Last night I attended a two hour group exploration of how we experience life.
I was flying high.
Now at my office in the middle of paper work and writing out checks I have a lower altitude and lower attitude. I paused for a moment and remembered I could jump into Aladdin’s closet.
Although the same reality of this moment exists whether in Aladdin’s closet or out, the view is vastly different. The first point of the inside the closet view is that it is focused on this moment. I am sitting and writing checks or I am sitting now and typing on my keyboard. I can feel the cool air. I feel cold etc. The now of the actual experience of this moment has trumped the commentary of the experience I was previously having. It is usually the commentary that starts to lower both my altitude and attitude. Being in this moment drops all of the commentary on whether I like or dislike what is happing. Next I immediately can feel where in my body I am holding tension. I can then remember to press my “happiness button” or at least tap it. I feel my face soften and a slight smile forming at the corners of my mouth. I am back and happy to have the funds to write out the checks with; or mail to open or whatever else I was just doing.
The happiness button is an interesting practice and ability to develop. It is simple but not that easy. The first step is to separate how you feel into two categories. One are the thoughts, the thinking in your head (the voice going on and on) and the second are the actual body sensations that you can feel. Think for a moment about the thought/sensations of a tight fist and soft fist. Right now make a fist and then tighten it. Go up and back from a soft fist to a tight fist. I know you can think about the difference but the key is to be able to feel the difference. Okay this is easy. Moving right along. Next, create a half smile on your face. What does that feel like? Now create a half frown. Notice the difference in the sensation.
Practice the sense of awareness of sensation.
Watch for the next few time you are in a good mood or just plane happy. Notice what your body feels like when you are happy. What is the sensation you are feeling when you are happy? You will start to notice that although happiness comes to you from different things they all have the same sensation. Locate the place in your body where you feel the sensation of happiness. Again this is simple but not easy.
Do the same thing with unhappiness, annoyance, sadness etc. Find the place in your body where you feel the sensation of unhappiness.
Most likely in time you will be able to locate an area on your face or your forearms that responds to both happiness and unhappiness. When you are happy that area feels open, light and soft. When you are unhappy that same place feels closed, tight and hard.
The super great part of this exercise is that happiness goes in both directions. If you are happy that place responds and softens or if you soften that place by your own action your mind/body responds with happiness. Once you find this place it becomes your happiness button. Whenever you want to boost your mood or whenever you feel you altitude and attitude dropping just press your button. Relax, soften, open this area and the flow of happiness starts to spread throughout your body. Just as Yoda said, Your focus is your reality”. Focus on the sensation you would like to feel, create that sensation and your mind follows right along.
If you have difficulty with this or would like more guidance feel free to contact me. I would be happy to coach you in finding this niche of happiness. Right now this is complementary. Send email or message now.
Spiritual Gravity 