Autumn 2018
CENTERING IN BETWEEN
I was recently introduced to a Buddhist term: Bardo. Bardo refers to the space between the ending of one thing and the beginning of another. It is said that a bardo has great value in its invitation to rest, center yourself, breathe and then begin again. Sometimes, as we rush, in our busy lives, from one thing to another, we give ourselves little time to be still and reflect. In this race forward, we miss much of what we otherwise might have learned from an experience. We might miss noticing both what we truly loved about the past moment, and what it taught us about what we needed to change within it. In our race forward, we also often miss the planning time, or even the choosing time about what comes next. Without truly living the bardo, we exist in a more reactionary stance, simply addressing the things that come at us, rather than learning from our past moments and actively choosing our future ones.
BARDO HAPPENS...ACKNOWLEDGE IT
How might you better make use of the bardos in your life? The time between happens, whether you acknowledge it or not...whether you squish it down to an unrecognized few seconds or whether you breathe into it and expand it into something of value. How might your experience of your life, your relationships and your chosen activities be enhanced by honoring the bardo moments? Like growing a garden, you must pick and choose which things to tend to and nurture. If you try to grow everything that gets a start, many valuable, tender plants get choked out. In order to make room to honor your bardos, you might need to pick and choose amidst all the growing possibilities in your garden of life. And perhaps, by giving time to the bardos, the things that you do choose will be infused with more depth. Perhaps your heart will expand into greater contentment. Perhaps you will be a more wise guiding force within your own life.
GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF STILLNESS
It can be difficult to slow a busy life down; difficult to value stillness when urgency surrounds you. However, the beautiful things that pass by unnoticed...your own beautiful life...deserves room to breathe. Consider working to honor the natural bardos that appear in your life; to come back to center, breathe, and begin again. If you would like assistance with this challenge, reach out. I would be honored to help you discover the space between.
As we breathe in the beautiful autumn weather of the desert in which we live, we re-enter our outdoor-focused lives. My horses do the same and stand ready, with new energy, to help you explore yourself. If you’ve been wanting to experience an EAP session, now would be a great time to schedule time out in the pasture with these wise, beautiful creatures.
Be well,
