Last weekend, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in NYC with a group of amazing women as part of the Rockstar Collective, Robyn Youkilis' high-level coaching program. The amount of personal development, learning and experiences that were packed into the weekend were incredible. I learned a lot about myself, about health coaching, about connecting with other people, about crystals, and also about meditation. We had the privilege of having a session with Biet Simkin and her husband Christophe - spiritual teachers, meditators and actual rock stars (Biet was signed to Sony Records at the age of 19 and creates amazing music).
During our session with Biet and Christophe, we learned about a few concepts that have since stuck with me and popped up again and again. One was the idea of "divided attention." It's the concept that while meditating or in any state of consciousness, you can rise above yourself and look down on the situation under you (as if you are floating above yourself and observing yourself and others from the sky). Experiencing this during the session was a surreal experience, but the most amazing thing has happened with it since the weekend. I have had the opportunity to experience it again in my daily life - while dealing with tantrums of epic proportions with my children, while observing impatient drivers on the road, and again while meditating using a new app I found called 10% Happier. The most recent mediation on it talked about how life isn't always pleasant and when we find ourselves in unpleasant situations or experiences, it is possible to shift our attention to realize that the discomfort is temporary, and will pass. It is a way of observing what is happening without letting it really rock you emotionally. I find this idea so uplifting - because I find myself often so entangled in the emotions of motherhood that meltdowns and tantrums from my little ones tend to really have an impact on my emotional well-being. However, with this new concept in practice, I can still be there for my children as a loving force, calm and collected as they feel the feelings they need to process, and yet be removed to a certain extent so that I don't resort to yelling or meltdowns of my own. Powerful, right? It's been an eye opener for me.
The other concept that Biet talked about that really spoke to me, was the idea that we all have a source of innate wisdom and knowledge. We are born with this, and it resides in us because it is part of our soul. The true challenge we face on this earth is whether and how often we can actually connect to this inner wisdom. My intention coming out of this past weekend is to connect to the wisdom inside of me. And not only connect, but then also be able to voice this wisdom from within. For me, it's a lot of work to clear the blocks that I feel between that inner wisdom and my voice. I want to be able to use my voice to help other women through my coaching practice because I feel that I can truly do this, but only if I can find my inner connection and strengthen my voice.
So yeah, when life isn't all a box of chocolates, my new learning is telling me that it's OK. It's OK to experience the discomfort in a somewhat detached way, and still be a force of calm, collected love. And then, I can come back into myself and find the inner wisdom that resides there, connect with it, and voice it in a way that can change lives for the better.
Have you had experience with any of these concepts? If so, I'd love to hear about it -- comment below and tell me about it!