“There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” -Rumi

Hello Spiritual Warriors!!! And welcome to another week of life tools! This week we drift our attention to awareness. There are so many levels of awareness – awareness of our breath, our thoughts, our words, our actions…awareness of the world outside of us…awareness of others in our life…and their words and actions.

The key to awareness is connecting to the stillness and silence that rests within. And the easiest way to proactively create this connection is by meditating. If we can quiet our heart rate, slow our breath, and relax our minds…we gently enter a state of restful awareness.

In this state of expanded awareness, we become more sensitive to the world around us. We tap into the subtleties and nuances of sound, light, and physical sensation. It’s as if you had been wearing dark sunglasses and then you took them off and the world of Technicolor presented itself.

The core practice of daily meditation shifts your physiology and changes the physical structure of your brain so we become naturally more sensitive to the world around us. But, we can also achieve in-the-moment awareness through in-the-moment stress busters such as 16 seconds to clarity because it brings us into the present moment. And when we open our eyes, we are calmer, more relaxed, more open to receive, and our physiology is a bit quieter.

Let’s try it right now. It’s okay to keep reading as you go through this exercise with me.

Now, take a long slow deep breath in through your nostrils and as you do…slowly count to four. Observe the air as it moves into your nostrils, to the back of your throat, moves down your chest, and deep into your belly. Feel your belly expand. Once your belly is filled, hold that breath in to the count of four. And just witness the breath in your belly as you silently count. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now, slowly –to the count of four- exhale through your nostrils and again watch your breath as it moves up into your chest, into your throat, into your sinuses and out through your nostrils. And, when the last wisp of air is out of you, hold that breath out to the count of four. And, observe it, watch it, witness it…as it dissipates into the air.

Now breathe normally and let’s try it with your eyes closed. Remember: in four – hold four – out four – hold four – and make sure you follow your breath…observing it along the way. (I’ll wait right here…it’s only 16 seconds).

Pretty amazing, right? In this moment, you are calmer, more relaxed, more sensitive to the world around you, & more aware. Perhaps something has just come into your awareness that wasn’t there before. This is the power of 16 seconds. Throughout the day, see how many times you can practice this easy stress-buster and email me with your awareness experience. We’ll go deeper this week on Hay House Radio. Keep meditating, and I’ll see you in the gap! Peace. -davidji