January 15
“Today I will stop fighting what is and soften into it.”
Wow! I love the lesson today!! What a wonderful perspective to have! Our teacher is Lisa Olivera and she sends a powerful message that really resonates with me this morning:
Acceptance.
We know what it means, but do we really know how to use it? It can have both positive and negative associations depending on our state of mind and perspective. Lisa describes acceptance not as “giving up” but “the gentle practice of meeting yourself and life exactly as they are.” She further goes on to explain that when we stop obsessing about how we think things should be and let out the reins a little, we’re better able to handle what’s at hand. We can face the situation with a more open heart. She invites us to imagine wrapping our arms around whatever it is we’re either fighting or running from and bring it in. Embrace it. Don’t judge it. Hold space for it and notice how we feel when we soften into it and care for it rather than push it away.
It was at this point in the meditation that I knew I needed to sit with this for a while longer. And after finishing the lesson I flipped to the timer and meditated for another 25 minutes. I literally got lost in the moment and had one of the best meditation sessions I’ve had in a really long time. I allowed myself the time to sit in the present moment and let go of the reins for a while. I repeated the intention several times and let it wash over me. And the result was a shift in how I felt both physically and mentally.
Reality is tough to face and if we continually resist it, fight it, and try to control it, we only end up making ourselves miserable. Lisa offers up a different way of looking at the world and ourselves: with a kind heart and acceptance, just as we are. I’ve used the word ‘surrender’ as a synonym for ‘acceptance’, not as giving in but as a way to release my grip on that which wasn’t meeting my expectations. Some have called it ‘letting go’. I have a friend who calls it ‘giving it to God’. In other words, we’re admitting that sometimes we can’t control what’s going on so we’re choosing to face it with a softer heart instead of boxing gloves. We’re setting it down instead of carrying its weight with us every day. We’re changing how we look at it and letting acceptance lead us on our path forward. For me, the gift I ultimately receive from the experience is . . . pure relief.
I hope you like today’s lesson as much as I did. May you discover your own unique way of finding acceptance with whatever you’re facing in your life. I want you to know that you are wonderful and whole, just as you are. And you are loved.
#31dayintentionsettingchallenge
#practiceacceptance
#youareloved
#trusttheprocess
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Wholeness Health and YOU! 