The inner act of focusing can be broken down into 6 main sub acts. As these practices become second nature to you, you won’t even need to think of them as 6 separate parts of a process. As well, you will improve your ability to experience the “shifts” referenced in the exercise. If you have a hard time in any one step, just move onto the next step and return to an earlier step at another time.  You can also refer to developing your intuition part 3 where basic self-awareness exercises, that prepare us for this activity, are discussed.

Clearing a Space

After getting in position and in space where you are relaxed and to yourself, pay attention inwardly. Focus on your body—perhaps your stomach or chest. Ask yourself, “What is the main thing for me, right now?” What comes to the body part you are focusing on? Sense it. Let the answers come slowly.

When the concern comes, don’t go inside, stand back objectively and observe it. Allow space between you and that experience. Then ask what else you feel. Wait again and sense. There may be several things. Write them down, if you want.

Felt Sense

Select one of the issues that arose for you. Again, resist going inside it. Stand back and observe. There are many parts to that one thing—too many to think of each one alone. But you can feel all of these things together. Pay attention there where you usually fell things, and in there you can get a sense of what all of the problems feels like. Let yourself feel the unclear sense of all of it. You can write descriptions of that felt sense.

Handle

What is the quality of this unclear felt sense? Let a word, a phrase, or an image come up from the felt sense itself.  It might be a quality-word, like tight, sticky, scary, stuck, heavy, jumpy or a phrase or image. Stay with the quality of the felt sense until something fits just right.

Resonating

Go back and forth between the felt sense and the word (phrase or image).  Check how they resonate with each other.  See if there is a little bodily signal that lets you know there is a fit.  To do it, you have to have the felt self there again, as well as the word.  Let the felt sense, word or picture change if it does, until they feel just right in capturing the quality of the felt sense.

Asking

Now ask, “What is it about this whole problem that makes this quality?” Make sure the quality is sensed again very vividly (not just remembered from before). When it is here again tap it, touch it, be with it, asking, “What makes this whole problem so (fill in the blank with the earlier word, phrase or image)?” Be with the felt sense until something comes along with a shift that feels like a release.

Receiving

Receive whatever answer comes to you with a shift that feels like you’ve really hit the nail on the head.  Stay with it for a while. This may have been one shift, but more may come.  Stay for a few moments and let them surface.

If you are ready for more, you can take it a step further and ask your higher self, “What should I do next?” and repeat the receiving part of this exercise.

This one exercise where practice makes perfect, Frugalistas. Share your thoughts or experiences in the comment section below.

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