Gentle
GENTLE = worthy, of good family, gracious, kind, pleasing; soft, delicate, honorable, distinguished; free from harshness and violence
QUESTION: Are you gentle?
Image: Heather Williams, H.W., M.
STORY: I’m sure you realize that life is constantly changing! Every day is a new day with new temperatures, new clouds, new emails, new people, new feelings. There are times when I feel excited as I prepare for my upcoming drawing class. There are times when I feel anxious, even fearful about something I read in the paper or in an email. Well, the good news is that I have noticed a remarkable shift in myself after practicing the “WORK” or what is called “KNOWING THYSELF”. I pay attention to the sensation in my body - without naming, labeling or judging. Instead, I simply relax and Be Gentle and softly let go of the tension in my body. I am beginning to view tension in my body as a kind of signal or even a “Teacher” that guides me into BEING PRESENT. This simple shift centers me and connects me with the ever present Beingness that I AM. Learn more in The Prosperos School of Ontology classes: https://www.theprosperos.org/teaching
QUOTES
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” ~ Anne Frank
“Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.” ~ Robert Kennedy
“If you want to influence people, you want them to accept your suggestions, you don't say, 'How could you make that argument?' It will be welcomed much more if you have a gentle touch than if you are aggressive.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg
EXERCISE
STOP.
Sit quietly.
Assume an erect posture.
Sense the breath.
Relax.
Feel any tension in your body and just BE PRESENT and let it go.
Relax and feel a gentle flow of energy in you.
Get your pen and paper and write words or draw lines expressing the gentle, kind, changeless Beingness that is flowing through you now.
As you move into your day, take this gentle Beingness with you.