The stealer of life flow

These last two weeks, I have been exposed to the subtle effects that

the mind has over the flow of consciousness.

It was in a meditation class experiencing a union of  pure listening

and active presence, and was exposed to the difference between inner commands and the natural flow.

I was sitting, as usual in my meditation chair, holding the space for

a small group of students to meditate. Beside me was a new comer to the group, who announced herself as being experienced in meditation.

After reflecting on the topic of the hypnotic trance of the mind, we

began the meditation, I suggested to the group to start by taking a

deep breath and to focus for a few minutes on the flow of the breath .

Observing my own breath as a starting point of centering and

connecting to the request of the moment.

I also noticed the forceful breath of the person sitting beside me.

It was in one of these inhalations that I become aware of a  gap

between her flow of life and mine. It was becoming evident to me that

my breath was under no authority, it means that I was not breathing

myself, breath was happening to me, and I was simply observing it .

It was a moment of lucid contemplation when the flow of consciousness was being observed.  It was a divine happening, that gave animation to my body. My “ I “ had nothing do with the life force that was happening to me. It became an observed phenomenon.

What seemed curious was that the person beside me was making big efforts to maintain  concentration and to oblige  her breath to flow to the rhythm and depth of  what she thought was the “ correct way”.

She had an idea, a concept of  the “ how”, she was not really

listening to the present moment and to what her unique space was

requesting from her.

It was clear to me, that in that moment she was taking away life from

her being, her conceptual mind was literally stealing her life force

from her. It left no room for the pure consciousness of life and love

to dwell in her experience.

It was also clear to me that in order to be fully aware we need to

reclaim consciousness from the mind .Our hows, and concepts stop us from listening, from allowing the emergence of the real and natural parts of us.

It is surely a trance of the mind that makes us hear what it wants us

to, and when that happens we stop listening, we stop the flow of life,

we stop the opportunity of change, we stop the possibility of

experiencing oneself  in a fresh, and not cunning way.

Until we identify and stop obeying this part of our mind we hear and

apply what we want in order to remain unchanged, we only listen what reinforces the old, what we know, what we believe.

We live when we let it flow, we love when we care and respect that

spontaneous divine flow.

As we progress in our  spiritual journey, at one point we need to drop what we know and to trust that our daily practice has educated us to respond closely to our natural way, closely to the purity of our own identity. It is an act of trust, and act of presence, integrity and

innocence.