all reflect the same structure: the human embryo looks like the snail shell, which looks like the shape of a galaxy.

We are all part of a continuum of life, which nourishes itself with an endless capacity for change and transformation.

We each carry within us the capacity for unimaginable potential.

The psychological landscape within, however, can be fraught with conflict. We strive to avoid what we don’t want, and we to cling to what we do want.

It is a difficult state to be in, this human mind. It is so often a challenge just to be peaceful with What IS.

Fluctuating states of emotions and thoughts can blur our awareness of the unique strengths that each of us do possess.

Our true potential lies outside of our awareness.

Beneath the terrain of emotional patterns, thoughts and habits, resides a quiet pulse of life and timeless consciousness.

This layer of mind is free of all conflict. It is pure energy, and it is saturated with acceptance and love. This pool of wisdom is always present but we often don’t know how to access it. We are not aware that if we skillfully practice stillness, the light within will have space to emerge and will shine ever more brightly. Practices such as meditation, deep relaxation and yoga provide windows into deeper states of our inner world.

The main obstacle is that our emotions are the filter through which we experience the world and we get stuck because we think we are our emotions. We think we are our behavior patterns and as such we are often confined within limiting definitions of ourselves. Our behavior patterns are conditioned and created by the past and do not truly define our capacities. We have a sense of ourselves that is limited and we quickly identify with constricting emotions.

Expansive emotions such as gratitude love appreciation and wonder emanate from our true self. When we cultivate inner light, we have greater access to positive experiences and attitudes.

The best part is that we do not have to change to become someone else, or someone better. We simply endeavor to uncover the light within, and to dwell in a larger sense of who we are. This gives us strength to be compassionate with ourselves and with others.

for more see my website;

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com

March 19, 2014

Habits and the Contradictions of Being Human

sparkling grass

by Judith Bobbe, LCSW

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/

“If you don’t consciously choose the direction of your life, your past will choose it for you.” Rod Stryker

We are creatures of habit. Our habits of thought and behavior are embedded in how we think and in how we experience the world. Just like other animals which can be trained, we are trained unconsciously by our lives to see, think, feel and behave in particular ways.

Every time we think a thought it is conditioning our mind to believe that thought.

Each time we believe a thought, our patterns of feeling and behavior are inclined to support or justify that thought.

Our unconscious beliefs reinforce our identification with our thoughts. We think our thoughts are true, and we think we are our thoughts. There is a cycle of reinforcement of habits inside us, of which we are largely unaware.

The interaction of thought belief and feelings gets translated into our sense of who we are and what we are capable of.

Real change depends on changing this quiet but powerful dynamic.

“Your mind has measureless capacity to affect the quality and content of your life” Rod Stryker

When we choose to repetitively introduce new thoughts, actions, and intentions into our minds, and choose not to automatically believe our habitual thoughts, we create room inside for the growth of new perspectives. We cultivate a new experience of who we are.

With repetition this newly felt experience becomes a foundation for taking the risk to change. Taking steps over and over again to embody new actions, and new intentions, provides the courage to let go of the self- limiting patterns of the past.

The funny thing about humans is that we all seek comfort, predictability, and familiarity. We feel better when we know what to expect. Familiarity helps us to feel safe and to tolerate the changes which life thrusts upon us.

But in addition to seeking familiarity and safety, we also seek a larger sense of ourselves. We seek a deeper connection with the spaciousness of life, which by its nature, is unpredictable. There is a yearning, which calls upon us to grow beyond our perceived capacities. We want to fulfill our deepest potential for productivity and happiness.

This call to growth can be looked at in terms of spiritual growth, or emotional maturation, or simply the desire to be more loving, kind, patient and generous with life.

It is possible to change and become happier with ones self and life, but it is a inside job. HH Dalai Lama says “happiness is an inside job”. This means that we have to change the way we think. Openness to changes in thinking becomes the basis for freedom and positive engagement with the world.

We tend look to external things like people and situations to make us happy, but this is always ultimately frustrating and temporary because life is always changing. When we learn how to rely on a more deeply felt sense of the timelessness of our own true being, we become stronger and happier.

We can cultivate an unshakeable belief in our own wholeness and power. We can grow beyond habitual thoughts and beliefs about ourselves, and can become more creative, more flexible, and in love with life every moment.

For more, see my website:

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com

http://www.personal-discovery-chicago.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-practices/