Here are some good practices that I find useful to bring into daily life, as they have helped me stay engaged with the world and try to make it better while also feel at peace (even with strong or unpleasant emotions or feelings) in the core of my being, most of the time... :)
This timely visitor was darting in and out of view right outside my window. It was hovering so near and seemed so still that I could see its big black eyes and face. Nature always teaches me so much. I just have to keep an open mind and look out (of the window literary) ...
Grateful for this good reminder to take a break and have a micro practice on self care now...
Take a minute to go through my gratitude list...
Here is a list of short videos to nourish your body, mind and spirit. Don't forget about your eyes too.
Today is Blue Moon, second full moon in the same month.
It is usually a time of self reflections and giving gratitude to the things I have in life - this has become a daily practice for me but especially so during full moon.
This month is filled with lots of inner turbulence for me and I am working out some really strong triggers. Today is an opportune time to release the old and past beliefs that no longer works and are actually hurting myself - relationship with myself and others. It is essentially questioning the way I perceive myself and the world around.
Letting go of baggage is an ongoing and painful process which I find worth every of my effort. I find this new habit helps me reclaim vitality and the zest for life. Every single day, I am getting a little better than the day before - maybe it is an awareness of myself ruminating and bringing my attention back to what really matters. It could also be allowing myself to rest more instead of pushing myself further whenever I feel tired. Bit by bit, I tidy up my space.
Here is my full moon renderings - questions that help me refocus on the possibilities and my potential.
Blessed full moon and Happy Halloween (and day of the dead)!
May the past be dead as we invite vitality and passion for each living moment.
The wonderful thing is that within this personal boundary, we create our own personal space. This means we can fill our personal space with loving kindness and self-compassion, especially if we are usually too hard on ourselves most of the time. We can fill it with excitement and inspiration instead of fears of the unknowns and worries over uncertainties. We can look at the day as an adventure or a practice instead of a daunting task. There are so much possibilities. If you are 'stuck' in the downward curve, try thinking of the opposite to ride the curve up. Of course, you can also choose to ride the curve down to uncover what treasures are buried deep down to unlock your vitality and reclaim yourself, in a wholesome way, without judgement or criticism. This is what we are doing for practice 2.
Whatever it may be, always remember that this is a journey where we honour our feelings and our emotions to uncover who we really are - without the thought patterns (which can be self-destructive), beliefs (which are usually false in the larger scheme of things), and habitual behaviour (such as self-loathing and criticism), all of which I have had! :D
Here is sharing my experience on self-acceptance and finding ease within my skin, literary. I noticed that with practice of personal boundary and space, my eczema heal faster. More on eczema separately...
Here is practice 2. This is a relatively more advance practice. It is built on practice 1. It is recommended that you try out practice 1 for at least 1 week before coming to this video. Practice 1 can be found here.
This practice explores our emotions, beliefs, thought patterns and sensations based on the foundation of anchoring within our body as a safe haven without judgement or criticism. Just open your eyes if you need to stop the practice anytime. Take your time to explore this. Be gentle and kind with whatever you uncover here. A beginner's mind with open curiosity would be helpful. Be really interested to know and understand the thought patterns. Through this practice, I found a number of false beliefs of myself. The latter shapes my perceptions of what could be viewed by others as harmless events. As a result, I regularly fall back to this practice as a sanctuary for self-reflections and self-inquiry. It is important for me to fill this space with kindness and self-compassion so that my beliefs (even the deep-seated and even unconscious ones) can be expressed without restraints or filters.
May all be well.
Here is the youtube playlist of practices for personal space and boundary.
Here is the series of practices on healthy personal boundary and space.
It took me decades to realise that having a healthy personal boundary and personal space is a form of self care and self love. This is not a selfish practice. Rather, it helps me align many out-of-place pieces back to their rightful seats... including letting go of those that are not mine. The latter creates space and conserves my energies to work on myself, my life, my passion and dreams. It is not doing others a favour when I take what is not mine to begin with. But without a clear sense of personal boundary and space, I didn't know what is mine and were not...
I am still learning, and the vitality that I have reclaimed excites me enough to begin sharing what I have uncovered so far...
That is how I use my personal boundary to return to my space, to this present moment, a personal space of retreat. A retreat from the worries/ fears of the future, regret / shame from the past and the incessant chattering of mind.
Personal space and boundary as an anchor to the present. 🙏😊
Find a practice on anchoring within your physical boundary, connect with the present moment, with nowhere.
