Week 110 - Sitting in the Power

Ease by Guest host, Nancy Bragg, Spiritual Director

Ease is an inner state of being in which we are not struggling with ourselves, other people, or circumstances of our lives. We are allowing ourselves to meet life as it is.

Have you ever had a body ache that was so uncomfortable that you couldn't focus on anything else? A toothache seems to demand all your attention until you get some relief.

The Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh used both a “toothache” and a “non-toothache” experience as a mindfulness teaching. In his book Awakening of the Heart the writes:

"When we're having a toothache, we know that not having a toothache is a wonderful thing. Yet when we don't have a toothache, we're still not happy. A non-toothache is very pleasant."

When we are aware of what is, we have an opportunity to appreciate neutral feelings and the absence of suffering. When we actively notice neutral conditions; like having a pain-free body, breathing easily, or having eyes that see, just noticing can activate feelings of peace and ease.

It is also possible to feel Peace and Ease in situations far less neutral through these spiritual practices:

· resting in the present moment

· relaxing into the flow of love

· being present & loving with self and others

· accepting the reality of “what is”

· living within uncertainty & unknowingness

· noticing feelings & sensations, letting them be, allowing them to pass

· witnessing life from a bird’s eye view perspective

· releasing struggle to control what lies beyond our power

· being open to possibilities

· trusting the process

· letting life unfold in its own time

· living life slowly; creating space for sacred pause

Meditation gives us time to slow down and notice, to appreciate the many things that are going in expected and pleasant ways, and to accept things that might seem unexpected or unpleasant.

With spiritual maturity, awareness of “what is," and embodying spiritual ways of being, we can feel peace and ease regardless of the situation.

Ease by Sayona Chatterjee ©

As the sun rays pass through my window

Lighting upon the scattered papers

My heart feels at ease

This hidden away happiness and peace

Has found its own door to unlock

Buried deep in my heart

The secrets I kept inside me

Now find their way to my mouth

Spilling them in front of someone I barely know

Yet even by exposing myself so bare

I don't feel ashamed, I feel at comfort

Perhaps it is because, this "someone" listens to me

Without judging, without saying anything

This silence has stayed with me for many years

As I turn to look

I realize it’s me

Comforting myself at ease