Lightness of being…
When you’re reading these three words, what bubbles up in your mind? To me, it felt like a lovely faint idea, lacking a plan on how to bring more of it into my life. There have been glimpses of lightness; while listening to music, having a good laugh or being in nature. Unfortunately, as quickly as it was there, it was gone. I believe everybody on this planet is longing for lightness, whether consciously or subconsciously. We want to experience ease and harmony rather than being permanently in a state of fear and anger. But peace can play the leading role in our symphony of life if we are open and ready to make a change.
It took decades for me to realize that my search was full of distractions; I was looking for happiness outside of myself in other people, circumstances, situations, and so on. Instead of casting the perfect soloists, I had invited too many instruments that wouldn’t fit in the orchestra: heaviness, sadness, frustration, limiting beliefs. I didn’t notice from the back corner of the stage love, peace, joy, and gratitude have always been there, patiently waiting to be invited as the center stage stars they were. All the other voices of the orchestra made so much noise, pressing forward and pushing back the beautiful sounds, I didn’t notice they were right there. The only thing I needed to do was to call them forward.
I wondered how on earth I would ever be able to create a harmonious symphony. While every life journey to lightness is unique, my path led me eventually to a yoga movement class. The lesson wasn’t spectacular, but afterwards it felt like I was walking on clouds. Lightness of being! A very short time later I was introduced to meditation, something I was both curious and skeptic about. I didn’t know anybody who meditated. From a spiritual aspect, my perception was that it was a little bit weird. Nevertheless, I wanted to give it a try.
Follow the signs…
Although I wasn’t able to follow every word the yoga teacher was articulating – to be honest I felt a little confused when he shared thoughts about awareness (Hey, I am a mindful person!). Yet, I wanted to hear more and the parts I did understand made perfect sense. When he talked about the inner and outer world it felt like the concept I was missing for so long. I left with a sense of peace and inner knowing that this was the road I would take.
Through some incredible synchronicities, shortly after, I read my first Deepak Chopra and Strala Yoga books. I started practicing very simple yoga movements and listening to guided meditations. The following months became a very stressful period in my life and I came close to a break-down. But in spite of the challenges and the ongoing disturbing noise in my symphony, I would hear the soft, soothing voices with more clarity.
These precious moments were my sense of lightness in the chaos around me. Eventually I managed to step out of that unhealthy situation and found the freedom to dive deeper into yoga and meditation. I just had to accept the invitation and walk on through the open door.
Soon after, I studied Primordial Sound Meditation, a program founded by Drs Deepak Chopra and David Simon. Parallel to that, I took yoga classes of different styles, only to come back to Strala Yoga. Both philosophies were love at first sight! They are both crucial parts in my journey to lightness. Listening to the lighter sounds in my symphony would represent another break-through on my path, and as a result I am now certified as a Chopra Meditation Instructor and a Strala Yoga Guide. Initially the intention was to enrich my own practices but I realized how much joy I felt leading others as a guide on their path to lightness. It was MAGICAL! The seeds planted by my first meditation teacher had begun to blossom.
Path to a Joyful Life
The key for a joyful life is awareness – here’s that word again! There is no doubt the meditation guide was right; my consciousness has shifted. We
spend a lot of time to keep our bodies in shape: we exercise, try to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep. Why not pay a bit more attention to our awareness? Let regular yoga movement and meditation practice be our personal gym where we can strengthen and refine our awareness. It is as simple as it sounds.
All we need is openness and committing ourselves to the practice. My vision is that the world’s symphony gets more harmonious, with love, peace, softness, joy, and gratitude as key notes, with the ease of a soloist. This begins by setting the tone of our inner world, and if I was able to change my sound in spite of all past, current and future hurdles, you can do it too. You’ll catch yourself now and then feeling joyful for no reason – lightness of being!
“You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with
ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not
meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.”
– Rumi
To your Journey…
Irene
Guest author Irene Ott Rueckert is a Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor and Certified Strala Yoga
Guide, living in Switzerland. She loves writing, photography, and hiking with her husband
and their furry family member. Irene enjoys connecting with like-minded people from all
around the globe.
www.beautyofsilence.ch
Instagram: @beautyofsilence_meditation
