Wellness

82 posts

This is the Wellness category for www.steveleasock.com that considers topics about body, mind and spirit.

addictive

Addictive Pain and What NOT to Do

Psychological pain is real and is often addictive. Does this sound strange to you? You experience this type of pain each day and probably don’t realize it. Unconscious mental pain affects everyone and everything. Only the degree or intensity varies from person to person. Unfortunately, most people are not conscious enough to realize the severity of this pain. It happens more often than you may think. Here, we should note that what the mind thinks doesn’t mean it is true. On the other hand, your state of awareness decides how you will experience a situation.

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Thus, what is your relationship with the mind? This is the key question in consciously awakening to a state of deeper presence. Moreover, your observation of the mind determines how you experiences this moment.  Respond to life and living. But, do not react to the mind. There is a difference.

This acknowledgement can be very helpful. This is useful in understanding how you typically react to compulsive mind behavior. Please practice differentiating between two states of being. These two states are either living from mind or living in conscious awareness. Thus, mind reactions are unconscious behavior. And, this increases the addictive pain that accompanies you during daily activities. Continue reading

Existence Attributes Distort the Flow of Life

Are human attributes such as love and forgiveness active integrates in universal life consciousness?  Of course, this is not an easy question to answer. And, most likely, we can’t actually answer it. This question suggests that love is universal because we and other life-forms experience it. But, is love truly a component of life?  Here again it is not possible to definitely answer such a question. Eckhart Tolle, in The Power of Now, has said that love is a state of being. This statement feels good to say, but it does not really offer pure enlightenment. Nevertheless, let’s use this statement as a reference point for our discussion.

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Firstly, thoughts and emotions have the potential to become our state of being. That is to say, if we allow the mind to dominate. Therefore, the level of active awareness to a given state of being determines how you will live. The form this moment takes is merely a detail when a person observes it consciously. We could make it easy by saying that life will be as we choose it to be. This may at first sound farfetched. But, let’s consider it for a moment. Continue reading

excuses

Excuses Validate the Story of Our Existence

We use excuses every day…back and forth…to and fro…up and down it goes. We are always making excuses.  It might seem as if I am over dramatizing. However, consider for yourself what is an excuse. And, then determine how often you use them each day.  The number that you will eventually add together is mind-blowing. Correspondingly, deeply reflect on our existence for the sake of this article discussion.  Then ask yourself how excuse-making behavior influences conscious awakening (conscious enlightenment).

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People tend to always look outward in the search of reasons and validations. This is true whether we search for someone to blame or to make excuses. We hit our thumb with a hammer. What is the first reaction that flashes through our mind? “&#%! Dumb hammer, it hit my finger?” We are shopping and it suddenly starts to rain. &#%! Why must it rain now? You are walking. A car speeds by during your walk. The rain and water from a puddle splashes you. &#%! Why did it have to splash me? Continue reading

Gentleness Is Easily Given to Others

We thrive and flourish through acts of kindness and love. To ask how, what or why is unnecessary. gentleness, at least at a fundamental basis, is universal. Thus, everything in the universe has the potential to express kindness. The level of conscious awakening is significant to the manifestation of compassion on a universal scale.

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Is the previous paragraph too vague? Hopefully not. But, please acknowledge that words are nothing more than gateways during our inquiry into consciousness. The first chapter of the Tao Te Ching from Lao Tzu offers wise insight relating to words and labels. A focus on conscious awareness and gentleness offer unity. Continue reading

Confusion Abounds When the Mind Is Astray

The mind constantly inflects confusion, anxiety, and fear upon us. Why? You might ask. And, the mind insists, why not? This behavior is due to a limbo state of living life. It is quite easy for the mind to overwhelm us when we are unaware. Can we consciously move beyond the mind? Yes, with practice. This means not allowing any mind-generated restrictions and manipulations to interrupt the flow of universal energy. What can we practice to nurture the flow of this energy? Focus on living here and now. Acknowledge the spaciousness between thoughts, emotions and situations. Universal energy flows. So, practice living for the ride and not the destination.

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Our fear and confusion occur primarily from non-acceptance. We don’t want to accept this moment. And, this nonacceptance causes us to live life in a constant state of dissatisfaction. At least, this is what the mind tells us. Nevertheless, everyone experiences conscious awareness at some level. And, many times, our focus is on aware presence. But, then the mind intervenes. The mind tells us that thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow are more important than now. Continue reading

allow

Allow Life to Flow and Just Let Go

Count the number of situations for one day that you don’t like. The total number might surprise you. Your boss gives you a task that you do not like. There is a traffic jam on the highway that angers you. You must wait in a line to pay for your groceries. It seems impossible to simply allow and accept. So, the list of things you don’t like goes on and on. Still, from time to time, there is a moment when everything is just right. Then, at least for this brief interval, you are happy. Or, at least this is what the mind tells you.

But, true happiness and satisfaction never really come. Thus, dissatisfaction comes again one minute later. Why? Mainly because you attach yourself to any, and everything. And, you expect and demand. Instead of accept and appreciate. The majority of people do this daily at some level. On the other hand, how would any experience change when you just allow and receive whatever the situation holds?

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Allow and acknowledge the isness of this moment. Trust me when I share with you that this is the simplest act of living life. All discomforts, barriers and suffering fade away. Hence, you discover a calm spaciousness during any thought, feeling or situation. Likewise, spaciousness and stillness are possible in any situation, regardless of the details. This is the feeling of coming home. This dimension is where the true self resides. Let’s reflect on this insight during the remainder of the article. Continue reading

peaceful

A Peaceful Easy Feeling Is Your Choice

What is at the top of your list of wishes? Not all, but most people will say that they desire peace and blissfulness every day. Nevertheless, these same individuals then say that a peaceful easy feeling is an impossible dream. Really? Why is harmony and balance difficult to experience? You are the only obstacle that prevents happiness and calmness. I realize that it is difficult to take responsibility for your unhappiness and suffering. It is much easier to point the finger at someone or something. Nevertheless, such unconscious behavior is fuel for a conditioned mind. And, your choice during any situation determines how you live life. 

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What daily practice can you use to become the active observer of your life experience? Firstly, accept everything. Sound impossible? Okay, the mind has taught you to deny and question almost everything you experience. But, must you behave in such a manner simply because the mind tells you? No, definitely not. Furthermore, acceptance is the easiest step to reaching a peaceful easy feeling in any situation. Trust me, there was a time when I also could not accept many situations. This contaminated my experience of life. Oh my, yes, it was so easy to avoid the responsibility for my state of presence. Everyone and everything were responsible for my uneasiness and anxiety. It seems very surreal in hindsight. Continue reading

Reach Out and Consciously Touch Someone

Does this statement sound impossible? The mind will tell you yes. But, please don’t believe everything the mind tells you. And, never take the mind too seriously. So, can you consciously reach out to someone and unite? Yes, you can. Furthermore, this happens every moment. And, yes consciousness connects you with everything. So, it is obvious that consciousness is not something that is here and then fades away. This reference suggests that consciousness is not similar to a temporary thought or emotion that comes and goes.  Instead, consciousness manifests through your state of active awareness to it. Energy is the basis of this flowing process. This energy is ongoing. And, vibrates beyond the limitations of mind, space and time.

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Therefore, you always share a conscious bond with everything. Similarly, this vibrating dimension is always there, whether you are aware of it or not. Furthermore, your level of aware presence can influence the flow of this energy.  Unite with this energy. And, just let it continue to flow. Acknowledge this flow and the result is an exponential expansion of pure awareness. Thus, you literally reach out and unite with the part of you that is within everything. Continue reading

embrace

Do You Embrace Life or Push It Away?

The word embrace offers a signpost to conscious awareness. Do you wish to live in balance and harmony? If yes, then welcome life with open arms. This gateway can offer a clearer understanding of life and living. This is a practical stepping stone in moving beyond mind limitations.  Nevertheless, the majority of people are anxious and fearful in daily activities. We cover-up anxiety with superficial and temporary distractions. Therefore, mind and body are always nervous with little or no genuine inner stillness.

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But, mind-generated energy seeks a way out. Thus, this energy flow affects your interactions, whether personal or collective. And, the point of focus determines your life experience. So, please practice using the word as a signpost to the space that is beyond the mind. Your center of conscious attention is the gateway. I personally practice using the word embrace during various activities. Years ago, I came to realize that I almost always practice this in my experiences. An example of this would be my philosophy on weather conditions. I always embrace any weather condition, regardless if this is rain, snow, hot or cold. I literally consciously hug the heat or cold that I experience. Again, and again it is fascinating to observe how my state of conscious awareness benefits from this exercise. Continue reading

Are You Too Serious About Everything?

Everything seems so serious. True, any given moment might involve a situation that needs attention. All of which seem so real and often very serious. Likewise, we use rigid values as guidelines in all we do. William Shakespeare summarized our behavior well in his play Much Ado about Nothing. People fanatically complain, overreact and cause commotion over insignificant details.  Occasionally, such behavior might have a practical purpose that is, at best, temporary.  Furthermore, this can restrict our conscious awareness. Thus, limits our life experience.

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So, often we view life as a collection of events that are quite serious. Nevertheless, let’s reflectively consider if everything is as earnest as we think.  Our level of conscious awareness decides everything. Therefore, an unaware person is quick to agree with any thoughts and beliefs. On the other hand, a consciously aware person is likely to objectively observe everything with non-attachment. So, it is feasible to suggest the following. The seriousness of any given situation doesn’t result from the details within the moment. Instead, we attach complexity to everything due to our interpretation. The interpretation derives from mental reactions that initiate due to conditioning factors.  This imposes a sense of significance onto situations that are actually insignificant. But, everything is as it is in any moment. This is true, regardless how we interpret something. Continue reading