Ease – An Active, Calm Way of Being
The state of ease is a highly regenerative state that helps us flow more easily through challenges and builds our resilience capacity. It is not merely a state of relaxation. It is characterized by a balance between the mind and emotions, which allows us to access a sense of inner stillness and make intelligent choices while on the move.
During times of global uncertainty and rapid planetary changes, practicing ease can save us a lot of energy, angst and downtime. Uncertainty and change can trigger increased discomfort and confusion, which may affect our behavior patterns in unexpected ways (memory lapses, brain fog, edginess, frustration, impatience, aches in odd places, sleeplessness, and more). If these type symptoms are occurring, it’s helpful to breathe ease and take deeper pause for discerning and double-checking communications and decisions.
When we pause and go to a place of ease inside ourselves, we make conscious choices rather than reacting mechanically. In this state of "active calm" our mental and emotional energy is composed, yet ready for swift intelligent action, if needed. Inner ease creates a receptive space for intuitive suggestions and feelings that are broadcast from our heart’s intelligent guidance.
Doing the steps of the Inner-Ease™ Technique at the beginning of the day reduces mental and emotional static, which clouds clear thinking and our reasoning capacity. Practice these steps for a while to increase the awareness of when you have effectively shifted to the state of ease, which is often a little deeper than your first few attempts achieve.
The Inner-Ease™ Technique
Step 1. Focus your attention in the area of the heart. Imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest area, breathing a little slower and deeper than usual. Suggestion: Inhale 5 seconds, exhale 5 seconds (or whatever rhythm is comfortable).
Step 2. With each breath, draw in the feeling of inner ease to balance your mental and emotional energy.
Step 3. Set a meaningful intent to anchor the feeling of inner ease as you engage in your projects, challenges or daily interactions.
Before responding to a vexing e-mail or reacting during a tense situation, breathe ease and settle the mind and emotions. (This can often prevent an emotional mess and the downtime it takes for damage control.) When we discern our direction and act from a place of inner ease, our mind doesn’t override the intuitive whispers of our heart.
Breathing inner ease throughout the day helps us anchor new or more desirable patterns into our cellular memory. For many of us, knowing how to access inner ease is not the problem—it’s remembering to do it, especially when it counts the most. Ease gives us a chance to act and respond from our real self rather than from our mechanical, "predictable other.".
Use Ease to Change Unwanted Patterns
Suggested Practice:
- Make a list of two to three behaviors or patterns toward people or situations you would like to change.
- Write them down (You can add more to your list later). Examples could include impatience, hasty reactions, frustration, irritation or any other unwanted pattern. It is important not to judge yourself as you do this.
- Next, ease into your heart and observe and honor your desire to change.
- Then, have a sincere and honest self-talk about how to handle the item(s) you listed. The most meaningful self-talk occurs when the heart – your true self – speaks to the mind. (If indecision or self-doubt begin to surface, know that this is only your mind talking. Simply realize that it is your old way of thinking, and reconnect with your heart and recommit to the change you truly desire.)
- Review the steps of Inner Ease and act on your insights and intentions.
Ease is not a place where your challenges will simply dissolve or your behavior patterns will change instantly. It creates an extra time window, allowing deeper discernment for heart intelligent choices — conscious choices that can help prevent and resolve many unnecessary challenges and unwanted predicaments. It helps us attune our mental and emotional nature to the most reasonable and effective way for responding to each situation that life brings us.
“Practicing inner ease increases our conscious memory to include our heart, with our mind and emotions as they navigate through daily choices and feelings that decide the quality and direction of our life.”
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2011 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.