A Gentle Walk Within

A Gentle Walk With-In



“I looked in the temples, the churches and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart.” Rumi



Perhaps today you sense a not righted-ness, perhaps everything in your life is going smoothly and coasting along but you don’t feel the passion that you want to feel, perhaps there is just that little tug of longing for that something you just can’t put your finger on……

I’ve had those days…where life is just zipping along dully…days passing into weeks then into months where I feel like I am on auto-pilot, numb to the world around me. When this happens I know I need to take a gentle walk within and like a detective, excavate where this un-settled feeling is coming from. Thoughts (I should be happy but I’m not. Why?) fill my heart, my mind and my soul. And I know instinctively that I am off course, struggling against living the truth I am meant to live. I have let myself be steered away from who I am and what my gifts are and to be influenced by all that is not best for my unique path.

Walking within can sometimes be a scary activitity….it can bring up fears, doubts, pain and truths we would rather not face. But, it can also be a freeing, enlightening and joyous journey. It can release us from a path of self destruction…and set us on the path of self loving expectation.

The exploration exercises can be done in any way you please…after all, this is all about you…your walk within. So do the explorations in a marathon feat of a day or over several weeks…your pace…your heart…your soul.

(I go to self to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in order)



I want you to take a moment now and prepare for your walk within. It doesn’t take much preparation…I love to physically take a walk, the fresh air and body movement puts me in an open space where I am receptive to what ever messages I am supposed to hear, but you may just get yourself comfy on the couch, turn off the television, unplug the phone and gift yourself fifteen minutes or several hours to immerse yourself into this exercise. It is handy to have a pen available to journal your thoughts… Trust me, we will go gently.

What do you want? (Now this question may seem very simple…and perhaps for you it is. For me? Not so much! It was probably one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to answer.) Take some time, meditate on this question and then fill the page with all that you want in your life right at this moment. You may only want one or two things and that is great….you may find your list covering the entire page, the margin spaces and everywhere in between and that is great as well. Listen to your heart on this one…and shut your head up! This is a heart centered exercise and your head has no place in this conversation.

 





If you wrote the story of today…your life right at this very moment, what would your story say? I want you to sit quietly and write your story…but only the story of what today is….why? Because it will give you a brief glimpse into what is going well and what is going not so well. It will reveal where your heart is hurting and where it is filled with joy. It is the hurting places that we need to take a deeper look…to excavate a bit more. It is in these places that secrets simmer…truths can be brought to the light and wounds can begin to heal. Through this process only then can your heart lead you to areas that are crying out for you to take action and to create change. What we place our attention and actions on will grow, will change and will thrive.

 

So, after looking at your (today) story, I will ask you again, What is it that you want?

Do not be surprised if your answers have changed. Be patient, we will get to what you truly want. Walking within is an exploration and like any good exploration, it does take time and some repeat questions.

 

Don Miguel Ruiz wrote in his book, The Four Agreements,

“Be Impeccable with Your Word”

I want to add to that, ‘Be Impeccable With Your Story’. We each have a story that we tell ourselves every day. We are in agreement with this story…whether this story be one of victimization, triumph, celebration, poverty or success. So, what story are you telling? What story are you in agreement with and living? Our stories can take us to heights un-imagined or to painful lows. They can prosper us or keep us living in lack. This next exercise is three-fold…first, I want you to write the story you are living in this very moment. Be specific and detailed. Next, I want you to compare your story to your (Wants) list. Are there correlations? Similarities? Or is your story at complete odds to what you want in your life? How are you in agreement with this story? What beliefs do you hold that make this story truth in your life? Are these beliefs actual truths or are they beliefs that have been passed to you through experiences, opinions of others, society?

Lastly, I want you to re-write your story and this time I want you to use your list of wants as if they have already happened. Be detailed, specific and creative with this. Touch every color, texture, sight, sound and emotion….write this story as someone who loves himself/herself completely with out judgement or restraint. Paint the perfect picture of your life as you want it. Ask yourself, What does my perfect life look like? Feel like? Taste like? In this story am I strong, healthy, energetic, creative? Am I an artist, a dancer, a writer? How does it feel to write this story? Are you excited, intimidated, skeptical?

This story is the true you…the you that your heart, soul and spirit are crying out for. Speak this story every day and speak it with kind and loving words because as we know…the truth….is that what we speak, we become and what becomes of us. The more you speak your story…the more you will believe your story…the more you will be in agreement with your story and the more you are in agreement with your story the more actions you will take to make your story become your reality. And the good news here is that your story is possible….is doable…is achievable.

 

As we wrap up A Walk With-In, there is one last exercise that I would have you do. You have come a long way in your walk at this point and you may feel you have a bit more of a journey to go and that is okay. We will take this journey together.

Today I want you to celebrate your story by creating a Vision Board. This can be anything you want it to be…a poster board, a picture frame filled in with words and pictures that represent your story, a corner of your home that you can create an alter or sacred space representing your story….let your creativity run wild. Make it visually appealing to you….make it wild and colorful, bold and brazen. As you walk along this journey the Vision Board/Space will be there to remind you of how beautiful, how blessed your life is…how your authenticity is creating the life you are living. How you are in COMPLETE AGREEMENT with the new story you have created.