Practice Off The Mat

Vol. 1 Issue 20

A starry night during the summer at Middle Beach in Biddeford, Maine

Well, damn. We’ve arrived at the end of the year. That major signpost in the road that most people use as an opportunity for both reflection and projection.

As I work through this ritualistic exercise for myself, a theme starts to emerge: Energy & Time (and the need for a nap).

One theory in modern science is that energy in the universe is finite. The net totality of energy in the universe is balanced by things that are energy positive (e.g. matter) and things that are energy negative (e.g. gravitational forces). This is applicable to everything from the large-scale view of the whole universe to the micro-scale of subatomic particles and molecules interacting with each other.

WHICH INVITES REFLECTION: WHERE, WHO, OR WHAT ADDS OR DETRACTS FROM YOUR ENERGY? WHERE ARE YOU ON THE SCALE RIGHT NOW? IF YOU THINK OF YOUR ATTENTION AS A WAYPOINT THAT GUIDES YOUR USE OF ENERGY. WHAT ARE THOSE POINTS?

Getting back to my five-cent butchering of quantum physics… let’s ponder “time” for a moment.

I read a recent NPR story that explores our understanding of time. One thing that keeps shifting is our concept of how time works. Apparently, quantifying the relationship connected between separate actions is wildly complicated. Who knew?! Our observation of time on earth is only one way time operates. Time changes – it can slow down, or speed up, or EVEN CEASE TO EXIST based upon where in the universe you are looking.

(This is about where my brain starts to split open and melt).

We’ve invented measurements of time that have shaped our lives along a defined set of number lines. That scale is also set against the recognition that we only have a limited time that we are here. And the gum-stuck-in-the-hair of it all is a series of systems, philosophies and ideologies that influence how we regulate our energy – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual – over time.

The intersection of these paradigms creates an extraordinarily complex equation. The results of which is a set of expectations that influence our actions in pursuit of what we are told our life should be like.

If there is a finite amount of energy and only limited time, then it is worth the effort of practice to think about the exchanges you participate in. What feels right? How do you stay balanced? What feels equitable? Are you receiving back what you are giving out?

In the rush of energy that comes with the transition of the calendar year, I encourage you to lean into your practice. Use your awareness and attention as your guide to observe your experience. Based off those observations, you can choose to how to engage or how to respond. You can determine what it is you need to live a life that nourishes your heart.

““The year that is going to end is our invention, our fabrication, our product. The value of the year depends on our way of acting and reacting on our way of living our life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Wins. Losses. Gains. Depletion. Forward. Backward. Victories. Struggles. Hits. Misses. We have this habit of placing life into little boxes offering binary choices between what we think is good and what we think is bad. We then measure the value of ourselves based on that.

My final invitation to you this year is to consider working with all of it. Honoring it all as a part of the single thread that is your amazing, remarkable life.

This doesn’t mean it won’t be hard. This doesn’t mean there aren’t real problems or struggles. Tragedy, loss, anger, hurt, pain, and despair are all part of the human experience. But these experiences and emotions live hand in hand with grace, love, hope, kindness, and joy. It will not always be easy. But it will not always be hard.

You have phenomenal capacity through the strength and wisdom of your heart. That will help you move through the spaces and moments of time with more presence and balanced energy.

AS YOU TRANSITION INTO THE NEW CALENDAR YEAR REMEMBER TO BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. REMEMBER THAT ALL THE LOVE, EMPATHY, KINDNESS, COMPASSION, AND GRACE THAT YOU GIVE OUT IS THERE FOR YOU TOO.

Invite your hands to rest near your heart. Close your eyes. Invite a breath in. Allow the breath to leave. Say to yourself “I am here now with my heart. My heart is here for me.” Repeat as necessary.

Wishing you blessings, peace, and grace for the coming year.

Chris

TIME IS RUNNING OUT…. OR IS IT?

Practice Off The Mat

Vol. 1 Issue 20

WHICH INVITES REFLECTION: WHERE, WHO, OR WHAT ADDS OR DETRACTS FROM YOUR ENERGY? WHERE ARE YOU ON THE SCALE RIGHT NOW? IF YOU THINK OF YOUR ATTENTION AS A WAYPOINT THAT GUIDES YOUR USE OF ENERGY. WHAT ARE THOSE POINTS?

AS YOU TRANSITION INTO THE NEW CALENDAR YEAR REMEMBER TO BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. REMEMBER THAT ALL THE LOVE, EMPATHY, KINDNESS, COMPASSION, AND GRACE THAT YOU GIVE OUT IS THERE FOR YOU TOO.