The Art of Bliss
Don't force it. Allow it.
Some of you will look at this photo, roll your eyes and say, sure, I could be blissful too, if I had a place like that. Alas, this spot is only a couple of years old. This blog goes back way further, and my blissfulness, further still. Bliss happens first on the inside. And when it happens consistently enough, it is reflected on the outside, in the life that surrounds us. It’s a process.
But bliss isn’t a thing you achieve once and hold forever, like a degree. Bliss is an ongoing creation that’s never finished, like a house. Homeowners know, the house is never finished. There’s always a repair, an update, a project. Always. I have a list a mile long, myself.
Bliss is in the moment
That’s the first lesson. We can anticipate bliss in the future. We can remember bliss from the past, which is almost as good as fresh new bliss. But the fully formed experience of bliss only exists in the present moment. We must be fully aware of our surroundings, fully centered, and mindfully focused on the here and now.
When we surround ourselves in beauty, when we lie on our backs in the grass on a summer day, watching the clouds float by, when we tuck into our favorite meal, when we curl up in our comfy beds at night, when we are in the arms of a lover… these are moments of bliss. But most of us speed through them, barely noticing them becasue our minds are miles ahead or years behind.
How to increase mindfulness
It’s only a matter of developing new habits, which just takes persistant practice. You’ve already begun, just by being aware that our ultimate joy (and our ultimate power) lies in the eternal present.
Practice noticing when thoughts are racing, and rein them in. Decide to focus always on the here and now. Be fully present. Really take in every pleasing bit of the moment.
Mindfulness exercises
Any of these can help pull you into the moment. Many of them also work for falling asleep or returning to sleep.
When the mind is racing, this works well. Say aloud five things that you see. Then say aloud, five things that you hear. Continue with five things that you feel, five that you smell, and five that you taste, if you can. This exercise pulls you fully into the moment.
A yoga move, whose name I don’t know, is to lie on one’s back, and then successivey flex or clench, hold, and then relax each part of the body. Feet, then calves, then thighs, then buttocks, then all four. Tummy, lower back, chest, upper back, shoulders, arms, then all six. Neck, head, and face, and then all three. Finally, do the entire body. When you finish, you feel as if you could float away andyou are fully focused in the physical now.
Mahareeshi Maresh Yogi, who taught John Lennon had a before-sleep ritual he prescribed. Say, aloud or in your head, “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” Repeat this twenty times before you go to sleep.
Most of the time, I fall asleep before I get to twenty, and I think that’s the point. There’s a powerful point of time in between sleep and wakefulness, a twilight time, when we slip in between the worlds of physical and on, and our thoughts go directly into production. It’s a powerful thing to control what you are thinking as you fall asleep.
I’ve tweaked the words of the mantra. (Of course I tweaked the words, I’m a wordsmith.) I say, “Every day, in every way, I expand and improve,” or, “Every day in every way, I’m healthier and healthier,” or, “Every day in every positive way, my readership grows,” or, “Every day I eat and live to maintain peak health.” It depends on what’s on my mind.
I love how customizable this one is!
Why bother with any of this?
Because LIFE.
Developing our ability to focus fully where and when were are in every moment enriches life. Most people aren’t living their lives. When our minds are absent from the moments that make up our lives, we are also abent. We can’t be where our mind is not. We cannot see where we are not looking. Most are always worrying about the future or relitigating traumas of the past. Learning to be in the NOW means fully experiencing the moments of our lives.
Because STRESS
When we stop regurgitation past dramas and stop worrying about future events, we reduce our stress levels immensely, which switches off excess cortisol production, which improves our health. It lowers our blood pressure, reduces inflammation, and lowers the risk of multiple chronic diseases including some cancers.
Because SLEEP
Learning the techniques to shut off mind-chatter and focus into the moment naturallly improves our sleep. Lack of sleep weakens our immunity, increases our risk of high blood pressure, weight gain, and the type 2 diabetes the goes hand-in-hand with weight gain. It also causes mood changes, memory issues, trouble thinking and concentrating, and increases the likelihood of accidents.
And Because CONNECTION
When we stop the habit of the constantly racing mind, when we modulate and control the pace of our inner stream of thoughts and keep our focus on the present moment, we can more easily tap into our inner stream of conciousness. Which is the livestream from Source that is experiencing life in our bodies, as us.
I’ve often described this connection with the story of a fieldmouse and an eagle. A fieldmouse can only see the immediate area around his hole within a jungle of grasses and wildflowers. He wants to go to the water hole, but can only follow his nose.
But the eagle can see the entire field. The eagle can see the fastest, easiest route to the water hole, including all obstacles and how they can be avoided.
Assuming this is a vegetarian eagle who won’t eat the mouse, this eagle could be the mouse’s best friend and his living GPS.
In this analogy, we are the fieldmouse, and our inner being is the eagle. We have a direct line from (and therefore to,) the eagle, which is Source energy, the Whole, Goddess, God, whatever word you choose. So keeping the connection tuned up, and tuned-in are essential. It gives us sharp intuition, and clarity. Our inner eagle can lead us along the fastest, safest, most efficient route to our goals, because it can see the whole picture.
A practice of mindfulness tunes our channel more fully toward that of our inner being, so we can hear its gentle call.
The ways it calls us are always the paths of positive feelings. When something brings us joy, that’s the call of our personal eagle, saying “Yes, this way!” When something repulses us, or brings up negative emotions, that’s our eagle crying, “Not this way. You’re off course. Turn around.”
Learning to pay attention to those feelings, means learning not to be constantly distracted by meaningless mind chatter, regret, or worry. It means learning to be present inside our minds, and fully living our lives, so that we can hear the guidance of our own personal eagle.
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