#meditation – Be in Balance

Finding a Balance between “Busy and Be”

This thought came to me today as I was on the beach searching for shells….”a balance between busy and be…busy and bee…like the busy bee that I seem to be and how it is often a challenge to find the balance between being busy busy busy and just allowing myself to be.

I realized about six weeks ago that I had become busy in my life again…and I thought I was happily busy. I love doing all that I am doing – running my own tutoring and mindfulness business for youth and adults, writing, creating materials, spending time with my family and friends….but there was something amiss once again…and I couldn’t see it right away. I kept hearing my friends saying that I was busy…and a little bell chimed in the back of my mind….I heard it clearly..it was a faint ding, somewhere far off in a world I thought I’d left behind.

As a public school educator and short-term building administrator, I lived my life for my profession, saw it as my identity, my livelihood, my existence, and purpose in this lifetime. After thirty years in brick and mortar schools that had changed so much, I finally realized it was time to change my outlook on my purpose, and see how that might unfold. I was blessed to be able to take a year of leave from work to make some decisions about my future and realized that education is my purpose, but it was in need of a different container.

Now that it’s been two and half years of creating my own business and working part-time with younger students, I find myself busy, busy,busy again, and have lost the time to just be. I have lost the time to be with my friends for longer periods of time than between 12:30 and 2:30 or just hang out for an entire day with my husband. I have lost the time to just be with me…in the woods, on the beach, on a trail, exploring the unknown and creating with colors and objects, and doing all the other things I love to do.

I am grateful for the times I have been sitting in meditation again and have had the presence of mind to turn my mind off and let my body feel. Within those times of feeling, words come…and specific ones at that. I was able to hear that it was okay to cut back at my part time teaching job and eventually to pass it on to someone else. I only have a few more weeks of this busy bee time, but am reminding myself to find ways to “be” in each day as I wait for the extra time in my days as I move forward. I stop and sit, look around at the beauty I see outside. I walk in the grass in my bare feet, look longer into my husband’s eyes, stretch my body….

I am surprised at how much “I know” and how much I do that is unknown, seeing myself creep back into the behaviors of a workaholic that I used to be. I thought I’d “moved past that” but am reminded that the old adage “old habits die hard” is a force on its own. As I move forward, I strive to make my life a true balance between “busy and be.” My jodibees – a hive of learning will continue to be a success and I’m sure even more so as I allow myself the times to be. I look forward to this next chapter of my life and hope I can help others continue to find this balance as well.

A Loving-Kindness Meditation

man wearing black cap with eyes closed under cloudy sky — Photo by Kelvin Valerio on Pexels.com

This is one of my favorite meditations. My version is adapted from various others I have experienced.

By repeating a series of statements, or mantras, either silently or aloud, the meditator will mentally send happiness, warmth, kindness and compassion to others as well as to themselves. When practicing this meditation, you may feel your heart fill with joy, an increase in your self-worth, increased empathy for others and so much more! You may even feel your mouth curl upward!

I always like to settle into myself as I prepare myself to meditate. I may close my eyes and connect with my breath, or place my feet firmly into the ground or onto the floor, feeling the connection of my body to the earth. However you like to begin a meditation, do so.

When you are ready, repeat these statements silently or aloud:

For you:

May I be happy.

May I be peaceful.

May I be well.

May I live with ease.

Thinking of another person you feel neutral about (a grocery cashier, bus driver…):

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be well.

May you live with ease.

Thinking of another person you have negative feelings about:

May you be happy.

May you be peaceful.

May you be well.

May you live with ease.

Thinking of the world:

May we all be happy.

May we all be peaceful.

May we all be well.

May we all live with ease.

You may repeat these as many times as you’d like, or say them just once if you’d like. Whatever you choose to do will be the right thing for you at that moment.

Your Place of Peace Meditation

Lie down, sit on the floor or in a chair. Close your eyes or gaze softly at the floor in front of you or up above if lying down.

Your Place of Peace

Relax your body. Relax your mind. Let everything go. What you were doing before this – let go. Thoughts you have about what you’ll do next or another time – let go. Focus on your breath. The simple task of breathing is automatic. Focus on that automaticity. The part of you you can always count on. It is always there for you. Feel gratitude for each breath. When you feel that your breath is relaxed and at a comfortable pace, release the focus on your breath.

I invite you to visualize, or make a picture in your mind, about your favorite or one of your favorite places. Choose a place when you feel at peace, calm, relaxed, where you can just be. Are you at a beach? a lake? a river? Are you in the mountains? a field, a desert? Are you at home, at your grandparent’s farm, or another place you love to be? You’re not doing anything, picture yourself just enjoying this special place. Feel the calmness this place brings you. Feel it in your heart and in your body. Where you feel this tranquility in your body? Now look around you. What do you see? Are you alone or with others? Are you observing others or the landscape that surrounds you? Are you with a special person in your life? What does it feel like around you? Is the sun shining down on you, warming your body? Is it mild and breezy? Can you feel the moving air caress your skin? Are you snuggled in a blanket in your favorite chair? Notice how your surroundings make you feel. Do any special scents or tastes come to mind? Can you smell the brine of the ocean, the flowers in a field or your favorite meal being prepared? Just enjoy this place, this special place of peace for as long as you like. Feel peace. Feel calm. Feel whole.

Know that whenever you want or feel the need to find a calm space, relax and let go for a minute, or many minutes, you can always go back to this place – your place of peace. …or perhaps you’ll find another one…..Enjoy!