Level 2.18 - 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]

Level 2.11 - Beginner´s Mind

Level Your Life [The Level of the Beginner´s Mind][2.11]

Beginner´s Mind



Shunryu Suzuki in his classic work Zen Mind, Beginner´s Mind, writes "In the beginner´s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert´s mind ,there are few"

There is a tremendous advantage to be gained by clearing your mind through meditation and then focusing your attention on the possibilities awaiting you. Don´t let preconceived biases prevent you from being attuned to your human potential.

In 1954, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier in the mile run, which the experts considered impossible at the time. Yet within the next year and a half, over fifty athletes around the world ran it in under four minutes. They could now see the possibility and were open to doing  what was required to reach that once "impossible" level of performance.

The warrior´s mind is a beginner´s mind, one that is open, receptive, and nonjudgmental ; with this mind, all is possible.

We want to encourage you to follow Bannister and challenge your beliefs, seeing them as limits and going beyond them.  For example, you might  say, "It could never happen", or "I´m not strong enough, fast enough,good enough" Start to notice how these words limit you, and then with a beginner´s mind, turn such statements around. Say "I can do it - I am strong," as you try to run up that hill or lift that weight.

When you´re feeling stuck in failure, loss, or setback, take the adventurer´s approach, in which you give yourself permission to start again fresh.

After a poor shot, for instance, approach the next shot and say to yourself  "Here is a new beginning, a chance to start again - every shot is an opportunity to demonstrate my greatness."

Always come out in the second half and play if the score is zero-zero, even if the other team is up.

Use this beginner´s mind-set to increase your chances to experience the extraordinary.




Declaration: The more I develop the beginner´s mind and remain open to possibilities by questioning limits, the more I perform freely to play up to my capacity.

Reflection : What are three of my most powerful limiting beliefs, and what can I do to change them and go beyond them ? What is possible if I free myself to play to my capacity ? What do I need to do to accomplish this ?





[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]