Self-Cultivation
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Self-Cultivation...
How we stand, how we sit, how we breathe, how we move, how we speak, sing, or remain silent; how we focus, concentrate, and witness... These are ways we can measure ourselves. These factors become our Presence. These are ways that others can see us and know us; by our actions and by the quality of our Being...
Are we upright? Are we poised? Are we relaxed? Are we at ease? Are we tense and clenching? Impatient? Are we breathing freely? Or are we holding our breath? Are we strong? Are we swift? Are we alert and caring? Are we tired and rundown? Do we move Gracefully? Are we at Peace?
What we think of ourselves moment-to-moment is not as important as how we choose to Live each day.
Thoughts come and go... Emotions rise and fall... Sometimes we even forget to be worried...
We will be remembered for Who we were and for What we did; for our Actions and Kindnesses and Commitments. We are remembered for how we lived in this World. Not for what we thought of ourselves...
Life is measured by days. And days are measured by how we felt and how we spent our time... How we treated ourselves and others... How we expressed our creativity... This is the measure of us--each day and then each night.
Were we kind? Were we kind to ourselves? Were we happy? Were we rested? Did we sleep well?
We can practice Self-Cultivation.
Cultivating a healthy body... Cultivating our internal energy... Cultivating the skill to quiet the mind and master our emotions... Cultivating compassion for ourselves and for others...
Cultivating the ability to flow and be free with our emotions... Cultivating the Self!
Cultivating restful sleep?
How better can we spend our days?
We all desire to have Joy, Laughter, Love, Meaningful Work, Recreation, Challenges, and freedom to Play.
Life is: Activity and Rest--Wakefulness and Sleep--Communion and Community, thought and No-Thought.
A Life well-lived means: Taking time each day to tend to the Self and to the Deeper Heart...Deeper Meaning.
These are sincere and mature ways of Living.
Yet as simple as it all sounds, these Ways of Being are easily lost in the day-to-day Stress of Modernity. Natural ways of Being don't seem to come naturally at all. They must be Cultivated. Health... Awareness... Fun...
What DOES come naturally then? Well... Anger, Depression, and Addiction are some of the tell-tale norms of our Modern Life.
We say Qigong is a 5000 year old system of Natural Healing... But that is not correct. To say 50,000 years comes closer to the Truth...
Once...we were Naturally connected to this World. Spiritually connected to one another. But now these things must be Cultivated. We are too easily isolated and segregated by Modernism. Cut-off. Alone. At war with our emotions.
Remembering the Old Ways of Being... Breaking the 'Fight or Flight' Stress Cycle...
Calming our internalized Panic Attacks, Fears, and Anxieties... Healing our neurosis...
These are worthwhile pursuits!
Daily Practices for Cultivating Health and Inner-Peace, Balance and Harmony with Nature are called: 'Qigong' in Chinese. We don't have a similar word for it in English. It takes paragraphs of explanation to voice the concept! Isn't that sad?
--Pahka Dave
Exercise in Tranquility...
