Living mindfully: Are you the true master of your own surroundings?
By Dorothea Gundtoft
There seems to be many hundreds of options available on the market, when it comes to de-stressing or "living in the now" –from books to talk shows. However, all the choices seem to overshadow people's urgent need to relax and feel calm right now.
Even within the 'New Age' category, many are more dependent or urged by their publishers to seek followers on social media, than to focus on actually teaching their craft. How do we then manage to get away from harmful environments or find our true inner yearning, when everyone, including the mentors, are stressed out?
We live in a time where our attention span is constantly being tested and tried. Daily we might only have a few minutes of focus before we turn our thoughts back on to work, social media, answering e-mails or picking up the phone. How did we suddenly become so stressed – incapable of slowing down or enjoying our own moment?
“I came to a conclusion at one point that living a slower life felt a lot more attractive, however it doesn’t come without it’s challenges.”
There’s something pure about experiencing inner peace through taking a live course with real people, so I decided to try the course ’Life Mastery’ by the danish coach Sussanne Wexoe, which is run by the coach, author and radio host, who has a delightfully soothing voice and presence.
I discovered a great new group of women, from many different backgrounds, who were all focusing on the exact same thing; going deeper and yearning to rediscover themselves.
Together we became a tribe who shared our fears but acknowledged our power and stood by our decisions. Without even knowing anything at first about each other’s backgrounds, jobs, family, or lifestyle we managed to trust each other anyhow. I found the simple pleasure of not having to share my identity very calming.
You might have heard about Oprah Winfrey’s talk on Gwyneth Paltrow's Podcast Goop – if not we highly recommend you to listen to that. One of the points they make focus upon how we should help each other instead of defying one another.
A lesson I also learned on the first part of the Life Mastery course where Sussanne made sure that we didn’t know the program of each day. This meant that none of us had any possibility of rehearsing our answers. It made the experience a lot easier for me because I automatically had to give up my desire of perfection. Speaking freely from the heart can often be obstructed by clever notes, that doesn’t come from our unconscious mind.
We were given several assignments before the beginning of the course, including various meditations, that all together became part of my daily routine. After attending the course, none of us would be able to imagine a life without reflection. How did we cope before?
A tip I would give you, is to search for different meditation programs, like body scans, that can reveal feelings or unbalanced physical parts of your body. It’s extremely releasing to give yourself the daily gift of cleansing your body. EFT or otherwise known as tapping is also another excellent tool that can give you some relief.
From nurses to psychotherapists, business-owners, and entrepreneurs, we were all able to share and give advice to each other – something so extraordinarily soothing and comforting. I urge you to gather your own community to guide, heal and grow together.