During times when it seems like you can barely catch your breath, if you can look at your life through the lens of The Five Realms, you will keep you moving forward while keeping everything in perspective, and bringing greater clarity into the moment.

Here’s an example: your to-do list is bursting at the seams; you’ve got expectations of what needs to get done, several obligations that you have committed yourself to, a brand new set of circumstances arises… and the basic day-to-day tasks and chores still need to get done. So let’s slow it all down.

Simply walk yourself through The Five Realms and spend just a few minutes on each realm.

Start with your Physical Realm: your body, what comes in & what goes out, what strengthens it & what weakens it; pick one action to definitely do – and one thing to let go JUST FOR TODAY… Don’t torture yourself – bring one thing into your physiology that will nourish and release one that’s not nourishing.

Then think about your Emotional Realm – and walk yourself through your ability to monitor your own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide your thinking and behavior. Place your attention on your level of empathy, compassion, hot buttons, trigger points, assumptions, and conditioned responses. Commit to one emotional behavior that is serving you and keep it in your awareness throughout the day – create a mantra that you can keep flowing throughout the day such as “patience… patience… patience” And every time you feel you’re about to respond in a way that might not serve you, take a deep breath in and – as you exhale – repeat the mantra.

Then drift your attention to your Material Realm for five minutes. Make one decision today regarding how you will view the material abundance in the world. Seeing yourself as a never-ending conduit will flow through how you treat your money, finances, your debt, status, your position, possessions, dharma, your saving, hoarding, or your giving.  Allow abundance consciousness and wealth circulation to transform any feelings of poverty consciousness or less-than thinking. And throughout the day, remind yourself of that shift. Reinforce it by keeping the subtle intention – “I Am” running in the background of all your thought processes.

Then spend 5 minutes on the Relationship Realm and reflect on one relationship you have – with your self, your core family, friends, extended relationships, those with whom you have a grievance – and leading with love…take a step to either birth, repair, shift, or end it. Throughout the process, breathe in deeply as you allow these virtues: – acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, honesty & impeccability of your word, your thoughts, and your actions- to be cultivated within you.

Then spend your last five minutes on the Spiritual Realm – your connection to the your soul & to the divine spirit; your daily practice of prayer, meditation, and devotion to the divine; contemplate your dharma or noble purpose in this life. Breathe in and plant a seed of one-ness in your heart & let the universe kiss your soul.

Lastly… briefly reflect on each realm and the intention or commitment you made to yourself. If you really want to ground them in the tangible world, write them down and place them someplace where you will regularly see the document. But the key is to live them – live your intentions…lean into them. As Krishna says to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, “Yogastha kuru karmani” essentially – Establish yourself in the present moment, and then perform action.

The swirl will slow. Clarity will unfold. Your choices will become more evident. Your decisions will start to truly nourish you and those in your world. With gentle repetition, this can become a daily practice. And it only takes a few minutes of attention on each realm.

In the meantime, keep meditating, and I’ll see you in the gap. Namaste. -davidji