Currently in the process of preparing for the 2024 HER Rejuvenate Retreat, there’s lots of forward planning. To be honest, there’s been forward planning for the last six months for this event. But empowerment of clarity on what to deliver has been in present moment energy.
I’ve written before about The power of retreat for gaining clarity we seek and that still stands. There’s so much we can become clear on when we release that which doesn’t serve us to bring in the new.
But one thing about retreat that needs to be reiterated is the empowerment we feel when we sink into present moment energy. During the four days and four nights together we most definitely become absorbed in this. And its from deep within this space that clarity emerges. Women leave feeling empowered, energised and renewed. Having a clear view of how they want to live now and in the time to come.
This is far superior to grappling with different ideas, trying to work it all out in your head. Getting more confused by the minute or not knowing where to start.
The thing is, not all of us are able to book into a 4 day 4 night retreat. And if this is you, then there are still ways you can tap into present moment energy at home.
First though, let’s look at why present moment energy brings that feeling of empowerment and eventually the clarity you’re searching for.
Present moment energy closes the gap
Most of the time the majority of us are living in the future or the past. We’re thinking about what we want to do or have next, or what we regret not doing. Even if our thoughts are just two minutes ahead or behind, we are still living in the future or the past. The power of thinking about the past is for lessons that might help us now. There’s also power in thinking ahead and most definitely when setting goals and mapping out a plan. But if we spend a lot of time thinking about the past or future it creates a gap.
This gap between our physical self and our mental self as we think ahead can lead to anxiety. Most especially when we start looking at things that can go wrong, what we might lose or how we might fail. The same as thinking in the past often brings feelings of melancholy, resentment, flatness or depression.
When we sink into the present moment we close the gap between our physical body and our thinking mind. This means our energy has now come back to our ourselves in the physical. We feel the empowerment of our true self. And we’re also able to access our intuition with more ease, possibly even finding the clarity we seek.
Closing the gap frequently leads to a sense of empowerment and also brings clarity
The power of retreat is undeniable in helping us see how this feels and also finding much needed clarity. It provides an empowering deep dive which can guide us in building this practice into our everyday lives.
However it’s not a one time fix all and it’s extremely important to make a decision to create frequent rituals for yourself. And action those intents. You can book into a retreat each year, but it’s essential also that you find ways to practice in your own time too.
Practicing mindfulness
There are so many different forms of practicing mindfulness, but let’s look at how that creates present moment energy.
Mindfulness is being mindful of where you are right now, no matter what you are doing. It’s bringing your focus back to now and being aware of what your senses are picking up. A friend of mine, Tessa Golding Clarke founder of The Kitchen Table Academy of Metaphysical Arts and Practices likes to call this mindlessness, because it’s moving out of the thinking mind.
You can practice mindfulness while you are eating for instance using your five senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Focus on the aroma of the food, the colours on your plate. The taste and texture in your mouth, focusing on each chew. Hearing the sound of your chewing. Using all senses you are immersing yourself in the present.
The same thing can be achieved by bringing your focus to your senses while you are walking, running, swimming. While sitting, meditating, having a bath or shower and many other things.
Focus on intentional breath can bring the empowerment of coming back to self
We are breathing every moment of each day, but how often do we bring our attention to it. For most of us that doesn’t happen unless we’re having difficulty breathing, right?
Intentional breath in modern day is called breath work and in yoga the ancient word is pranayama. It involves bringing awareness to breath and slowing it down with purpose. In fact our breath generally slows down by itself when we bring attention to it. As we bring attention to the breath, we have more control over the wanderings of the mind, and bask in present moment.
With intent we practice a variety of breaths that involve our whole lungs. We bring our focus to the sound of our breath, the length possibly through counting the seconds. Awareness is directed to the movement of our pelvic floor, abdomen, our rib cage, the chest. It might involved the sounds of humming or mantra too. Even visualisation.
Other practices that invite us into present moment energy
There are a variety of traditional practices that can bring us back to the empowerment of the present self. Practices such as Yoga, Qigong, TaiChi, of which there are local and online organised groups, apps and videos. There are also many online meditation packages, local groups, programs and apps too. Throughout my online group program HER Rediscovery, we also do intentional breath practices at the beginning of each session to connect with intuition.
If you’re not sure, give them all a go and find one that resonates with you. A practice that you can do in an organised group and also do at home. During the HER Rejuvenate Retreat we practice pretty much all of them. So it may not be just one practice. Sometimes it’s a combination. Whichever you choose, regular practice can lead to that sense of empowerment and the clarity you may be seeking.
The author, Deb Johnstone is a transformational coach, midlife transition mentor and yoga teacher. She’s also a professional speaker, EDISC trainer and founder of both Women Reinventing MidLife and Transformational Pathways Australia. You can learn more about Deb and the possibility of working wth her HERE