FREEDOM: Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Be Free Where You Are”
June 22nd, 2009When the analytical, logical left-brain runs out of possible solutions, its time to seek answers elsewhere. The right hemisphere of our brains acts much like a GPS—it’s our own inner guidance system.
This is where insights and “aha moments” come from—those never before thought of ideas that take so much faith and trust to follow through on yet ultimately lead just where you really want to be going. Give your inner guidance a powerful intention, make time to listen and you will be guided.
With so many people not experiencing the financial freedom they did only a short time ago, and financial freedom feeling more elusive than ever to others, it seems that it’s time to look for solutions with a different mindset than the one that created the problems in the first place.
In “Be Free Where You Are,” spiritual teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh speaks to the inmates of the Maryland Correctional Institution about mindfulness and how practicing compassion and being fully present can cultivate freedom no matter where you are.
Financial stress can be so overwhelming it can feel like a prison with no way out. Within this book there is very empowering exercise that can help calm anxiety and therefore help you reach that state of being where you can think more clearly about new possibilities. It’s a breathing exercise called Wonderful Moment:
Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in, I notice that my in-breath has become deeper.
Breathing out, I notice that my out-breath has become slower.
Breathing in, I calm myself.
Breathing out, I feel at ease.
Breathing in, I smile.
Breathing out, I release.
Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment
Breathing out, I feel it is a wonderful moment.
This is an excellent practice to do when under the most extreme kinds of stress. I personally found it helpful to learn it in parts…first the in/out. Simply focusing on the word in when I inhaled and out when I exhaled. When my thoughts begin to limit my breathing I remember the in/out exercise. As I feel a little better and notice I am breathing deeper, I add on deeper and slower. When I am able to maintain my focus on those four words I add on, I calm myself (this is really empowering) and I feel at ease.
In time you get to the present, wonderful moment, no matter where you are; No matter what your financial picture may look like, feeling safe, at ease and more empowered in this moment you are creating the possibility of being more empowered in every way in the future.