In Ellen Tadd's new book, The Wisdom of the Chakra's she uses The Grocery Store experience as an example. An example of when a person usually leads away from The Third Eye Focus, or as she calls it "The Kingpin" and moves their focus to the Solar Plexus which is an emotional focus.
"When perceiving from the solar plexus, most people experience fear or anxiety of some sort, whether it is about time, decision making, or people."
Today, while grocery shopping with my boys (which is normally something I do alone) I enjoyed watching my little ones in the car attachment beeping at the other patrons and my oldest proudly holding my list getting ready to cross off the next thing that I was going to place in the cart. While waiting at the deli for them to call my number, I reflected on what Tadd said in her book. I was curious what would happen if I changed my focus to my solar plexus.
I started absorbing the mood of the gentleman behind me, shifting his wait from one foot to the other in frustration. I noticed the sound of an unhappy toddler a few aisles down and sensed the aggravation of the mother. The chatter of one patron beside me insulting someone or something to the person she was having a cell phone conversation with while ignoring the lady behind the counter who was asking her if she needed anything else. The anxiety that I felt in those brief few moments swept over me completely. I lost focus on being mindful and was overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions. I could feel the frustration building more and more.
"With your eyes closed, you would have to depend on feeling to find your way.....If you opened your eyes and walked down the same street, you could still use your hands to feel, but the addition of sight would increase your selectivity and discernment."
I took a deep breath and slowly brought my energy back to the Third Eye Focus. I let go of the emotional tension around me, concentrated on my breath and once again found my positive energy. I enjoyed the rest of my shopping experience with my boys. Later, in the afternoon I reflected on other times that I too had those types of fears and anxieties while food shopping. When did I start becoming mindful of the experience? What triggered it to become a positive experience rather than a negative one? The answer was right there before me, Practice.
Mindfulness is a practice. It is not something that can be achieved over night nor is it something that most can experience every moment of the day. However if we take a moment during each activity to pay attention to the present (the task at hand); whether in our actions, our thoughts or our daily conversations we can learn to become more aware of the moment and not let it slip away.
*Quotes are excerpts from The Wisdom of the Chakras: tools for navigating the complexity of life by Ellen Tadd.
3 comments:
I really enjoyed ready this blog entry. As someone who struggles to keep their solar plexus chakra balanced and clear this is a real "eye opener" for me. (pardon the pun!) I am inspired to try perceiving through my third eye chakra the next time I go out into the marketplace.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys the grocery store!
Thank you for this blog entry. I will have to look up the book you referenced. You have really done a terrific job of explaining the difference between experiencing the moment emotionally or non-emotionally. What a difference! You have certainly developed some very good skills. This is my first time reading your blog (found you on the Sparkpeople Mindfulness Team page). I will bookmark your blog and keep reading.
Blessings!
Tammy
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