Hello there dear readers of the Mindful Minute.
I hope everyone has a fruitful, joyous week full of presence and connection.
I had my family visiting from England, along with my Wife’s Mother visiting from Malaysia.
We explored a lot of Kansai together.
Everything from Golden Temples and forest shrines to Cat Cafés.
Here are a few pics:
Today I’d like to share you with a beautifully simple technique to unlock unlimited energy.
Let’s first start with this verse from the Tao Te Ching:
”Between heaven and earth is a space like a bellows;
empty and inexhaustible,
the more it is used, the more it produces.
Hold on to the center.
Man was made to sit quietly and find the truth within.”
The question is..
How do we access this space between heaven and earth?
This empty, inexhaustible space that produces more when it is used?
Here’s my take:
99% of the time we are wrapped up in “doing” many things.
We commute to work, we wash the dishes, we take care of all our worldly duties.
This is earth. The realm of effort and doing.
It’s all very personal. It can be quite painful and it’s almost always tiring.
We often end the day drained of our vital essence and joy.
On the other hand..
Heaven is pure awareness: Open and vast like a grand sky.
So how do we find the centre?
A technique that I personally use to unbind the pure awareness from all of the effort of living, all the “doing”..
Is simple noting.
Noting your experience.
”I’m feeling so anxious, god I need to take a break..”
Would become “Feeling”
”I’m so busy, I need to do 20 things today”
Would become “Thinking”
When taking a walk:
”Walking”
”Seeing”
”Listening”
”Feeling”
”Thinking”
etc
Allowing one thing, one sense door to be open at one time.
You may shift between “seeing” “feeling” and “feeling” 1000 times during the walk..
But you’re only allowing your mind to collect around a single thing.
This can be applied practically throughout the day, but also during one’s work and in moments that have traditionally resulted in:
> Tension
> Stress
> Anxiety
> Avoidance
Etc.
Using the simple practice of noting to make things impersonal, to slow down the mind, and to bring us deeply into the present can be a potent way to alchemically transmute your experience of the mundane..
Into something profound and mystical.
Consider another verse from the Tao Te Ching:
”The sage puts himself last
and so ends up ahead.
He stays a witness to life,
so he endures”
By remaining as the witness, we find our centre.
Between the stresses of earth, and the divine radiance of heaven.
I can personally attest to this bringing about immense relief and joy in one’s moment-to-moment life.
Give it a go and let me know what you think.
Ultimately, effectiveness is the measure of truth..
That’s all for this week.
I wish you metta, gentle joy and peace for the weekend ahead,
Leigh
P.S
If you’re a burnt out High-Performer who wants to marry business success with inner mastery to unlock:
> Genuine peace
> Calm on demand
> Laser-like Focus
DM me on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/Mystical_x0
Or book a call here:
https://calendly.com/leighstjohn/30-min-discovery-call
Because none of us want to wake up feeling like this Cat from the Cat Cafe:
Powerful article! Keep up the good work.
Another simple yet powerful practice clearly stated, my friend. Thank you. ❤️