Going inside (aka hanging out with your soul)
“What are you doing?”, my husband asked.
“I’m going inside”, I replied.
“To do what?”, he asked.
“Nothing”, I said.
It's not that I was outside and now going indoors. My response was about sitting, turning my attention inward and just sitting, doing nothing.
Doing nothing - it’s not something many of us create time for. We feel we are too busy “doing” life to give ourselves the time and space to do nothing. And I get it. There appears to be a lot to do.
And even when an unexpected space opens up in our day, many of us will fill it with more doing! We like to get things off our to-do list and love the dopamine hit we get when we do. So, a cancelled appointment, a delayed train, an internet breakdown or an early finish to a meeting becomes an opportunity to get on with the next thing rather than the space to stop and do nothing.
Doing nothing – it’s not something many of us know how to do!
Even when we physically stop the rushing around and the task completion, our mind is far from quiet. Our mind takes us away from where we are into planning, ruminating or daydreaming. So, we’re still not doing nothing.
But what if doing nothing is actually doing a whole lot more for you than all of the other activity put together?
Doing nothing allows you to go inside and connect with a different part of yourself than the one you are usually in contact with (i.e. the ego mind). Call it your soul, your inner being, your heart or maybe don’t even give it a name. It is the inner presence which is always available to you and is often whispering its guidance to you but is usually drowned out by the constant chattering of the mind.
You may become aware of its whisperings at points when you feel very relaxed or are in flow but for most of us those are fleeting moments and at some point a switch flicks and we are back into the mode of doing, driven by the busy, ego mind.
Consciously choosing to go inside and hang out with that inner presence can open a whole new world of experience to you. You disconnect from the physical world and all its demands, pressures and judgements and connect with the part of you which is actually the whole of who you are – content, peaceful, joyful, wise, loving and compassionate.
Just as our body needs nourishment, so does our soul.
It doesn’t shout or demand your attention but it responds very well to you just hanging out with it. All you need to do is give it the gift of your attention (which really means giving you the gift of your attention). Just sit, close your eyes, say “hi” and see what happens.
If nothing else, your mind and body will appreciate the rest but you may also be introduced to the most powerful, loving and inspiring relationship you’ve ever had.
There is such a simplicity to going inside but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. You might find it helpful to have the support of a guided meditation which you can find on one of the many apps that are now available (my favourite is Insight Timer) or by joining a meditation group where you can get valuable guidance from an experience teacher (you might like to try my monthly practice group). Or you can just create a window of time each day to sit, close your eyes and ask your soul to speak to you.
Most of us give 4 minutes a day to brushing our teeth without giving it a second thought. We don’t resent the 30+ minutes we spend washing and taking care of the body so why not bring soul nourishment into your daily self-care routine?
What do you need help with?
