How to step back and rest?

[Hannes]

It is a time of transition and a lot of things are up in the air. 

 

I saw an omen of the heron a couple times and I feel it signifies that I need to step back and stop working on myself and take a rest.

I mostly mean stop working on healing my trauma and trying to get ahead worldly and otherworldly. 

 

This seems simple, but it isn't. I feel like I am already waiting/being stuck for so long and I do not now how to rest (in a non physical way).

 

That and the fact that I don't feel grounded. It feels that resting would lead to poverty and my physical demise. 

[forestofclarity]

Resting mentally can be a challenge since many of us have trained ourselves into a state of constant stimulation.  Of course, this can be undone, but it takes some time. There are overt practices you can do, such as resting the mind on an object of meditation, focusing on a book or a podcast, or going for a walk, bike ride, or run WITHOUT listening to anything but the sounds of nature. There are analytical practices you can do also, such as the four mind changers in Buddhism. 

 

Over time, simply doing one's practices again and again leads to a sort of natural resting IME. 

 

[dwai]

Current times are certainly difficult to simply rest, even if it is for a short period. The energetic aspect of the world is in agitation (though I feel the agitation is reduced in some parts of the world). With this kind of agitated energy, comes a restlessness that puts the mind into perpetual motion (even more so than it might otherwise be). 

 

Recently a friend told me that a good idea is to simply rest for 5 minutes at a time -- which I've taken up. Instead of sitting for a long period of time (or try to find a time for prolonged stillness), just take 5 minutes every hour or so, and let go of everything just be. 

 

Let your mind drop into the middle of the chest, and rest there. It is kind of like mindfulness meditation, but we are being mindful of not doing anything, that's all. 

[Bhathen]

Sharing a summary of a practice from the book "Fear" by Master Thich Nhat Hanh.

 

Resting in the Present moment when you have a particular emotion rising:
    {
        I have arrived, I am home
        I am here, I am in the now
        I am solid, I am free
        In the ultimate I dwell
    }

 

    Mantra practice when breathing in and out:

    (First set of eight exercises when the emotions or feelings are strong)

    Body:
    1. Breathing in, I know this is an in-breath.
        Breathing out, I know this is an out-breath

    2. Breathing in, I follow my in-breath all the way from the beginning to the end.
        Breathing out,  I follow my in-breath all the way from the beginning to the end.

    3. Breathing in, I'm aware of my whole body.
        Breathing out, I'm aware of my whole body

    4. Breathing in, I'm aware of some tension and pain in my body
        Breathing out, I calm and release the tension and pain in my body

 

    Realm of feelings:
    5. Breathing in, I feel joy
        Breathing out, I know joy is there

    6. Breathing in, I feel happiness
        Breathing out, I know happiness is there       
    7. Breathing in, I know the painful feeling is there
        Breathing out, I calm that painful feeling

    8. Breathing in, I calm my mental formations
        Breathing out, I calm my mental formations

 

   (Second set of exercises when the mind is more calm)

    Realm of the mind:
    1. Breathing in, I am aware of my mind
        Breathing out, I am aware of my mind

    2. Breathing in, I make my mind happy
        Breathing out, I make my mind happy

    3. Breathing in, I concentrate my mind
        Breathing out, I concentrate my mind

    4. Breathing in, I liberate my mind
        Breathing out, I liberate my mind

 

    Nature of the mind:
    5. Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of the mind
        Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of the mind

    6. Breathing in, I observe the disappearance of desire
        Breathing out, I observe the disappearance of desire

    7. Breathing in, I observe cessation
        Breathing out, I observe cessation

    8. Breathing in, I observe letting go
        Breathing out, I observe letting go
   

    Metta meditation:
    {
        May I be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.
        May I be safe and free from injury.
        May I be free from fear, anxiety, anger and afflictions.

     

       May he/she be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.
        May he/she be safe and free from injury.
        May he/she be free from fear, anxiety, anger and afflictions.
    }

Edited April 20, 2021 by Bhathen
added few notes

[RiverSnake]

This is something i struggle with as well.....overtraining. If you got a lot of energy...it can be good to find another avenue to burn through it outside of metaphysical studies. Maybe start working out or doing a sport.

[Indiken]

hello, Hannes,

 

in essence i am writing to myself here, 

 

state the perspective which is most of use to me now,

 

but,

 

maybe you will find something of use in it,

 

i feel tired, but not in the body,

 

today i did sleep all day,

 

i feel some good physical changes in my heart,

 

the community in this forum helped me achieve a calmer state,

 

this is what i did,

 

i tried to look at being here in the forum as an exercise,

 

i think other-selve is the main catalyst in learning,

 

i tried and wanted to attract as much negativity i could handle,

 

i did learn many lessions in the proccess,

 

i do now realize that the lessions did come to me when i was ready to proceed with them,

 

the forum is still the catalyst, because i am writing now,

 

the experience here did lead me to one method to achieve some state of peace,

 

that is,

 

do what you want in your imagination,

 

i am calmer now, because i did what i did want to do,

 

and it does not look that spectacular, when done,

 

so,

 

i do reevaluate my reality,

 

nothing is that bad as i thought,

 

so,

wish you be well,

AL.

[RiverSnake]

Valuable talk on the subject. 

 

 

 

[doc benway]

On 4/20/2021 at 9:14 AM, Hannes said:

It is a time of transition and a lot of things are up in the air. 

 

I saw an omen of the heron a couple times and I feel it signifies that I need to step back and stop working on myself and take a rest.

I mostly mean stop working on healing my trauma and trying to get ahead worldly and otherworldly. 

 

This seems simple, but it isn't. I feel like I am already waiting/being stuck for so long and I do not now how to rest (in a non physical way).

 

That and the fact that I don't feel grounded. It feels that resting would lead to poverty and my physical demise. 

 

I think there is no better way of embracing rest by spending time in nature. 

It takes a little more than simply surrounding oneself with nature, one must connect with her through the senses.

[silent thunder]

 

41 minutes ago, steve said:

 

I think there is no better way of embracing rest by spending time in nature. 

It takes a little more than simply surrounding oneself with nature, one must connect with her through the senses.

Someone referred to time spent in nature as Forest Bathing and ever since, that's how i think of it.

 

 

[natural]

I have had countless natural naps in nature, sitting in peace, my back to a tree at least as old as I was.

Dappled sun informing me thru closed eyelids all was well in my world.

 

edit to add:

If my boney butt was comfortable it was either prime pepper planting time, or post pepper planting time.

And either way I was in need of some peaceful rest. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by natural
clarity

[doc benway]

8 hours ago, silent thunder said:

 

Someone referred to time spent in nature as Forest Bathing and ever since, that's how i think of it.

 

 

I think that expression comes from the Japanese - shinrin-yoku.

Marvelous expression!

[silent thunder]

3 hours ago, steve said:

I think that expression comes from the Japanese - shinrin-yoku.

Marvelous expression!

Yup.  That's the one.

[Owledge]

On 4/21/2021 at 10:31 PM, RiverSnake said:

Valuable talk on the subject.

 

It's preaching in hope that it might reach 1% non-choir audience. The prescribed solution is so often not available, because if it was, people would choose it.

Self-improvement can be a coping strategy from experiencing a situation where not doing that leaves you in the gutter, where you feel the coercive pressure of going along with the status quo to a certain degree so that you can breathe a little.

It basically urges towards radical rebellion.