One of the most exciting parts of the women’s retreats I run is witnessing the growth among the members of the group. Almost every woman starts the day looking at me like I’m crazy when I ask them, “what do you really want and how would that feel?”. It seems like a simple question, but my experience is that people are often disconnected from this notion.
At Restoration Retreats, not only do women start out not knowing the answer to these questions, they realize that they’ve rarely even given themselves permission to ask. By the end of the day, after focused reflection and tuning in to their minds and bodies, they not only know how to answer, they also feel entitled to not wait so long to ask it ever again.
Meditation can be intimidating. But the art of tuning is can also be life changing. I’ve come up with a way of focusing that I call Tune In. Tune In is an acronym that I use to help me remember why I meditate at all. It is not important at this point to know what each letter stands for. Just know that Tune In reminds me to turn inward with my gaze, understand what my body is saying, notice any repeating thoughts and send empathy and love to the parts of me that are asking for attention.
Tuning in is a reminder to not just pay attention to my own needs, but to do it in a manner that is accepting and not judgmental of myself in any way. When I tune in to myself, I can mostly turn off the nagging voice of my inner critic and actually listen to what my body is telling me I need.
Even if you don’t take time to meditate regularly, you can benefit from the premise of tuning in. Listening to our bodies, noticing our thoughts without judgement and having empathy for ourselves are the elements that help us make more calm and mindful decisions, choices and movement throughout our lives.
You are entitled to ask yourself, “what do I really want to feel?”. Tuning in to your own desires isn’t selfish or self-centered. Tuning in to your desires is the first step toward coming out of the chaos and into the freedom that brings great joy. Let me challenge you to try this very practice going forward.
You don’t need to set aside a bunch of time for purposeful meditation. Just make a vow to yourself that you’ll take at least a minute every day to tune in. Sometimes, just the simple act of paying attention can make us feel differently. If you’re used to feeling a bit disconnected as you run this way and that throughout the day, just tuning in for a minute while you brush your teeth, or before you turn off the bedside light at night can help you to begin to know what it is you need to feel good.
I can’t wait to hear what you find out when you tune in. Share in the comments below.
xoxo,
CRK
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