Monday, January 20, 2014

Level 2.18 - Inner Stillness

improve your inner stillness
Level Your Life - [The Level of Inner Stillness][2.18]




Inner Stillness



We would like to gently remind you to hold firm to inner stillness. You cannot see your image in running water, but you can in water that is at rest. 

LYL teaches us that meaningful,extraordinary performances are the by-product of inner stillness.
Outer movement in your life is enhanced by quiet within, particularly during times of frustration,disappointment, and crisis.

The Chinese symbols for inner stillness represent the inner peace attained by being at ease with the calmness and clarity experienced when not striving.
How you handle your body during any physical activity is directly related to, and a function of, such stillness.
For example, when you focus on outcomes or results, when you show up to win instead of simply to compete, everything gets thrown off. Lose the still place, lose the race.

Your performance must revolve around this inner calm within.

Winning a race, a match, a game, a contract, or a debate is always
the manifestation of a calm, inner stillness and a focus on the process you are engaged in itself.
Otherwise you get thrown off center and lose your chi; as a result, performance suffers.
This is all about a subtle but powerful shift of focus from head to heart.
You can facilitate this shift by taking some time to watch the breath ,as we already discussed, and by using visualization , feeling how you wish to feel prior to an activity and then carrying this quiet state and those feelings into the arena. Stop,look inside, and listen to your inner voice.

Take time to be still; there is no need to gallop on a wild horse through life.

Get off "your bike" occasionally and admire the flowers.
Contemplate the natural rhythms and cycles of the journey.
                         Be in the now !



Declaration: My stillness sets in motion the easing of commotion. I control my still point by quieting the mind prior to performance and by focusing on the process, not the outcome.


Reflection:
When have I experienced this feeling of inner stillness, and what seemed to contribute to it ?
What are the ways in which I can experiment with and apply this feeling today ?







[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]