Use these Practices to Find Your Center

Hello Empowered Wayers!Being present and aware of yourself is always available, but the distractions of our lives cause amnesia.When you are ensnared in the worries of your world, you forget who you really are. When all of your thoughts focus on perceived problems and worry is your constant companion, amnesia takes over. Your attention is directed outside of yourself, and your intention is to solve the dilemna.That focused attention and intention on an external threat or painful situation creates your world. Everything becomes one dimensional and your power to create is used to solve and survive.Spiritual amnesia is the result.How can you find your way out of the maze? Through breathwork, meditation, and a physical tool that is ancient and mysterious.Breathwork is Always AvailableWhen I practiced law, my stress level was off the chart. I was caught in worry, anxiety, and I always felt that a castrophe was about to happen. There was so much I couldn’t control that impacted the results, but no matter how much I worred or stressed, it didn’t help.Until I discovered mindfulness and meditation. I learned that I lived constantly in flight or fight mode. My anxiety caused my body to stay in overdrive and I woke up bone tired. As I began to understand intellectually what I was doing to myself, I also leaned more into my heart and soul through breathwork and guided meditation.Box breathing was a life saver. When you take a long, slow deep breath in and hold it for four seconds, then release slowly to the count of four, imagine you are tracing the upward and horizontal lines of a box. As your slowly exhale, count to four and trace down. Hold the exhale for the count of four and trace the bottom of the box, back to the beginning. Notice how much calmer you are. When your mind focused on this simple exercise, you interrupt the flight or fight pattern and give your body a chance to return to normal. Use this technique any time you begin to feel anxious or worried.It’s a simple technique that reduces stress, calms your nervous system, and allows you to return to your attention to the problems at hand. Instead of looking at the situation through fear, breathwork brings you back to your higher thinking. From there, a path forward emerges.Begin a Meditation Practice and Watch your Life ShiftI became a certified Meditation and Mindfulness Teacher in 2018. I started a daily practice of meditating and jornaling long before that year, but I realized I wanted to help others create their own practices.I began creating meditations and publishing them on Insight Timer, one of the best apps for free and paid meditations. You can find me on the site (and please follow me!)As you begin to meditate, you will discover an amazing fact. Inside of you is a space of stillness and calm. During meditation, as you let go of your thoughts, you sink deeper into this place of stillness. Your sense of anxiety and worry slides away as you go deeper into yourself.It’s as if you have sunk beneath the chaos of the ocean’s surface, and found the calm stillness underneath. When you experience that first moment of pure peace, everything changes. You realize that you can bring this sense of well-being to the surface of your life. Using breathwork to stay centered, you discover that you are a different person. All because you took the time to become yourself.Explore the thousands of teachers on Insight Timer. Follow the ones who resonate with you. It’s a vast playground of spirituality, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. As you explore every day, you will soon create a library of your favorite meditations. Return to them during the day when fear or anxiety strike. It’s almost as if you have a super power you can activate in times of stress.Remember who you are - a spiritual being living as a human. It changes everything. That’s why it’s called Empowered Way.Blessings,Kathryn This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empoweredway.substack.com