Self-Regulation

My greeting to people currently is as follows “I hope you are surfing the waves of all that is with relative balance.”  Surfing the swells of joy and tragedy, birth and death, excitement and disappointment - and everything between and beyond - with relative balance is the best that can be hoped for in my humble opinion. I DO mean it when I say “relative,” because we all stumble and wipeout sometimes. As long as we are still living, we are surfing.  In this image, there is a being laying back in deep surrender to the process of life. They are breathing deep and focusing their intention. There is an eye of universal consciousness in the sky opening them to their deeper vision, and an awareness that they are connected to the entire fabric of the universe. In their surrender another being is present, witnessing and holding space for their process. They are tapping into the balance of their center. Spending time and energy in this practice supports them in accessing this balance when the chaos of life throws tsunami swells their way.  There is much to be learned from this place. From surfer Shaun Tonson  “Riding inside the tube is a remarkable existential experience, a moment when life comes into perfect focus, when the immediacy and urgency of the moment is tempered by a feeling of stillness, by an awareness that one is connected to the entire fabric of the universe, riding inside an absolutely silent and solitary tunnel of water, a sense that the past is slipping behind your shoulder, the present is beneath your feet, and the future is just ahead, out of reach, represented by a spinning, hypnotic, tumbling tunnel of water just ahead.” If “Self-regulation” has come into our awareness today, it is inviting us to understand that while there are forces much larger than us moving us in ways we cannot control, there is a powerful center that each of us carries within that can help us balance, and/or save us when we wipeout. It requires tapping into our breath to calm our autonomic nervous system when it is triggered and/or panicked so we can respond rather than react, relaxing our bodies so that we are bare the force of an impact. It invites us to understand that this HAS to be a regular practice, and that doing this  proactively helps us keep it in our muscle memory for the time when we are called to “react.”  Developing this ability offers us choices, allows us to “feel the present beneath our feet” so that we can intentionally “navigate the spinning, hypnotic, tumbling tunnel of water just ahead..” Points of consideration: How often do you allow everything you are responsible to dissolve for even just a few minutes and dive deep into the strength of your own core? We all have our challenges, and believe me, you are STRONG because you have made it THIS far. Consider this an invitation to take at least 15 minutes a day tapping into your breath, the core of your strength, and giving yourself time to surrender into what messages are offered when you give yourself the gift of your deep presence. FInd opportunities where you are allowed to fully surrender while you are remaining present in your body (so not TV,  phone or games in this case). Maybe it is music, dance, sex, conversations, making art, walking in nature, exercising, meditation, on and on. Make sure you are doing this activity regularly, as these are often the first things to go when we get too busy, and are essential practices for navigating the rest of our life experiences.