Awakened Conscious Conversations
Healing the world one episode at a time by offering realistic solutions to the journey of life. Both self hosted ( By The Gentle Yoga Warrior) and guest episodes.
Many of our guests have overcome significant obstacles and transformed their lives.
Rich with deep talks and solo endeavours, often offering tips on living a more conscious life.
Many episodes include a bonus optional meditation!
Awakened Conscious Conversations
Sheep and Serenity: Insights on Intelligence and Calm
Have you ever wondered if sheep are smarter than they get credit for? In this episode of our podcast, we uncover the secret lives of sheep, challenging the age-old notion of their simplicity. Through heartwarming personal stories we reveal the intelligence, emotional depth, and strong sense of community among these fascinating creatures.
Get ready to embrace the present moment as we guide you through a calming journey aligned with the rhythm of the equinox.
Picture serene images of fluffy sheep and discover the profound beauty that emerges from simply being. We'll explore the spaces between words and moments, encouraging a clutter-free mind that fosters freedom and presence. As we gently bring our focus back to the here and now, we'll reflect on our own wonderful nature while looking ahead to the exciting new season about to unfold. Join us for a tranquil and insightful experience that promises to enrich your appreciation for both sheep and the art of mindfulness.
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Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to the prequel to season 17, which will be starting in a few weeks time. This is a Wake and Conscious Conversations podcast and I'm your host, the Gentle Yoga Warrior, and this episode is reaching you a week later due to the fact I had some gum surgery and I couldn't speak last week, and as much as I wanted to bring a special addition to you, I was unable to so. Thank you for your patience, but we got there in the end and I was thinking earlier. What I was going to speak to you about and what came to me was the secret life of sheep and the symbolism of sheep.
Speaker 1:And sheep quite often get a hard time. People think they're dumb when people are accused of not being able to have critical thinking or be able to think for themselves. They're called sheep. It's called follow the herd and if you do observe sheep, they do tend. If one runs one way, they do tend to run the same way and they flock together and in many ways, if they put all the resources together, perhaps they could kind of like escape or get away from where they're at. But beyond our human, sometimes judgmental, lens of what sheep are, sheep are very complex creatures. It has been proven that they are able to problem solve and learn quicker through repetition, so they're not as stupid as people make out. They can recognise emotions and it is said that they are able to kind of recognise, to recognize and have emotions like humans, like depression, happiness, etc. But if you, I want to tell you about my experience of sheep and how I think they have secret lives.
Speaker 1:A few years ago I was doing a sit out in a forest and it was a full moon this night and I could tell a time, by the way, the moon was moving across the sky. So at one point it was in front of me, it was above, and then it was behind as it moved across the sky. And, um, I was looking about and, apart from the odd kind of like vole-like creature that you might hear or the odd acorn that was falling on my head, there wasn't much kind of going on in the animal kingdom. And then, all of a sudden in the early hours, um, you notice your eyes are trying to adjust to the light and see what things are, and bear in mind, it's like the mid absolute depth of the night where everyone should be sleeping, or unless you're like a nocturnal creature, but I didn't know or presume that sheep were. But all of a sudden there's all these great big white fluffy balls of um fluff, that kind of running um into the clearing that I was in and I was just like, oh my gosh, you know how your imagination can run wild and you think one earth is this? One earth can this be? So I was looking and all of a sudden, as I was observing, I realized that these were in fact sheep, and the sheep in the area could kind of run around wild, but I wasn't expecting them to come in and of course I shocked them as well, because they're probably thinking why is there a human like just sitting outside on this night? But we both shocked each other as much as each other. But it actually made me think. You know what? These sheep have secret lives and they are not respected as much as they should be in life.
Speaker 1:And at a time where everyone's doing shows about equinox, autumn, equx, which is a special time as well, my feeling was to talk about sheep, as I think they're absolutely fascinating, they have a depth to them that if we see beyond the way that we kind of treat them, we'll understand them a little bit more. And sheep are a great thing, may follow the herd, as you as as as the saying goes, but they have a beauty and innocence, like one time I was taking this early morning walk and I walked past this great big old tree and there's all these little lambs asleep and mothers were nearby and usually when a like you don't want to frighten any animal that's nursing, and B like sheep, will just run. They do not like the sight of humans. But these, the mothers, just looked at me and the sheep and the lambs and I think they knew I just wasn't going to hurt them, so I would respectfully sat down a distance away from them and they were just like all going around this tree. And they were just like all going around this tree. And the thing is right. Trees have a special energy and a special way that they are and these sheep felt safe around this beautiful tree and it felt very, very, very humbling to watch and observe them Again, outside the context of how we decide sheep are, for they are so much more than what we describe them as, and the lambs to me has always been a sign of kind of purity, innocence, and in many ways it upsets me because you see them when they're born, all the lambs and they're.
Speaker 1:They just see life in such a magical, wonderful way, even though their existence is going to be a brutal one if they're lucky, but still it's. It's still not the nicest thing for them. They will be kept for wool and have a bit of time to rummage, but if not, they will be sold for people to have on their plates and and whatever you choose to eat is up to you. But I'm just sharing this in the context of of these beautiful, innocent animals. But you could judge the fact that they flock together and that they follow each other. But then I would say that sheep have a real gift for communication, for they warn each other and maybe sometimes they can be a little bit too I don't know quick to run away or be scared or run in one one direction, but they have like this way of like communicating and being part of something bigger than just who they are and they, if they see danger, they will want, they will take the lead, like they won't wait until one of them. From what I've observed, they will not wait until one of them leads. They will take the lead and and run together if, if need be, and warn each other and have that, that kind of love.
Speaker 1:And another reason I look at, I also associate lambs with Jesus and whether or not you see Jesus from a spiritual way or from a religious way, he is observed in many traditions and I, though organized religion has not been something at the top of my list I've always felt like a special connection with him and when I see like lambs and the innocence and the beauty of them, it kind of makes me think of him. Then I remember about the stories from my childhood, like Jason and the Golden Fleece and all the kind of magical stories like that and the quest to get this magic fleece and the power that it has. And I would say that sheep, they find the joy even though they are born into a life of slavery for humans, aren't they? Because we raise them for our needs and wants they're still able to find the kind of joy in life and wants that they're still able to find the kind of joy in life. And then in many ways, isn't our whole life in so many ways not always something that we always have control over? I don't know. In some ways we do, but we can control our reaction to things, but sometimes like there's things out of our control, like government, rules, laws, society, etc. And could we be more like the sheep and find the peacefulness, the innocence, the joy, the beauty in the moment and embrace life and whatever it has to offer us? Can we find the faith in our communities and in our allegiance to help one another in a kind and living way? And if you are a sheep that breaks free from the flock, can you find yourself still and can you be yourself still? So when I see lambs, I see them as like little blessings and of of encapsulated joy and purity. And as I record this podcast, it isn't technically lambing season because it is coming into the autumn, equinox, and it's coming more into an autumn time, but I still see lambs because they can be born all the way through the year. But this isn't specifically just about lambs either. It's the sheep as well and how they, they, they grow up. I kind of never side would be being stuck in one's way, so just following the crowd for the sake of it, of kind of being dramatic when there's no need to be seeing dangers when there isn't danger. So isn't it all then, as we come into this equinox time about balance and finding the balance within ourselves to be ourselves and to find that joy and love within ourselves and that beauty within ourselves and that beauty within others. And that is how it feels for me. And finally, I'd just like to leave you with a meditation inspired by today's show.
Speaker 1:Top tips for the meditation is either sit nice and cross-legged on the floor with a nice straight back always nice to sit on a block or a cushion, or that's not available for you you sit in a chair with the back nice and straight. The important thing is you're not slouching and if you're doing something that requires your concentration, all you need to do is just pause this and you can reconvene the meditation at a time that is good for you. If you're doing the meditation, let's begin. So as you close your eyes and you begin to feel the gentle flow like autumn leaves blowing in the day, you feel these leaves softly blow all around you, softly flowing. As you close the eyes and you begin this inward journey to yourself, with each step that you take, you take a breath and you breathe and you allow yourself to flow of boredom, of times when you are not doing, for doing all the time takes away from being.
Speaker 1:Look at the sheep in the fields. Sometimes they run about and other times they are just being sitting on the grass. As you close the eyes, you see these sheep sitting on the grass. The swirling leaves of your intention may blow. Sometimes you need to blow those intentions around, but other times you will not. You need to allow them to be and just float softly to the ground. See each moment, from the innocence of alarm, the communication powers of the herd of sheep, the gentleness of the grass beneath your feet.
Speaker 1:As you take this journey into the inside of your being, allow the space to be.
Speaker 1:Communication is key and you find the space to communicate by being just simply being in here and now.
Speaker 1:As the equinox comes and the wind does blow, and in your mind's eye can you see these fluffy little sheep like little balls of snow, allowing yourself to be free, allowing yourself just to be here as you take this journey into yourself, not by steps or by doing a great quest, but instead by allowing yourself simply to be.
Speaker 1:Hearing the space between my words, seeing the space in the moment, the space and the nothing, for in, out of nothing, things are born, too much things in the cupboard of life makes it hard to find what you want. Instead, can you keep the shelf free, just to allow it to simply be? Allow that space to be, allow that ability to live, allow, allow, allow, allow, allow, allow and, as you gently come back into the moment, come back into the room, come back into the here and now, knowing that you are wonderful. So thank you for listening to my mini in-between episode, and season 17 will be with you in two weeks time, so I'm very much looking forward to bringing the brand new season to you. That's enough from me now, but I would love to chat even more and you take care.
