Mindful Communication Talk & 2-Minute Breathing Practice

You you you Hello today,

I want to communicate about Connection this connection that is very much part of self-expression and communication Connection means that we have the possibility or the structure that then allows for self-expression and communication When we're not connected and we just don't have the energy we don't have the creativity To find that beautiful sense of self-expression and clear sense of communication So self-expression and communication are very much part of the spiritual practice very much part of what Needs to happen when you are Connecting to what it means to be in the space of truth Truth self-expression is an aspect of this truth communication is an aspect of this truth when you don't know how to Express your truth or communicate your truth and very often that lack of connection and creativity and flow leads to other situations that then make Meditation not only very complex but make meditation just it doesn't function properly The meditation is about communication and self-expression.

So When we understand that our communication is part of our meditation Then we also understand that being mindful of how we choose to communicate And what is that truth that we're communicating?

What is that truth all about and how do we share this truth with other people around us that becomes a priority?

And an important aspect of our spiritual practice communication is not about Bubbling up with all sorts of wisdoms.

I have just made up an expression bubbling up with all sorts of expressions Or you know Sort of putting out there that you are the smartest and most wise and what-have-you type person And you know,

You see all this on the internet people with their selfies and filming of whatever Interesting words that they're portraying out there to the world as a form of communication You see this sort of ego centered communication that is very relevant prevalent in the New age sort of environment But the communication I'm speaking about is one that comes from a deeper sense of self-expression Sense that is connected to the heart.

So it's not just about speaking anything that comes up And that somehow Pops it into your mind.

It's about speaking your truth and we have to really be mindful and aware because if we're not very often we'll recognize that it is the ego that is speaking rather than And the heart that is communic the heart communicating will notice that the egos Speaking because it likes to be in control.

It likes to be number one.

It likes to be the out there and You know It helps very often when people are insecure or when they're really not very wise It helps to create this image of themselves that replaces their truth replaces what Replaces who they are In in reality with this picture that they sort of form in their minds as to who they would like to be Which is a good thing but as to who they're pretending to be which is not such a good thing because when we pretend In a our self-expression and when we pretend in our communication Then we can't be mindful of the way that we're communicating and we can't be mindful of what we're saying And we can't be mindful of the ego because then the egos in control and we're not choosing to communicate but it's the ego that's choosing to communicate and And very often when the egos in control in this way,

There is no truth to what you are saying There is no energy in what you're saying.

It's just nice words.

There are so many nice words out there There are so many interesting books and people out there Portraying this sort of interesting picture of spirituality that has nothing to do with spirituality Spirituality is a depth of communication.

It's an art that involves self-sustaining,

A lot of listening To be able to listen to your heart to be able to listen to the energy within yourself the subtlety within yourself that requires a lot of practice And the practice is about listening too many people choose to speak many words to speak many wisdoms It's almost like a parrot repeating something that Usually I don't think the parrot really understands what they're repeating But perhaps they understand more than what some people are repeating in these sort of scenarios around us You know the art of listening is not just repeating What you think people want to hear or what you think sounds interesting or wise but repeating Anything in that way when you repeat anything in that way,

You're not really you don't you're not in connection to the space of listening and Communication is the art of listening and to listen means that you are Allowing for the space within you this creative space of listening to open up to the stillness that then allows for the energy to bubble up to the surface and to create a sense of movement and Sometimes agitation and sometimes you feel uncomfortable When you begin to truly listen to the divine within you it is an uncomfortable feeling because the divine cannot have the space full of egoic thoughts and egoic expressions of who you think you want to be or your dream or the guru that you're pretending to be or whatever it is that People play out there as their interesting role the sacred the divine within cannot express itself in the pureness of wisdom in the pureness of transmission when the when when the space is full of ego control so Listening is about letting go Letting go of the need to always communicate something letting go of the need to Convince the world that you are something to convince the world that you are Wise or to convince you the world that you are great or to convince the world that you are whatever letting go of such is an uncomfortable feeling because you have to let go when the sacred begins to communicate within your heart then you have to let go and Let go so much that you somehow embrace that deep level of communication the sacred communication within your heart by surrendering surrendering to in in a way where the ego is not in control because Surrendering is not so much about you know,

Just letting go it's about trust and about embracing and Celebrating that which is unknown to most of us and that is the sacredness within our communication the sacredness of self-expression So self-expression and communication are very positive very positive attributes that help us to be present in the moment when we are connected to the sacredness that is Coming up to the surface as we open our hearts not to the egoic realms or not to the mental pictures or the pretenses that we somehow feel addicted or manipulated to fulfill but rather When we open up to this moment to the sacred moment that is right here in the present moment now Not sometime in the future where the mind is sort of caught up in or the past where the mind is somehow still Falling back into But rather in this beautiful space which I call mindful communication.

It's very hard to achieve this Connection in a effective way.

So there is a lot of practice that needs to happen,

But we need to be mindful of our practice in Zen Buddhism and in many mystical traditions Especially in the mystic Christian mystical tradition.

There is this There is this advice that it's always important to really be aware Is the communication your inner truth?

Is it the light or is it just some aspect of your mind?

Speaking to you because very often we will imagine spirituality we will sort of daydream about spirituality and it's interesting when we do this because one one reminder that this is what we're doing that we're daydreaming about spirituality or imagining spirituality One very important clue is that we're not grounded We're not grounded within the space of being in this moment the space of connection to the earth the space of connection to the environment around so we're sort of still projecting our energy into some future perspective or perhaps into a past perspective say the fear of being insecure creates this idea that we need to sort of blow up our ego into this sort of big bubble so that we are protected from the insecurity from the deep fear that the mind is sort of anchored within so coming back to a sacred That's a challenge and being mindful.

This is why the many spiritual traditions speak about,

You know,

Really being mindful Is it the light is it the sacred that is communicating within you or is it or is there another part of you?

That's in in the flow of that communication So manipulating the communication so that you're not really listening,

But you're addicted or manipulated by the ego listening to the stillness within means that we are being very mindful in our communication and we know when we're mindful within our communication That's easier to just listen to wait to be patient to fulfill those beautiful attributes of just stepping back and observing watching being aware being conscious of what is going on rather than just jumping into the first thing that comes into our comes into our thoughts and you know and reacting to situations reacting to the situations within us the ego and the energies of the ego and also reacting to the outer circumstances the world,

You know reacting to what people say reacting to how people think and then saying things and changing those things according to circumstances around rather than to rather than really listening to the deep feeling that's within I say this because this is today is the beginning and It's important to clarify an intention.

Why is it that people don't clarify their intention?

So so that that intention becomes very much part of self-expression and communication Why is it that people just sort of float into whatever experience that pops up that?

That manifests itself that comes your way.

Why is it that people forget to be very clear?

Intentionally clear so that their self-expression and their communication comes from a mindful space because of ignorance because when the ego is in control,

There is a level of ignorance that creates a veil that prevents us from truly connecting to what we're thinking and to what we're feeling we're connecting to the thoughts and feelings that the ego is perceiving rather than the deep thinking and the deep feeling that happens within the heart So this is where we need to really pay attention to what is being communicated So not just what is being communicated within yourself,

But also what?

The world is saying what the other person is saying what the situations around you are communicating Because as you listen to the outer communication Then it's also easier to listen to the inner communication and then you can Respond to the communication from a heartfelt space rather than from a mental space or an egoic space where you're reacting To the situation because very often when we react from this sort of ego perspective We're so wrapped up in what we are thinking and what we're feeling We don't really pay attention to what is being said what is being communicated So communication involves many many layers.

It's not as simple as just self-expression very often I remember one spiritual tradition or so-called spiritual tradition is all about self-expression and communication express everything that you feel communicate everything that you feel just Throw it out there to the world Of course it isn't you know,

Just Expressing yourself is another sin.

That's another indulgence,

You know,

It's like eating too much chocolate Or it's like eating too much food,

You know,

Of course Some sort of self-expression is needed in the world some sort of communication Even if it's egoic is needed in the world But when you sort of indulge in anything and you go to one extreme then what you're doing is creating a very difficult situation within yourself because you cannot be mindful when you are Always expressing things rather than listening to where this expression comes from So listening is so very important to be able to not only listen But to listen to the presence within this moment gives us strength give empowers us so that we can be present with an undivided type of attention that allows us to be very effective and mindful in our communication and Be very effective and mindful in the way that we place our energies.

So how you project your energy Really depends on your intention and what you're doing in this moment.

Your energy is connected to this moment It's not connected to the idea of this moment or your hope for the next moment.

It's connected to this moment So if you are in fear right now,

It doesn't matter if you pretend yours pretend to the world that you are the greatest the best or whatever Internally if you're in fear that fear is what is communicating your intention Not the pretense the pretense is just a nice dance that you sort of enjoy within your head That says oh,

I'm not so afraid.

I'm okay because look I can do this I can say this and I sound wise and I'm doing this and I'm Pretending to the world and the world actually believes me So,

You know then all of a sudden you're feeling good about yourself and there is this sort of addictive high that creates very superficial level of communication that doesn't really connect you to your heart and I say this strongly because In the new age and so many people out there that is that's what people are doing They're sort of inviting everyone to fall into this addiction.

Just express yourself.

Just communicate to the world Just pretend that you're happy just say wise things and then you'll be wise and then all of a sudden there is this sort of superficial layer of Communication that's happening that confuses everyone.

It's actually in my perspective of understanding the world more dangerous than Just being superficial being dishonest because it's hidden It's wrapped up in this nice sort of sparkly wrapping that Pretends to be something that it isn't you know that it's like when someone smiles But they're not really happy or they're not really happy to see you and they're upset with you,

But they're smiling So there is this external rapper that pretends to be something but inside the energy is totally different So it's important to listen because if we listen to not the rapper the external but listen to the person then we understand that person and We understand what is going on and we understand why we're interacting with what is going on on such a deep level It helps to relax the energy so that we can be clear and grounded and connected to what is going on rather than just playing a game and society today is so much about pretense and playing games and all these sort of masks that are out there that you know Create this idea that we're all beautiful and perfect and what-have-you and of course we are on some level but It's not really the truth of the situation.

We are challenged by Spiritual lessons we're spirit We're we're challenged by those lessons so that we can be more mindful in our communication so that we can listen more deeply so that we can be connected more With what's going on with the energy that's behind things so that this means that we can't just be Superficial we have to go deeper and listen to our hearts We have to go deeper and listen to people not what they say or what they pretend to be But who they are the energy of who they are if we forget to do this and we get lost The New Age spiritual so-called spiritual tradition is so very lost in so many ways and This is not a warning but it's just a reminder that like anything you need to be discerning in this moment you need to discern what is truly going on as you connect to Listening from deep within your heart and as you listen Then the truth sets you free because you're not only listening to the energy that is around you But you're listening to the energy that's within your heart and this allows you to come back to The stillness a quietness within your heart that allows you to just listen up and observe from a very perceptive realm It allows you to be an example of listening and it allows you then to connect To the clues and the signs that are around you as to what is truly going on We call this intuition.

We call this just being aware being conscious and when you come back home to this awareness to this consciousness within you then You're just being yourself.

You're being present to yourself in this moment and as you listen more Whether it means you're listening to yourself or whether it means you're listening say to clients or people around your family or constellations Around you or the universe you're listening with joy.

You're listening with presence You're listening with wisdom.

You're listening And you're not really looking for anything You're not trying to understand or pretend to be anything.

You're just listening you're present and Then as you do this As you're present to your heart in this way You are in meditation your intention is very clear you are connecting to a higher dimension of consciousness Your intention is very clear Your intention is to be connected to your truth to the truth that is around you and that is what sets you free So whatever has been troubling you whatever has been challenging you even if It's out there even if it is that person smiling at you,

But really isn't that happy inside of themselves Even if it's the world pretending to be whatever it is pretending to be and it's not really that way You are more able to come back to coherence You're more able to come back to a level within yourself that can make sense of what's going on around you So that which is troubling you that's that which is challenging you You don't listen to anymore because it's the ego that's listening to such You begin to move your awareness inwards and listen to the wisdom within your heart The intuition within your being and you begin to trust this more than you trust the pretense outside More than you trust the mask outside more than you trust your mask more than you trust your pretense You are able to tune into intuition and trust in a way that I can't explain In a way that you will learn You will understand as you come back to the stillness of listening as you begin to communicate more effectively with the truth that's within you and As you do this It's natural to listen to that which is important and that which is not important or that which is pretending to be important You just let go of use the energy of stillness to move into action to take responsibility For the world that you wish to create and the reality that you wish to journey within The reality that you wish to walk in as you do this then you begin to Comprehend from a very heartfelt space what self-expression and communication is all about As you breathe in and breathe out Listen be present connect to the stillness Breathing in deep breath Deep breath into the abdomen Breathe out and let go And do this ten times just breathing in deeply into the abdomen breathing in through the nostrils down Into the belly diaphragm area And breathe out let go Let go extend the out breath as you breathe out let go breathing out Slowly breathing out and extending the duration of your out breath And breathing in deeply again into your abdomen breathing deeply into your diaphragm Deep breath and continue doing this a few more times Deep breath Breathing into the abdomen And breathing out relaxing the abdomen breathing out extending the duration of the out breath letting go As you breathe in and breathe out you may wish to continue Relaxing connecting to the stillness integrating the stillness within Just enjoying this space of deep still deep stillness Deep quietness within Thank you You