Steps to Stillness

    "When you lose touch with inner stillness, 

you lose touch with yourself. 

When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world."

                                            by Eckhart Tolle


We all live very hurried lives. We rush from home to work and at work we rush from meetings to meetings. We run according to the datelines set for us. There is hardly time to take a deep breadth, to say hello to a colleague sincerely, to say Thanks or to wave to a friend. Life becomes so mechanical running the rat race.

At home, we still check our never ending string of emails. We read the news hurriedly. We respond to sms and before we finishing texting another sms comes.

So with such a life, how can we ever be still to reflect, to give thanks, to appreciate our self and our loved ones. Let me share with you the following steps to Stillness so that you can enjoy the blessedness of living a full life. Stillness will save and transform your life.

STEP 1: Physical Relaxation

Be relaxed, be comfortable.  So choose a comfortable position that will keep you awake and aware. Now, take several deep breaths and release them slowly. Let your body thoroughly unwind. Close your eyes and let yourself thoroughly relax.

STEP 2: Mental Stillness

The mind is naturally active – thoughts, worries, plans, fears and anxieties can all come rushing in. Tell your mind to "be still!" Pick a centering point: repeat a verse, listen to instrumental music, visualize a pleasant scene to refocus your thoughts when your mind begins to wander. If you find the other thoughts come into your mind, simply re-focus on your centering point. Then, when you feel relaxed and at peace, direct your thoughts to opening to the relationship you share with your Inner Spirit and begin:

STEP 3: Worship

Worship is simply giving thanks and appreciation for everything good in life that has been given as a gift. Offer your praise to God of everything true, beautiful, and good. What do you have to be thankful for? Everything! Life, love, family, friends, health. Recognize the hand of God in your life and simply acknowledge Spirit’s contribution.

STEP 4: Prayer

This is your time to talk to God. He is listening. What help do you need from God? Ask Him.  Remember, there is always a solution; everything is resolvable with Spirit’s help. If you do not know what to pray for, ask your Inner Spirit, “What do I need now to grow spiritually?” Also, spend a few moments praying for others – you say the prayer for them that they cannot say for themselves.

STEP 5: Silent Listening

Now is the time to listen within — What does your Inner Voice wish to say to you? Return to your centering point, tune your listening within and wait. You may not hear a booming voice telling you what to do, but you may begin to perceive that God is trying to talk to you from afar; the message may only be subtly and faintly discerned. You may even think you haven’t received anything at this time. But later, tomorrow, or in a few days suddenly an answer will flash into your mind, or someone may say the words you need to hear, or you might find them in a book. It takes a while sometimes for the Spirit Within to pierce through the static layers of consciousness. But rest assured, your Inner Voice will indeed respond.

STEP 6: Receive

Receive the love and guidance God has for you. By opening your heart and mind from the previous steps, it is now your time to just relax and receive. Envision and sense yourself in the most beautiful and loving situation you have ever experienced, and ask for Spirit to amplify that feeling in you. You will become refreshed and renewed from within. Your Divine Source is feeding you internally; this is your soul’s nourishment. The more you experience Divine Love, the more you accumulate the desire to be in that state. And the more God’s love and wisdom radiates within you, the more you take into the outer world. Life begins to unfold in faith and joy!