September 1 2009 – Getting Unblocked #30

Here's where change is possible: here and now.

There's no other location that works!

And
this is important because our attention has the capacity to be all over
the place–past, future, worlds that never existed… but actual change
only happens here and now.

So when your life is blocked somehow,
the first thing to do is to come into here and now. When you do, you'll
probably feel some relief already!

I suggest the following steps:

Notice
how you are sitting (or standing). Let your awareness come more fully
into your body. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to find where
your body is in contact with something, and feel the sensation of that
contact.

For example, right now I am sitting. I feel the contact
of my feet on the floor. I feel my upper thighs and buttocks and back
resting on the chair. I feel my hands resting on the laptop keyboard. I
take time to savor those sensations.

Another way that works for many people is to feel the breath. ("I'm noticing the feel of my breathing.")

And they don't always say what to do next.

Here's what I'd suggest: Now that you're in body awareness, invite the trouble that's been bugging you to form as a body sense.

Like this: "I'm inviting the feel right now of that whole thing about the unfinished project."

Use
non-judging language. (Not "that whole thing about being useless and
lazy.") Just name the issue without interpreting it, like a neutral
party.

Then wait with awareness in your body… wait for
something to arise. It won't be strange or unfamiliar, probably. But it
might be vague and hard to describe. That's the place where we can lose
track, and think it's not working, or think it's nothing. Your body
gives you its whole "feel" of the issue you're stuck about, and you
need to give it time to do that, and also patience, if it's unclear or
vague.