Though I’ve watched it only once – and that was at age 12 – my favorite adventure classic is Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. No, not the 2008 remake in 3-D but the original, with James Mason and Pat Boone, the film that propelled the latter to movie stardom and inspired the 1981 blockbuster, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Mason narrates the trailer for Journey, and his words make it a must-see for that era. “A perilous descent into the unknown” with “huge subterranean caverns never beheld by human eyes”… “countless miles of trackless labyrinth”…. “grotesque petrified jungles”… and “a giant chameleon with a 20-foot tongue.” Definitely a must-see.
So, have you ever had a day that matches any part of the above description? Or perhaps – if Mercury’s in retrograde – several in a row? That’s the only astrology I know but it comes in handy when life gets crazy. Look it up, and you’ll have a great excuse ready when you mess up! Following is an empowering bit of relaxation that you can tap into when your mind simply won’t settle and life seems overwhelming.
These days, information from the world around us is roaring into our minds and spirits at a pace never before experienced that carries us from crisis to celebration to suffering faster than we can perceive it. Remember, we can’t control the incoming barrage. It’s seemingly everywhere. But what we can do is to create and honor our boundaries against it and return to our center in times of stress, fear, and chaos. These are the tough times in which you must be intentional with your practices, whether they be meditation, yoga, tai chi, prayer, or any other you may engage in.
To take that journey within, you must determine your highest needs and nurture them. You may be seated or lying down, whichever is more relaxing for you. If lying down, you might want to place a pillow under your head and if your back needs support, a smaller one under your knees. Gently close your eyes and turn your awareness toward the rhythm of your breath. Mindfully, breathe in, then out, in, then out. Notice your heart beating inside your chest as your lungs expand, then contract, expand and contract.
Often, we are encouraged to ignore our feelings of overwhelm and fear and instead, to continue to push forward to maximize our fear for the sake and comfort of others. Have you ever softened to fear instead of building thick walls inside to hide from its existence? For once, try to show up in your wholeness. Ask yourself, How can I face my experience of fear? Can I practice pausing in the face of uncertainty?
A good analogy might be to imagine yourself in a canoe on a river, drifting through calm waters, without a care in the world, having no idea that an enormous waterfall lies around the next bend. In order to see this hazard, you must rise out of the canoe, get present, and look down upon the scene below you. Only by doing this, can you make the right choice to avoid the waterfall.
To show up as our best selves, we must be courageously honest with ourselves. It’s all right to feel fear. And it’s okay to have no idea what comes next. For those of us that really like to be in control, that can be a tough assignment.
Case in point, last week I drove to Kentucky to attend a high school class reunion. I know, that destination is certainly enough to plant fear in anyone’s heart! Fortunately, I stayed with friends and we laughed our way through that part. But my route took me through Savannah, Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Nashville before finally reaching West Kentucky, my goal. My fear centered around delays that might lead me through any one of those cities at rush hour, and that fear was palpable. I did indeed engage in prayer numerous times along the way, which helped my mind center on driving safely, paying attention to the GPS, and staying alert. But being aware of the fear when it appeared helped the whole journey, and many times, I was able to relax into it and trust that’d I’d be able to handle anything that came my way. The trip was grand.
If you can release the need to know what comes next and instead “go inside,” observe your breath, which is your own life rhythm – breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out – you’re allowing yourself to “Be here now,” as American spiritual teacher and guru of modern yoga, Ram Dass, popularly proclaimed. Becoming present is the key to awareness.
When in meditation, if you find your mind wandering or drifting, let it. In your own time, you’ll find your way back to your center. When you do, just let your awareness “rest in your breath” once again. Many people swear they can’t meditate because their mind won’t stay clear and focused and wanders often during their meditation time. But that’s simply part of the process. Whenever you become aware that your mind is cruising down a different highway than you had in mind, treat yourself with compassion and understanding. A wandering mind is very human. Again, when it wanders and you become aware of it, gently herd it back to awareness of your breathing…in and out, in and out. Continue to re-center and allow yourself to settle. Allow the steadiness of your breath to bring yourself back to the present moment.
Remember, whenever you feel stress, uncertainty, or fear, this breath is always available to you to bring you back to your center. Always.
In closing I leave you with a few words of wisdom from Ram Dass: “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
