The farm at Doune of Rothiemurchus, by the river Spey, with the hill of Ord Ban, and the stormy Cairngorms behind.
Taken yesterday from Craigellachie hill, behind Aviemore. It started out as a perfect winter day with blue skies, sunshine and frost, although by the time I was on Craigellachie there was a bitter wind and the clouds were building rapidly.
I’ve been noticing recently how easily it is that we are knocked off-center by the ‘winds of changes’ or by our everyday interactions especially if these are stormy! This is probably true for everybody, but more easily noticed the more sensitive one becomes.
It only takes moments to center oneself again, the trick is to actually remember to do it! I have enlisted my ‘logical mind’, so that every so often it will check and remind me to center. I have also used this in the past to check on my breathing. In common with many people, my breathing used to be too shallow. I set up a mental checklist with a reminder to ‘check breathing’. Each time I noticed my shallow breathing, and would spend a few moments breathing deeper and lower down. Over time I trained my body into healthier breathing habits.
Time now to center:
- Notice your breathing, breathe calmly and slowly without forcing it
- Pay attention to the connection down your legs and feet and into the earth.
Imagine and feel you are connected into the earth. - Pay attention to the connection upwards to ‘the heavens’.
Imagine or feel this connection from your crown upwards. - Bring your awareness into your heart, centred between heaven and earth. Your heart is like a transformer, transforming all the energies that come at you and when you are in this place you are rock-steady.
“When you look into a mirror you see your face as it is; you may wish that some parts of it were different, but the actual fact is shown in the mirror. Now, can you look at your conditioning in a similar way?”
– J. Krishnamurti