The Internal Eternal Calm (Day 103)
Yesterday we talked about the weather as a metaphor for emotions. To expand a little on that, some days (years!) it will seem like there are nothing but storms filling the sky, but you know that somewhere above the clouds the sun is still shining.
As we practice, we are excavating towards a place inside of us that is always safe, calm and sunny, although we may not be able to sense it yet – just like the hidden sun.
We're building access to this space in two main ways:
Concentration/awareness: this creates a calm and focused space in your mind and a feeling of stillness. This is the main practice that we do every day – focusing on the touch of the breath.
Insight (sensations)/acceptance: this allows you to navigate the slings and arrows of our outrageous lives – to take the hit and still sustain your calm/focused/still space. We practice insight every day when we observe body sensations, and a core physical acceptance when we practice measured breathing.
This place inside you will get bigger and stronger as you keep on practicing, until eventually, it's with you all of the time, and the outside world just can't get its claws into you anymore!