Cloud-People cloud-watching (Day 92)
Today we did a mindful cloud-watching practice. (The first one ever!) It was also one-fourth of the way through our 1-year Daily Practice Challenge! 🎉 Congrats to everyone who's been practicing every day.
Today we observed clouds. In paying attention to them over time, we came to learn something of their nature. As we got in tune with the clouds, we kept in mind parallels to our own nature (our bodies, emotions and thoughts). To be sure, we have evolved a fair bit 😉, but way down deep, we are the same. They are our material ancestors. We've largely lost touch with these deep parts of ourselves, at an enormous cost to our individual and collective health and happiness.
We looked at clouds in 3 ways:
Pace. Clouds have their own pace – one that is very different to our own fast-paced minds and lives. But a very deep part of us exists in cloud-time, and watching clouds connects us with that part of ourselves. Notice how you have to meet them on their terms. This is the pace of your wellbeing and happiness.
Space. The sky IS space (a special element-rich bit of it next to the earth)! Your body is tense, your emotions overflowing and your mind full...and yet, deep down, you are more space than matter, like clouds. Your wellbeing and happiness are a spacious feeling.
Ephemerality/Changing. Once you get still and focused, you soon notice that clouds are constantly changing – just like your body, emotions and thoughts. Our problem is that we've become stuck, dense and tense, on all levels. This rigidity locks-in our stress and suffering. Focus on your body and feel its constant, subtle changing nature, exactly like the clouds.
PRACTICE
Go and watch some clouds! Let them lead – you follow.
☁
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