162 Stop, Breathe, Reflect, And Choose

Take refuge in the Buddha, your inner Self.  Stop, Breathe, Reflect (Be Aware of what is going on inside and out), and Choose to respond.  Choose to Flow rather than react.  The flight, fright, or freeze Limbic (reptilian) part of our brain only knows to protect us. It knows speed not Happiness.  When we are caught in reactivity we are in our reptilian brain, reacting rather than responding.  As an alternative to jumping into our reptilian brain, consider this simple  practice.  Stop, Breathe, Reflect, Choose.  It only takes seconds to remain resting in Refuge as the Buddha and/or Christ that you are.

These podcasts are here to support your personal path of awakening whatever that might be. I feel they are most powerful when listened to in sequence from podcast one forward because each is built on the last. Though they, also, all stand on their own. If anything does not resonate, please disregard it and follow your heart. All my podcasts and website are free. Enjoy!

Though I am a psychotherapist, and these podcasts are offered to be spiritually helpful, they are not psychotherapy. If psychotherapy is ever needed, please reach out to a psychotherapist.

www.williamecooper.wordpress.com for more support. You may, especially, enjoy the short contemplations and the resource page which gives you some supportive material.

Transcript

William: 0:00

Hello, this is William Cooper. I trust you're doing well today. Buddha suggested that we take refuge in our Buddha nature. That's love, peace, well-being. Those are the qualities of your being. Take refuge there so that you're not engulfed in stress, fear, anger. But sometimes that's hard to do because we become reactive when difficult things happen around us. That's our limbic system, our reptilian brain reacting with fight, flight, or freeze. It reacts for speed to protect you. It's not concerned with your happiness, only your protection. Speed definitely takes you out of your Buddha nature. So, another way to deal with stress is do what Buddha says. Take refuge in your Buddha nature. So, here's a short practice to help do that so that we're not sucked into reactivity. Perhaps somebody says or does something that triggers you. Rather than instantly react, this practice is to stop. Just stop for a moment, pause, take a deep breath, and begin to relax all the way from the top of your head down through the tips of your toes as you exhale. Perhaps you sigh as you exhale, or you can exhale silently, whichever is appropriate. That begins to relax your nervous system and unfreeze your brain so that you're not captured by your limbic system. Just a bit, just enough. So, after you've stopped, taken a breath, notice if anything's coming up. Perhaps you're feeling triggered, which might feel like anxiety, or anger, or discontent, or reactivity. You just want to jump in and contest what the other person is saying very rapidly. Well, you know how that goes. So, just notice, reflect on what's happening inside of you with this little pause that you're taking, and then make a choice to respond in a way that truly reflects who you are, your being. Respond rather than react. Take refuge in your inner peace, your well -being, happiness, and joy. Even if you don't feel it particularly at the moment, you know who you are and respond accordingly. So, this simple practice is go through these four steps. Stop, take a moment, take a deep breath, relax as you let it out. Notice what's happening inside of you, and then make a choice. Respond rather than react. This whole practice might only take three seconds. It can take whatever time that you need, and you can do it in any way that's suitable for the situation. Have you noticed that people who are very centered often pause before they respond, often take a breath, perhaps reflect for a moment, and then say what they'd like to say. They respond rather than react. This is a wonderful practice. Stop, take a breath, reflect on what's happening inside of you, and then choose to respond. This is William Cooper, and I look forward to talking to you again. If you'd like a little bit more support on your awakening path, feel free to listen to any of these podcasts. They're all right here, and they're offered for free. I feel the best way to listen to them is start with podcast number one and work your way forward. They're very intentional on what I found to be the most powerful processes for awakening over my last 50 years. I hope you enjoy them and you find them supportive and deepening. Take care. I look forward to talking to you next time.