Mindful Moment #17 - Manifest A Metamorphosis

Escaping the Comfort Zone

Have you ever found yourself stuck? In your comfort zone? In your job? In your mindset? In your body? It’s not too hard to do. Comfortable things are…well, comfortable. If everything feels like fuzzy slippers and birthday cake, why on earth would you want to change it? Throw in some macaroni & cheese and a bottle of wine, and I can be happy many days in row without much else.

However, the comfort might start feeling like a trap. But why? Well…boredom and stagnation. Plus, those slippers have seen better days, and the cake? Truthfully, we probably shouldn’t be having cake EVERY day. Plus, there are a million things that might be even better than *those* slippers and *that* cake. I have an inkling of curiosity, but do I want to go out there when here feels so safe? Isn’t safety a good thing?

Outside of the analogy of physical comfort, if we find ourselves doing the same old thing, our world shrinks, and so do our brains. We forget to expand our thinking and so many other things start falling out of our attention. The extended “hunker down” of the pandemic affected different people in different ways. Some of us built a fortress out of pajama pants and coffee cups, and now that it’s feeling like its time to start emerging, it’s almost like I forgot how to exist outside of the comfort zone. I haven’t gotten a diagnosis for my brain fogginess, lack of gumption, and nearly paralyzing procrastination, but it’s being officially identified by psychologists in lots of patients from various walks of life. They sometimes use the term “languishing” to describe those of us stuck in survival mode with a cushion of comfort. I’m fine, but I’m not. I’m a little bit lost, but you don’t need to send a search party anywhere to find me.

Now, it’s still wise to proceed with caution given the various strains of viruses floating amongst us, but it is time to start cracking open your cocoon and stretching those wings. That doesn’t mean you need to make like a monarch butterfly and start a 2,500-mile migration (unless you want to). It does mean that you need to consider where you might go with these new wings. What do you want to see?

And of course, this is the meditation I want to offer you.

Normally I suggest sitting down, but this one might be best if you can lay down and close your eyes.

Envision yourself as a caterpillar. You are small enough to fit on a leaf. The sun warms your whole body. Everything is green and bright. You have just awoken from a good night’s sleep, and you find yourself wanting to elongate your body as much as you can. Point your toes, straighten your legs, inhale deeply into your chest, and stretch your arms over your head, reaching as far beyond your head as you can. Relax.

You look around and the see that the leaf you are on is surrounded by countless other leaves. The blue of the sky is far in the distance. You can hear other insects buzzing and humming and munching around you on other leaves. You decide to take a big bite of the leaf you are on. It tastes just like your favorite food! How is that possible? You don’t care, and take another bite and another until your belly is full and you feel satisfied. Stretch again from toe to fingertip.

Now is the time to create your cocoon. Imagine wrapping your whole self in a long silk scarf. It feels like a hug. When the final turn of the scarf covers your head, the sounds you heard before are muffled and the sun isn’t as hot. You are cool and comfy. Allow every muscle in your body to relax. Start again with your toes, consciously choosing to release any tension in each foot, ankle, calf, knee, thigh, hip, abdomen, chest, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hands. Relax your neck, jaw, eyes, forehead, and scalp. You are a blob. You are held tightly to the leaf, which bobs gently in the breeze. You are content.

As you are relaxing in this comfortable cocoon, imagine an intricate fabric begins to grow over your arms and along your sides. The fabric grows denser and stronger, lined with a pattern unique to you. An array of colors appear in the fabric as it grows fuller and fuller, expanding your cocoon. Soon, however, your cocoon starts feeling tight. Too tight. You want to move your arms, wiggle your fingers, and stretch again, but you can’t. It’s time to break out of the scarf. Slowly move your shoulders back and forth, followed by your hips. Take a deep breath and slowly pull your arms away from your body. Watch your wings unfurl from your shoulders to your hips and slowly reach each arm out to your sides as far as you can, allowing the wings to lay flat around you.

Imagine that you find your footing, and stand up. Lift the wings into the air. It will feel like catching wind in a sail, lifting you off your feet. Swing your arms together from front to back to steer and fly in the direction you choose. You eventually forget that you are consciously controlling your wings. The sun is warm, the sky is wide, and you are sailing high above the treetops, watching the earth expand in all directions away from you, bright and green and delicious.

Enjoy the flight for as long as you wish. Go somewhere you have always wanted to go, no matter how far away it may seem. End your meditation by finding a field of flowers and tuck yourself into a bloom to return to rest. Enjoy some nectar, take some deep breaths, and relax.

I hope you can break out of any limiting cocoons. I hope you can soar to a broader perspective of the world around you. I hope you can find a new safe space that is just as comfortable as the old one.

As ever, my friends, namaste.

-Amy

INSPIRATIONS THIS WEEK

We’re feeling inspired by these incredible and thought provoking pieces:

Meteoroid hit has caused ‘significant uncorrectable’ damage to James Webb Space TelescopeLike any spacecraft, the telescope has encountered micrometeoroids and its sensors have detected six deformations on the telescope’s primary mirror panels that have been attributed to strikes.
3 Ways to Innovate in a DownturnRecessions offer major opportunities for innovators. They can be a good time to introduce game-changing offerings or simple, affordable solutions or make bold, strategic moves.
Biden Administration Plans for Legal Psychedelic Therapies Within Two YearsA letter from the Health and Human Services Department discloses the anticipated FDA approval of MDMA and psilocybin treatments.

That’s all for today, y’all – remember, taking time to focus on you is an act of love.

We hope you found this helpful – don’t hesitate to reply with any feedback on how we can improve future Mindful Moments! We can’t wait to hear from you.