“You are not separate from the whole. You are one with the sun, the earth, the air. You don’t have a life. You are life.”
~Eckhart Tolle
Soften something. This is a phrase I once heard in a yoga class—it’s an invitation that is simple and profound…
Soften something…see what happens when you let this possibility melt into you…
Immediately, your attention falls away from the outer world and turns inward to the inner landscape of your experience.
The invitation to soften something points to our conditioned patterns that mask the essential truth of who we are. What we soften are the tension of unresolved traumas, the emotions that won’t let us rest, and the nonstop thought loops in our minds that make us suffer.
And what’s revealed is relaxation, ease, and peace…We expand into the living reality that is always here beyond the layers of our conditioning.
So let’s investigate the possibility of softening something where contractions tend to live—in the body, mind, and heart.
Body
Bring your attention to the body. See if you notice places that feel agitated, tight, stuck, or numb. These are signs of old fears and other undigested emotions.
What would it take to soften something? Maybe you can breathe a little more deeply using the whole volume of your lungs or take a stretch to find more openness in places that feel tense.
Maybe just inviting softening in is enough for you to relax a little more.
Mind
How can you soften in your mind? If you notice a whirlwind of thinking, maybe you can step back and let the thoughts whirl without getting involved in what they’re saying. Maybe you can let the stories be—just for now.
If you notice a knot of self-judgment or a familiar theme of doubt, worry, negativity, or hating what is, maybe you can soften something.
Can you bring spaciousness to these thought patterns?
Heart
Now notice how you pull away from other people—and from life. Maybe these walls were helpful in the past so you could feel safe. But is it possible to step a little bit more into life as it is right now?
Can you soften something so you can turn toward yourself with compassion? Can you hear and see others without the veil of fear? Maybe soften something to find a little more intimacy with what’s here right now in the present moment…
The momentum of conditioning is powerful, and it closes us off from truly experiencing the magnificence of life.
In any moment, soften something in the body, mind, or heart. Notice as your whole experience shifts…and openly receive what comes…
