Hello and welcome to the Daily Insight.
My name is Anne-Marie Rowley and I am a meditation teacher in Melbourne,
Australia.
And it's a privilege to be with you here on Inside Timer.
It is said that the longest journey one will ever take in a lifetime is from one's head to one's heart.
We exist in our head,
Especially today.
Our mind chatters constantly,
Expounding all its impressions,
Arguments,
Rationales,
Assumptions,
Opinions and criticisms.
Let us consider this for a moment.
What is your mind telling you right now?
By being at ease you can quietly step inside your mind,
As though you are entering a doorway and can see your thoughts flowing in and out of your conscious awareness.
Do this now for a little while.
Would you say at this very moment your mind is messy,
Constantly sorting through the melee of considerations,
Ideas or sorrows?
On the other hand,
Your mind right now may be quiet,
Calm,
Orderly,
Structured and completely alert.
Or the mind may be somewhere in between.
And how is your body responding to your thoughts?
Is it stiff and sore and holding on?
Or is it soft and pliable?
Do you ever become sick and tired of thinking?
Thoughts are simply movements in the mind,
And the aspiration of this practice is to simply quieten its restlessness.
We need to reconnect with our inner self,
Our spirit,
Call it what you may.
That it exists deep within us.
It is a place we cannot reach by travelling anywhere.
We do not find it by moving,
But by being still.
Give yourself permission to step out of your mind and to open the doorway to your heart.
Simply breathe in and out.
Release into the heart's core.
Feel its gentle pulsing,
Its gentle call.
Melt into your heart's centre as you inhale.
Do this again and again and again.
Observe the breaths as you guide your attention to your heart.
Each breath finding a greater depth.
Pay attention to the heart.
What is it asking of you?
Forget what the mind is trying to do,
Drawing you away into its quandary.
What are you feeling deep within your heart?
Are you listening to it?
Slow down,
Pay attention to the pulse of the heart.
Be still within it.
Observe its messages.
Be kind to yourself.
Let go of what does not serve you.
Breathe in beauty.
Release.
Breathe in light.
Release.
Breathe in silence.
Rest.
Breathe with ease.
And enjoy these few quiet moments of deep connection to your heart.
You will soon hear my voice again.
In the words of Carl Jung,
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.
Who looks outside dreams,
Who looks inside awakens.
May your heart be your guiding light and your days glimmer with joy and prosperity.
