Do you ever long to just be?

Robin Easton perfected the art of being while living in the rainforest. Wild adventure, travel tale, love affair with nature, personal awakening, profound healing.  Her book -  Naked in Eden, My Adventures and Awakening in the Australian Rainforest - has it all.

Many wonderful life lessons await you on these pages. In this post, I'll focus on just one - the art of being - and allow you to discover the incredible mystery and magic of this captivating book on your own.

Robin didn't go to the rainforest to awaken or to heal. She blithely following her partner, their shared inspiration, and the call of destiny. It's nothing short of a miracle that they survived their youthful naiveté and raw confidence. Imagine sleeping in the open - well, under a truck - next to crocodile infested waters or driving down the side of cliff.

The rainforest blessed Robin with many gifts. One of the greatest was the rare opportunity to just be. She's describes a month when she "sat and browsed together every dawn" with a wallaby.

"In the end, all I did was sit, watch, and heal." -Robin Easton, Naked in Eden

Can you imagine just allowing yourself to be in that way? Or does it seems impossible to part from your schedule, agenda, commitments, to-do list, cell phone and computer?

Our culture demands that we live in a swirl of motion. The effect of high expectations, endless activity, and constant pressures is an unnerving addiction to speed, results, consumption, over-thinking, and the corresponding adrenaline rush that occurs.

Living in constant stimulation like this will eventually lead to serious illness.  But even when people become ill, they feel compelled to continue with business as usual. Our conditioning is just that strong. Rarely do people  allow themselves time and space to heal.

But even the Energizer Bunny needs his batteries recharged now and then. If you're smart, you'll swim against the tide of convention and find ways to balance being vs. doing now - long before illness becomes your unwelcome cohort.

I know it's not easy. It's not easy for me!  But only you can decide "enough is enough" and take steps toward a saner and more satisfying life.

21 ways to simply be

So, how do you start just being?

First, take your watch off and try to keep your eyes off the clock.

Take a few moments to recall the qualitiesof a relaxed state of being.  Allow them to gradually permeate your body, mind, and spirit.

• Aimless rather than goal oriented

• Observant rather than engaged

• Receptive rather than active

• Slow rather than quick

• Intuitive rather than logical

• Quiet rather than loud

• Spacious rather than focused

• Timeless rather than timebound

Then, simply be!  Here are 21 ways to simply be that I enjoy:

1. Spend time with your body. Lightly place your attention on the sensations in your body.  Then follow them about. Try a guided body scan or an exercise in progressive relaxation.

2. Focus on your breathing. Just feel your belly as it rises and falls.

3. Take a full day of rest each week.

4. Awaken your senses: listen to the sounds around you, see the panorama of images in front of your eyes, inhale the scents, feel the textures, notice the tastes.

5. Take a quiet break from work regularly throughout the day.  Just pause. Let your mind and body rest.

6. Take a real lunch break, devoid of work activity or personal tasks.

7. Eat your meals in silence. Savor the tastes and be aware of the sensations of chewing and digesting.

8. Take a 10-minute break after every meal.

9. Get a massage. Just a simple message.

10. Enjoy a digital and electronic retreat. Turn off all the phones, the computer, television, radio, etc.

11. Play with children. Dare to be silly and have fun.

12. Play with a pet or enjoy watching your pet.

13. People watch. In a train station, a park, anywhere.

14. Take a meandering walk. Wander with no destination in mind.

15. Enjoy a bath.

16. Relax into meditation.

17. Watch the clouds drift by in the sky.

18. Float in water in a pool, a pond, a river, an ocean.

19. Take a nap.

20. Immerse yourself in nature.

21. Listen to relaxing or uplifting music.

The idea isn't to eradicate doing altogether - just to bring more balance into your life.  Start with small doses and then add on.

You too can find the same joy, contentment, inspiration, and good health that Robin found in the rainforest.

"The presence of wild creatures filled my life with joy. My untamed friends taught me how to be human again by helping me to find the benevolent or humane part of myself. They also showed me how to be an animal again and how to listen to my heart's wild hunger."  Robin Easton, Naken in Eden

The inspiration I found amidst these beautifully written pages reawakened my own desire to simply be.  Thank you so much Robin for reminding me.

It may be sad to say, but so true:  our sanity and the preservation of the environment depends upon our ability to rediscover the natural ability to just be.

I would love to hear your suggestions about how to just be!

Image from Wikipedia.

Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious!  Don’t forget to  sign up for Wild Arisings, my twice monthly letters from the heart filled with insights, inspiration, and ideas to help you connect with and live from your truest self. 

You might also like to check out my  Self-Care Shop. May you be happy, well, and safe – always.  With love, Sandra