Each person has a natural flow, a natural rhythm of being that is deeply satisfying— a pace, cadence, movement, a way they like to receive and give. Can you discover your flow? Are you aware of when you in “your flow” and when you are out of your flow? One example of the flow is when athletes talk about being in the “zone.” Also artists, musicians, writers often talk about the experience of flow in their work. Like all energetic states of being, remember that flow, is not all or nothing. Enter into flow as well as you can, there is always benefit. The biggest sign of flow is connection to all that is around you. When I am connected, I am flowing. When I am flowing, I am connected.
People lose experience with their natural way of being (flow). One of the first steps in engaging more flow is to become of aware of the movements that cause you to fall out of flow or block you. Consider these common patterns:
1. Pushing –nudging, pulling, forcing, bumping, shoving, kicking. Breaking through the resistance not listening to the resistance, manipulating, guilting, threatening. This energy pushes forward and against, in order to get what you want, always challenging. The energy of pushing ignores the signals that something isn’t right or is not working. However, pushing reveals an invisible movement between people – how they share energy and how this sharing effects. Pushing is not like cutting butter with a sharp knife – it s more like pressing your finger into the butter and then licking your finger in satisfaction. An energetic push directed at you feels just as uncomfortable as a physical push.
2. Judging – evaluating, prejudging, ranking, rating, counting, comparing, better-than, less-than, diminishing. An overlay is placed on someone who naturally exists with his or her gifts and sometimes. The person judging becomes entangled; focusing on his/her judgment not the other person. The greatest burden that everyone carries is judging themselves and others. Deciding who is right and who is wrong. Determining who is best. Judging is an exhausting process that is often ignored because it happens so often. Once you become aware of judging, when it is less automatic, you will realize how frequent it occurs with unintended consequences.
3. Attachment – holding on too tight, digging in your heals, wrapping around, high risk-high reward, do or die. Attachment comes in many forms: being right; be seen a certain way by certain people; attachment to my wounds, habits, addictions, entitlements; my stories about people and situations; attachment to something that will happen in the future. Attachments take up a lot of room, a lot of energetic space. They can organize your life and take over. Sometimes attachments are invisible – and only become visible when something changes, or they are challenged in some manner. Attachment narrows the channels you receive, much is missed
4. Greeting the World with in-Knowing or in-Wanting – I mainly experience and see the wanting, the knowing, not the other person(s). My self- interest focuses with myself. I am right you are wrong. I know best. My needs are more important. in-Knowing or in-wanting are closed spaces. The postures in-wanting, in-knowing, act as filters and limiters to your experience of the world. They dull your experience of connection to the world and how everything interconnects. These postures lock “you” inside yourself. I, we, us, them, those, it (a person who is a thing) are all expressions of self-focus. While so very common in-wanting and in-knowing are not natural states. Greeting the world in-Learning is a natural state.
5. Lines – rules of engagement in my relationships, ownership, restrictions, boundaries, geographies, war, prejudgments, cultural norms. A line is born when an idea or thought is held so tightly that is codified and no longer open to pondering, reflection, or conversation. Sometimes a line is named a High Truth, and others are harmed because they do not accept the High Truth. Lines are the prejudices by which someone is named less-than by age, race, sex, sexual preference, country of birth, or religion of birth. Lines are tricky, for they often color themselves invisible and pretend to be absolute. When people begin to see the invisible lines, they can choose what to do and they experience the field of possibilities more fully. The function of lines is to control, narrow, and limit people’s experience of what is possible.
6. Competition – better-than and less-than, best, who gets the resources? This is complex to challenge you to ponder this, for competition is revered, often a form of shared entertainment and it is the most common way of deciding who gets resources. Competition clouds the experience of possibilities that can come with cooperation and collaboration. When circles of people SHARE, when communities SHARE— with one another so much is possible. Collaboration will mature the collective, that is the ability of people to decide plans together to solve complex community problems and disrupt the cycles of generational problems.
7. Fear - There is nothing wrong with being afraid. However, many people carry fear inside themselves – pockets of fear. These fears constrain and limit their actions, what they see as possible— fear of rejection, fear of physical harm, fear of loss, fear of embarrassment, fear of isolation, fear of criticism, fear of being judged, fear of success, fear of discovery, fear of the unfamiliar and many more. Fear comes in all different sizes and packages, lasting moments, hours or days. Sometimes you invoke the fear, sometimes other evoke the fear. Fear is often kept alive by the conscious mind and imagination either repeating thoughts or images that have happened or might happen. When fear affects sharing your voice and gifts with others it is time to act. When fear creates harm it is time to act. Fear should never be a companion. A friend helps another friend release fear and everyone benefits.
The most common entry point to flow is breath — breathing in deeper rhythmic movements than every day breath. Being in the Here and Now is a wonderful invitation to flow. Working directly with energy through healing, mediation, Qigong invites flow. Being in nature and practicing the here and now, creates a powerful invitation to flow. Playing and being with children opens another door to flow. Remedies to the Great Barriers will be discussed in Part 2.
Comments