Stressed out? A creative visualization from Eckhart Tolle
Marsh brought the following passage to my attention, from Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. I remember it from my days of listening nonstop to Tolle’s audiobooks. I like this passage a lot.
If at any time you are finding it hard to get in touch with the inner body, it is usually easier to focus on your breathing first. Conscious breathing, which is a powerful meditation in its own right, will gradually put you in touch with the body.
Follow the breath with your attention as it moves in and out of your body. Breathe into the body, and feel your abdomen expanding and contracting slightly with each inhalation and exhalation.
If you find it easy to visualize, close your eyes and see yourself surrounded by light or immersed in a luminous substance - a sea of consciousness. Then breathe in that light.
Feel that luminous substance filling up your body and making it luminous also. Then gradually focus more on the feeling. You are now in the body. Don’t get attached to any visual image.
The “luminous substance” part of this exercise is reminiscent of A.H. Almaas’s description of Living Daylight.
If you’re new to Tolle, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook versions of his books The Power of Now and A New Earth. They help you connect the meaning of the words with the sound of his voice. The two go well together and deepen the learning experience.
Originally published at Mudita Journal. Please leave any comments there.