Tenderly Tethered
There is a beautiful string which tenderly tethers your awareness to your body. A thin thread, not dissimilar to the strands of a spider's silk. Beautifully delicate yet strong. Dancing in the gentle wind. Welcoming water droplets to rest on its surface, to glisten in the glow of the soft morning light.
This string coils in your body when home. Resting in your heart, belly, jaw and limbs. Expanding and contracting with the rhythm of your breath.
When your awareness moves from your body but floats nearby, this string is slack and relaxed, curled and curved as it dances around you. It gradually tightens as your awareness drifts further away into the future and weaves around possible stories. It becomes taut when fully stretched and it pulls at your body. Your body pulls back creating a tightness and tension in your arms, legs, torso, deep in your chest and even behind your eyes. This tug of war generates a restlessness all through your body.
The discomposure and jitteriness is unmerciful. Restricting your breath as the rhythm of your heart races like a deer in the wilderness trying to escape the scent of danger. You cannot see straight. You are easily overwhelmed. Dizzy with distance, confusion overcomes you. Looking to alleviate these sensations, you reach for whatever will numb this thing we call anxiety. Alcohol, television shows, chocolate, online shopping, gaming, working long hours or perhaps salty chips. Any distraction will do.
Until you hear a whisper from deep within.
'The future is created in the now. Come home.'
Slowly and lovingly through activities where you can be in your body, like yoga, bike riding, wayapa, walking in nature, journalling, writing poetry, reading, breathwork or sitting in meditation, your awareness and sense of self hear the call to come back home.
The tension subsides. The string becomes free flowing and relaxed. It curves and dances once more, as your awareness floats back toward your body. Responding to the invitation to coil back inside you, to rest in the simple peacefulness of your exhale and the wisdom of being in the now.
