“Simple, but not easy.” Babushka
It’s simple, really. As they say in 12 Step: “simple, but not easy.” The practice of “staying with what is” is deep and necessary spiritual practice. Simple, but not easy.
Eugene Gendlin’s little Bantam book of the 1980’s, Focusing, is about the practice of “staying with what is,” in particular, in the body. Our bodies are fountains of wisdom and insight, and they hold our history and our potential. Gendlin outlines a simple practice of staying with whatever sensation the body presents, waiting patiently and gently for it to shift or change in some way, and waiting for the story that needs to be told to come to consciousness.
I have used “focusing” to profound effect many times through the years. At one time, I was trained to facilitate the process with others under the name “Biospirituality.” The two – biospirituality and focusing – are the same process. Over the years, I have heard the same process mentioned and described by many teachers and facilitators.
The wisdom we hold within us is so much deeper and so much true than the “wisdom” we often listen to: that one persistent, loud, banging voice (or voices) in our heads. And the wisdom in our bodies can be accessed so easily: simply by honoring, feeling, and acknowledging the story that is aching to be told.
Today, stay with what is. If something is troubling you, go away to a quiet place, alone, and sit for a few moments. Feel what you feel. Don’t push anything away! Sit, and wait, and wait, and feel. That’s all. Stay with the feeling, no matter how uncomfortable it seems at the beginning. Stay with what is. That is your true reality. That is your true wisdom. Your truth is waiting to be heard – waiting for you to hear it!
We are conditioned to “push through,” to manage the outcome of all things. If something is uncomfortable, we change it without regard to its deeper reason for being there. If you practice “staying with what is,” you will be amazed at the strength and power you have inside of yourself, and you will be amazed at how your strength and power alter your reality, feelings, and even relationships.
I can help you, if you’d like! I can lead you, gently and trusting your own process and wisdom. Let me be your guide in this practice, at the beginning. We can speak via phone or Skype. See the tab: “About” to learn how to contact me.
In the meantime: stay with what is.
TheWisdomYears.org 