Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The Unlikely Path to Creating Calmness


I have been taking an E-class with Dr. Brene Brown this Spring and last week's lesson was on calm and stillness.  I used to think that this meant being quiet, having nothing to do, sitting still, but I have discovered that it is much more than that and as a result have been in a place within my heart that I have not been in for a long time!

What is it that brings calmness into your life, brings stillness into your life?  Over the last week I have asked myself this question numerous times on a road to discovery of myself and how I maintain calmness on a daily basis.

I have previously written about my energy and how scattered it can get and I have been working on being more centered this year (boy did that open an emotional can of worms, but more on that another day).  So with that in mind and knowing how overwhelmed I can get I began creating a space for calmness.  However I discovered it in the most unlikely place which was surprising as it is not quiet at all!

As most of you know I am a runner and I usually run in solitude with no music, just me and my thoughts. This most times is okay, but other times can leave me feeling not only spent physically, but emotionally as well.  A friend of mine challenged me to start running with music. So I accepted the challenge and with the help of my daughter created a running play list. This was only the beginning!  I realized that for the past several months that I have pretty much cut music from my life except for an occasional song here or there.  However, as I listened to a lot of music of all varieties this past weekend something awakened in me that I have not felt in a long time!  At first I could not put my finger on it and then after some time I realized it was calmness!

Music is powerful and can invoke many emotions.  I discovered that music was a path to my heart!  As I listened to song after song, a feeling flowed over me I have not felt for a long time, I felt centered.  A range of emotions washed over me, such as peace, happiness, joy, clarity to name a few.  It was as if someone took a sweeper to the path from my head to my heart and cleared out all the clutter! I felt calm, I could hear my heart. I did not feel so overwhelmed, I could relax.

If someone had told me that I would discover a way to calmness through music my first thought would have been but I don't really want to listen to elevator music.  But that is not what I was listening too, this was upbeat, positive music that was anything but elevator music.

So I ask again, what is your path to calmness?  Anything goes, it does not have to be a quiet, solemn activity.  It could just be something that wants to make you move, to go outside, to enjoy life.  Take the chance and make the discovery for yourself!