Remembering our true nature

All sentient beings come equipped with the innate intelligence to thrive. This capacity has been perfected through millions of years of evolution and evidence can be seen in every nuance of nature. Without needing to know how, salmon return to their birth place to spawn. Animals can sense impending danger and escape before the fire or earthquake hits. The lone leopard knows the exact moment in which to go in search for its mate.

When we are deeply present and attuned to our surroundings, our organism too is able to spontaneously react in the most appropriately way. A chain of somatic, emotional and mental processes instinctively occur, creating the momentum for the correct behavioral response. We don’t need to know what to do. We just need to have our awareness fully online to receive the necessary information so that the our organism can act for us!

It is easy to forget that we have this inherent intelligence shared by all creatures. But by simply slowing down, meeting our experiences in full presence, and paying attention; we can have access to this source of wisdom. We can rely on our true nature.

Meditation can connect us to our True Nature

Meditation is about creating space in our lives to restore well-being. In pausing, our nervous system can discharge excess energy and can regulate to a healthy functioning level. Unprocessed experiences can surface to be known and felt. Our basic needs of being fully seen can be met by simply turning our attention inwards.

Having a grounded nervous system also allows for more awareness to become available. We can use this awareness to notice the cues that our body and emotions continually offer as feedback. A contracted body tell us no, even though our mind insists on a yes. Negative emotions give us valuable information about unmet needs that need tending.

With practice, somatic and emotional awareness can be strengthened and serve as a compass to guide decisions or to warn us of when we have strayed from the path of well-being. A deep sense of self connection and self-trust can develop as we no longer need to rely on external sources for validation.

Mindfulness also allows us to see our human conditioning more clearly. A stable unreactive mind can be used to observe and learn about itself. During meditation, we watch the incredible power that thoughts have to completely seize our attention, lock us into strong emotions and diminish our agency. We see how difficult it is to just receive and accept each moment as is, without the compulsion to direct, enhance, change, understand or be in control of it.  We witness how our mind relates to experience by constantly evaluating and creating stories which can later become core beliefs. We become aware of how our inner critic is in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction with how things are. We realize how the addiction for pleasant experiences and avoidance of unpleasant ones, drive most of our unconscious habits.

In becoming familiar with these tendencies of mind, we can start to question whether this default mode really serves our well-being. We can choose and cultivate new wholesome habits that bring a stronger sense of joy and peace. We can reorient towards a more intentional life where actions are in closer alignment to our core values.