spaciousness

spaciousness

Anger, sorrow, joy, or . . .

It’s not easy to stay with something unpleasant long enough for it to run it’s course. We try to suppress the uncomfortable emotions, or cling to a soothing feeling. Especially when we have busy lives and a to do list that could send anyone back to bed. Can’t afford to take time to grieve, to heal, to celebrate; to listen to one another, to ask ourselves what we are needing in any given moment.

“Attention is a conscious space. It is not thought. When we bring our attention to any part of the body, we are offering that part a special kind of spaciousness. When we bring our attention to our feelings, no matter how difficult they may seem to be, we are giving them a conscious space in which to expand and transform themselves organically.”  ~Stephen Schwartz

So how do we do it? Why would we want to?

I’ll start with the latter. We do it because we choose to be physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy individuals. We have less possibility of health when we contract. Contraction is the result of suppressing our emotions, or an attempt to maintain a “positive” attitude all the time.

New age spirituality has done a disservice in that respect. Judging “what is” as negative or positive creates an atmosphere of wrongness about the natural flow of emotions in our daily lives. The more alive we are, the more we feel. Emotions are a source of life giving energy. Why would we want to suppress that?

How has many answers, depending on the individual and where they are in their own life at any given time. When there is a strong wave of emotion, not making space for it to flow requires contraction. No organ in your body can maintain health in a contracted state, nor can your mind.

In order for a heart or mind to heal it must be open. Contraction causes a restriction in the flow of universal healing energy. In order for us to live the gift of love that we are, we must practice deep self-acceptance. We must give all life giving energies space – all aspects of ourselves space.

When one truly commits to their own health on every level, as when one commits to anything, “…then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.”

I guide my clients in the practice of radical acceptance and developing a loving relationship with themselves. The resulting spaciousness is necessary for inner peace and outer peace.