What if it is a friendly universe?

When things are falling apart…

When nothing goes according to plan…

When we are panicking in chaos and uncertainty…

Einstein said, "We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them"

If what you have been doing - planning, stressing, self- denigrating… isn't working, there is nothing to lose in trying something else.

How about, just for this one day, we experiment? For the next 24 hours, let's try TRUSTING LIFE. We try yielding to the natural rhythm of life, rather than fighting against it.

Imagine, You are given the exact amount of TIME you need for today. 

Despite your plan, what you are supposed to have done that day has been determined by bigger forces outside of you.

It is not entirely up to you. (Isn't that true? There is the saying: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plan!")

So at the end of the day, if the task is not done, well, it's either not your task, or it is not for today. 

There is no need to rush, no need to stress. It is all taken care of— even if not by you. 

You need not a minute more, not a minute less.

Imagine,

You are given the exact FEELINGS that you need for today. 

If a feeling comes up, allow the river of emotion to carry you. 

You do not have to do anything to make it go away, or to prolong it. 

It will stay for however long it needs to deliver the message: Perhaps there is a boundary to be set (anger), an action to be taken (angst), something to be grieved (sadness), an attachment to be let go of(fear). 

When you have got it, the feeling will pass. Not a minute more, not a minute less.

Imagine, 

You are given the exact PEOPLE that you need for today.

Though you may not recognise your angels. 

When someone enters your life, they deliver a message, a learning opportunity, or a pure blessing.

And when you have both got what you needSigns and signals (restlessness, irritations, conflicts) will come in to help you part ways. 

Not a minute more, not a minute less.

What might happen if, for just one day, we something IS happening, even when we cannot see it, YET?

We often forget how limited our perspective might be.

We have a hard time relinquishing control, because of a deep-rooted belief that we must work hard to earn what we need and to fight in a world of scarcity. 

Yet we all have the experience of negative events turning out to be a life-changing gift that is revealed only in hindsight. 

The situation cannot resolve or heal itself until you fully release it to some unforeseeable force that is beyond your own perception. 

Sometimes, when you lose your 'dream', you win your destiny. 

Consider, just for a moment, what if this - life, drama, mysterious events, accidents, and when things don't go as we expected - what if it happens for you, rather than to you? 

What if the universe IS a benevolent place ?

Just maybe. Try to trust, just for once.

What's there to lose?

In my short time on this planet, I have known great sorrow, plunged into the depths of oceanic despair, been thrown so deeply into my loneliness that I thought I would never return. I have tasted the ecstatic joys of meditation, the fierce intimacy of love, the savage pains of heartbreak, the excitement of unexpected success and the blows of sudden failure. There were times when I thought I'd never make it, times when my dreams had been shattered so thoroughly I couldn'timagine how life could ever go on. Yet it went on, and sometimes I found humility within the devastation, and out of the ashes of imagined futures often grew new and present joys, and no experience was ever wasted.

I have come to trust life completely, trust even the times when I forget how to trust at all, trust that life doesn't always go according to plan, because there is no plan, only life, and even the times of great uncertainty hold supreme intelligence, and sometimes you have to fall to stand more fearlessly, with greater kindness.

And somehow I am always held, in a way I cannot explain and do not want to. I may be crushed yet again before too long, I may experience further seemingly insurmountable challenges and heartbreaks, but somehow I am always held. Somehow I am always held.

- Jeff Foster

THIS WEEK’S EXPERIMENT: the body scan

In this exercise, we combine a mindfulness technique called the body scan with art therapy.

Begin by making yourself comfortable. Now, pay attention to your body. Notice how your arms, your legs and your skin feel in general.

Take several long, slow, deep breaths. Breathing in fully and exhaling slowly.

Now bring your attention down to your feet.

Observe any existing sensations. You might want to wiggle your toes a little to feel your toes against the ground.

Very slowly, move your attention upward from your feet to your calves. Your thighs. Your hips. Notice any temperature, sensations, small movement.

If your mind begins to wander during this exercise, gently notice this, and bring your mind back to the exercise without judgment.

Slowly move your attention up to your lower back and upper back. If you sense tension, gently release it with each breath.

You may again wish to pause to write or scribble in your journal, about what you have noticed so far.

Coming back to your breathing and body scan, shift the focus and bring your awareness up into your arms.

Observe the sensations, temperature, or even the lack of feeling in this part of your body.

Slowly and gently, shift your focus and direct your attention to the scalp, head and face.

You might notice some tension held between your eye brows and in your jaw. Gently release them.

Notice what happens when you invite each of the different parts of your body to relax.

Finally, expand your awareness to include the whole body.

Write or draw what you have found, or felt during this process.