I have been pondering over what topic to write this blog on. A couple of things came up for me including when do we get insights/a sense of perspective and when do we experience calmness. This blog is a blend of all.
Can you remember the last time when you really experienced a sense of calmness and contentment inside you? That moment feels like a bliss - the world stops, and you are fully in the present moment connected to your senses. I experience these moments with my son and partner and also when I do martial arts or spend time in nature. There were also two experiences that stayed with me profoundly for the feeling that these brought. There are others but these two created such a strong memory that I can connect with that feeling even now years after.
The first one was back in 2015 when I visited Japan. I had so many wonderful experiences and I absolutely loved my time there. This trip was important for me on a personal level (part of self-exploration) – mainly as I travelled for 3 weeks on my own. I learnt a lot about myself and had some great learning opportunities. One of my trips was also to Kamakura where I visited the Engaku-ji temple. It’s a Zen Buddhist temple. The level of peace and harmony that I experienced there was so deep.
Then years later I experienced a deep sense of calmness and perspective when I climbed to Alcock Tarn in the Lake District with my partner. It’s not a too difficult climb – although it’s quite steep at places. But the sense of perspective that I had when we got to the top and the time spent there just ‘being’ really stayed with me.
These were just brief descriptions of my experiences. And what about you? Is there a place and time that you go back to because you experienced there something similar? If you can’t think of anything, take some time to reflect on it. If nothing comes up for you – can you think of doing something that would create an experience like this, a trip, a visit somewhere, short or long – it doesn’t matter.
Sometimes we move through life too fast, we have our routines but often this can lead to almost not paying attention (or being more on autopilot) or experiencing the feeling that every day is the same. Bring more joy into your every day. Do things, set challenges, spend time in nature, learn new skills and say yes to new opportunities.
We normally get insights in situations where we can pause, reflect, when we are fully in the moment not thinking about what was and what will be but when we are fully in the now. It is when we are calm that we get these kinds of reflections. Insights are profound because they can enable us to change the way we do things. Suddenly, we can clearly see something we couldn’t see before. Where there was no path before there is one now. Make time for you and fulfilment of the things that are important to you – no matter what these are.