June – Spontaneous

The Container

(Inspired by Chapter 7 of Fearless Purpose)

SETTING UP YOUR SPACE TO PRACTICE REQUIRES A CONTAINER OF SOME KIND. YOUR CONTAINER IS SIMPLY THE STRUCTURE FOR YOUR TRAINING- IT’S THE CONSCIOUS SPACE YOU CREATE SO THAT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DEEPEN YOUR TRAINING, SO THAT YOU WON’T RUN AND SO THAT YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO SEE A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT OR PROGRESS.

You can see lots of practice containers in conscious practices. When a yoga teacher sets up a room so her students feel safe and can be immersed in their practice, or when a coach creates agreements so that the client feels safe and can be open, or when you create a place to read and study meaningful things for you, free from distraction and interruption, you have created a container.

A particularly sensitive friend came to visit me one day. She walked into the area where I do my sacred study every day and take time with my Creator. She meditatively paused, took a deep breath, and asked, “Is this where you study your scriptures every day?” When I told her it was, she smiled and affirmed, “Yes, I can feel that it is a sacred space.” This is what you want your “container” to be.

We train our brains by regularly using the same spot and pattern for study and growth. If it is the same time of day, so much better, but that is not required. The pattern or habit of place and practice creates the container.

My daily practice looks like this:
• Early in the morning, before the rest of my family arises, I get up.
• I start my morning “tea,” While the water heats, I stretch and practice a little Qigong.
• Once the tea is made, I settle in with my prayer, my journal, iPad, and books and begin to study. This takes some discipline on my part. It’s not unheard of for me to look for a particular verse and wind up on Amazon looking at great markers or a new dress! My brain recognizes our pattern and stays with me as I write and study most of the time.
• When I finish this quiet, sacred time, I like to go to the garden for a bit or for a walk. Then it’s time to start the day. This is my container.

My container is created by:
• A habitual pattern ( A when-then)
• A time (5 am, 11 pm, a stoplight, a bathroom pitstop, the time while the rice cooks)
• A place (a spot outdoors, a chair, your bed, a table, meditation cushion, etc.)
• Consistent Sensory Stimulation (a beverage/music/scents/deep breath etc.)
• Acceptance of what is. We are all 50/50 beings.

Your challenge this week is to set up your container. Each of us will have a unique space. Could you share it on the forum when you get yours set up? You will inspire others with your sharing.