A crucial aspect of being able to embody love is slowing things down. When I first started to change my life for the positive, I started to pay attention and would choose healthier food options that would generally take more time to prepare. This was helping, but I needed more. I would often wear earplugs when I was living in Sao Paulo because it was so loud in comparison to the Grand Canyon where I had been living just prior to my big Brazil move. This helped me to hear myself. But I needed more. So I found meditation.
Initially I just taught myself to meditate by laying on my bed, closing my eyes and thinking of one single word. I would choose a word like “happy” and for 15 minutes I would just think of that single word, nothing else. Within seconds my mind would wander to other things, but I would consistently bring it back to thinking of the word “happy”. I chose words that had value to me, that would mean more than just those letters pushed together. For quite a while, I meditated on the 7 Heavenly Virtues as a way to move away from the hard time I was having living in the city!
Ultimately I found Vipassana mediation when I returned to the states. It was like meditation bootcamp. It was exactly what I needed. 10 days in silence just meditating and focusing inward. I have since sat many courses, served on many courses and I have incorporated mindfulness into my daily life. It is such a simple yet effective practice of being aware of the body and understanding the impermanence in life in such a way that it isn’t fearful, it is just what it is. It gives an even great natural compelling feeling of gratitude and appreciation for the details in life. It’s like going in for a super mind wash… in a good way! It’s by and far the most effective method I have tried and I am eternally grateful for Goenka who started the non-profit decades ago.