Living life with greater self-awareness (1): exploring inner happiness
Living in a capital city
Where people are either rushing to work or out of work
Where an eye contact and sincere smile become something precious
Where you need to plan two weeks before to meet up with your friends
Where success is measured by hard work and the amount of money you earn
Where box of offices full of stressed almost burnout people replaced trees, animals and soil for growing food.
Photo by Mike Chai from Pexels
In such world, finding inner happiness is so much more difficult than living in nature, by the ocean in a chilled, small village somewhere in Spanish Andalusia.
I started reading a new book by Deepak Chopra and in the first chapter he talks about inner happiness.
At that moment one of the aha moments came: “How could I only forget about this, inner happiness, that was essential part of my life last year during travelling?!”
The answer is simple - in a way I became too focused on the success coming from outside – to the extent to which people appreciated and approved my work, to the amount of money I earn so that I can pay the rent, health and social insurance, and good quality and healthy food. Cause life in a capital city is simply expensive.
This aha moment started the process of reevaluating my life and coming back to my heart, to my centre, to my inner happiness, to my home…
And I wrote
Coming back to my inner happiness
To the kind of happiness that is not dependent on my success nor failure
Not determined on external validation such as admiration and appreciation by other people
The kind of happiness that is stable and steady like a rock
But flowing and fluctuating like water
Knowing that no matter what is happening on the outside
The foundation of love, joy and happiness is inside… always
Sometimes the water takes the energy of the rock to all parts of the body as well as to the outside world
Sometimes it stays in the shed of negative emotions, trying to find its way from its boundaries yet the stream of the river is not strong enough to push through
And so it is. Sometimes the inner happiness is flowing, sometimes it’s stuck and resting in the shade
Only later to be lightened up by a spark, shining again light on your wholeness, your being, your inner happiness.
Namaste
Meditation to connect with the spark of your inner happiness in the midst of chaotic inner jungle
Take a comfortable seat and gently close your eyes.
Take a few deep relaxing breaths in and out.
Breath into your heart. Slowly bringing your awareness to the heart centre.
Imagine a bright green light entering into your body through the crown of the head.
It’s opening up your heart, awakening its pure essence.
Stay with that feeling of opening, of getting closer to your true essence.
What does it feel like?
What are you encountering there? What kind of feelings and emotions?
Stay with that sensations for a few minutes. If any disturbing thoughts come in, acknowledge them, let them go and bring your attention back to your heart.
Whenever you are ready, you can slowly open your eyes.