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meditation
June 2009 
Under the Banyan Tree 28
Posted on Jul 3rd, 2007
by 
Harshada
Harshada
Leaving Room for the Holy Ghost
Back in the 1950's when my Mom was in Catholic High School the priests and nuns would monitor the dances. They would come to the slow-dancing couples with a ruler and measure a distance of at least 6 inches of space between the hot adolescent bodies.
"Leave a little space for the Holy Ghost", they would say.
I love this expression. I've stolen it now and use it all the time. Often when I'm working with a client helping them make a plan or strategize a timeline for a project I will tell them, "make sure you leave a little room for the Holy Ghost!" At first they look at me like I'm crazy, but once they get what I'm driving at, they get it. I think of "the Holy Ghost" as our living energy- the creative energy of the universe. And in my experience- this spontaneous dynamic energy shows up a lot more when we consciously make the space for it.
In the 21st century, "space" has become a rare and precious commodity. In New York City where I live, this is literally true. Real estate prices are out of control, subway cars are packed with bodies, and good luck finding a "space" to park your car.
Space is also a precious commodity (no matter where we live) in our schedules, in our plans and ideas, and in our minds. So as we enter into July, I want to offer this challenge to you- Look at your schedule, your plans, and your mind and ask- are you leaving any room for the Holy Ghost?
When we leave room for the Holy Ghost in our our schedules, we allow for ease and balance. Its such a simple thing, but we rarely do it. If we look at our schedule every day and consciously leave some spaces there it makes a huge difference. We can give ourselves extra time for transitions between things or just leave little moments of break where we can simply relax. For entrepreneurs this is especially crucial. If we work for ourselves and are passionate about our work, we tend to work nonstop and rarely take days off. Giving yourself a day off may feel like "taking your hands off the wheel". Think of it instead like pulling over to the side of the road to take a much needed nap. Keep going and you'll likely end up in the ditch. Set a day every week and let it be your space for the holy ghost. Space out, go for walks, go see a movie, go to a yoga class. Nonstop workers don't have to wait for their day off either. Everyone should put a little space in their daily schedule. Leave a little space for the Holy Ghost. Let that living energy be the focus for a little while. Meditate for 10 or 20 minutes, go sit outside and breathe fresh air for a few minutes.
When we leave room for the holy ghost in our plans it allows the creative force of the universe to move there and bring in ideas, people and situations that are beyond what we come up with with our limited thinking. When you're planning a meeting or writing a talk, leave a little space where everything is not so planned out. Whenever we actually get into executing a plan- it changes anyway -isn't it true? You can plan for that. Make your plans. Set your intentions. But leave room for the holy ghost. Be ready for things to expand and contract.
Our mind is often the most crowded closet in our house. Everything we experience and do goes through the filter of our mind. When our mind is okay- we're okay; and when our mind is out of whack we're not okay- no matter how well everything around us is going. One of the most effective things we can do is to create some space in our mind. Often times our mind troubles us simply because it's over-loaded. Have you noticed how un-troubled you feel while you're watching TV or watching a movie? Its amazing! Husbands cheat on wives, people kill other people, scandals rock the nation -but we can sit there and feel fairly relaxed on our couch watching it all happen. Its because there is just one thing to watch and we have no apparent responsibility for what's going on. Unfortunately, this form of recreation and relaxation only has a temporary relaxation effect on the mind. After the show is over and the bad guy has been caught and the news is over, all of that information is still there in our minds to be processed. Your body and nervous system doesn't know the difference between a gunfight on TV and one in your living room. In the name of relaxing and taking our mind off our work, we often load our mind down with more mental "doo-doo" to deal with.
Our minds crave simplicity and being "off the hook". Our minds crave space. One of the most high leverage ways to create space in your mind is with sitting meditation. Sit down and close your eyes. Let yourself off the hook from all the roles you play and relax. Watch your breath come in and out. Just that- just your breath. Give your mind a break. Imagine a big eraser erasing all the stuff from the surface of your mind. Let it be spacious and clear. Soon enough, you'll have to leap back in to action and complexity. For the time being- let yourself rest. After meditation, be selective with how much you load your mind down again. Leave a little room for the holy ghost.
If you take this challenge and create the needed space in your schedule, plans, and mind you'll be astonished at the results. Chances are you'll get more done, the work will be higher quality, and you will enjoy doing it more along the way. If you want more guidance on any of this -let us know. We're committed to your success and committed to that creative energy flowing through everything you do.
Back in the 1950's when my Mom was in Catholic High School the priests and nuns would monitor the dances. They would come to the slow-dancing couples with a ruler and measure a distance of at least 6 inches of space between the hot adolescent bodies.
"Leave a little space for the Holy Ghost", they would say.
I love this expression. I've stolen it now and use it all the time. Often when I'm working with a client helping them make a plan or strategize a timeline for a project I will tell them, "make sure you leave a little room for the Holy Ghost!" At first they look at me like I'm crazy, but once they get what I'm driving at, they get it. I think of "the Holy Ghost" as our living energy- the creative energy of the universe. And in my experience- this spontaneous dynamic energy shows up a lot more when we consciously make the space for it.
In the 21st century, "space" has become a rare and precious commodity. In New York City where I live, this is literally true. Real estate prices are out of control, subway cars are packed with bodies, and good luck finding a "space" to park your car.
Space is also a precious commodity (no matter where we live) in our schedules, in our plans and ideas, and in our minds. So as we enter into July, I want to offer this challenge to you- Look at your schedule, your plans, and your mind and ask- are you leaving any room for the Holy Ghost?
When we leave room for the Holy Ghost in our our schedules, we allow for ease and balance. Its such a simple thing, but we rarely do it. If we look at our schedule every day and consciously leave some spaces there it makes a huge difference. We can give ourselves extra time for transitions between things or just leave little moments of break where we can simply relax. For entrepreneurs this is especially crucial. If we work for ourselves and are passionate about our work, we tend to work nonstop and rarely take days off. Giving yourself a day off may feel like "taking your hands off the wheel". Think of it instead like pulling over to the side of the road to take a much needed nap. Keep going and you'll likely end up in the ditch. Set a day every week and let it be your space for the holy ghost. Space out, go for walks, go see a movie, go to a yoga class. Nonstop workers don't have to wait for their day off either. Everyone should put a little space in their daily schedule. Leave a little space for the Holy Ghost. Let that living energy be the focus for a little while. Meditate for 10 or 20 minutes, go sit outside and breathe fresh air for a few minutes.
When we leave room for the holy ghost in our plans it allows the creative force of the universe to move there and bring in ideas, people and situations that are beyond what we come up with with our limited thinking. When you're planning a meeting or writing a talk, leave a little space where everything is not so planned out. Whenever we actually get into executing a plan- it changes anyway -isn't it true? You can plan for that. Make your plans. Set your intentions. But leave room for the holy ghost. Be ready for things to expand and contract.
Our mind is often the most crowded closet in our house. Everything we experience and do goes through the filter of our mind. When our mind is okay- we're okay; and when our mind is out of whack we're not okay- no matter how well everything around us is going. One of the most effective things we can do is to create some space in our mind. Often times our mind troubles us simply because it's over-loaded. Have you noticed how un-troubled you feel while you're watching TV or watching a movie? Its amazing! Husbands cheat on wives, people kill other people, scandals rock the nation -but we can sit there and feel fairly relaxed on our couch watching it all happen. Its because there is just one thing to watch and we have no apparent responsibility for what's going on. Unfortunately, this form of recreation and relaxation only has a temporary relaxation effect on the mind. After the show is over and the bad guy has been caught and the news is over, all of that information is still there in our minds to be processed. Your body and nervous system doesn't know the difference between a gunfight on TV and one in your living room. In the name of relaxing and taking our mind off our work, we often load our mind down with more mental "doo-doo" to deal with.
Our minds crave simplicity and being "off the hook". Our minds crave space. One of the most high leverage ways to create space in your mind is with sitting meditation. Sit down and close your eyes. Let yourself off the hook from all the roles you play and relax. Watch your breath come in and out. Just that- just your breath. Give your mind a break. Imagine a big eraser erasing all the stuff from the surface of your mind. Let it be spacious and clear. Soon enough, you'll have to leap back in to action and complexity. For the time being- let yourself rest. After meditation, be selective with how much you load your mind down again. Leave a little room for the holy ghost.
If you take this challenge and create the needed space in your schedule, plans, and mind you'll be astonished at the results. Chances are you'll get more done, the work will be higher quality, and you will enjoy doing it more along the way. If you want more guidance on any of this -let us know. We're committed to your success and committed to that creative energy flowing through everything you do.
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