On the Verge. Cara Bradley

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      The Primer Practices are essential to living on the verge. So when you come upon one of them, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I know how easy it is to skip over stuff. The only way you’ll truly benefit from what I’m sharing is to roll up your sleeves and get curious about how you’re experiencing life. Reading this book may inspire you here and there, but ultimately my words will not help you feel any more awake or any more alive. The Primer Practices are opportunities to do so. Don’t just breeze by them.

      All of the Primer Practices are available in audio form on the Verge Mobile App, easily downloaded through my website: www.carabradley.net.

      Let’s do this.

PRIMER PRACTICE: STOP, TAKE FIVE, EXPERIENCE

      This simple exercise couldn’t be easier. It’s a great way to quickly notice where you are and what you’re doing. Practicing this throughout the day can help you become familiar with which experiences of yours are direct, secondhand, or muted. Read the full instructions before starting.

      1. Set your timer for two minutes. Close your eyes.

      2. Actively pay attention to your breathing, by counting five full breaths. It helps to think, “Inhale, exhale one. Inhale, exhale two, ” and so on. Listening to the sound of your breath will almost immediately relax you and begin to settle your busy mind.

      3. After five breaths, open your eyes and sit quietly.

      4. Try not to put words to your experience. Look around and actively notice your surroundings. What do you see, smell, hear, taste, or touch? If you hear a bird chirp, just note that. Do you smell coffee? Note that too. If your mind is very busy thinking, that’s okay too. Whatever you notice is perfect. There are actually no correct answers when you practice — you just practice! Pausing to notice the moment and what you’re experiencing is the first step to connecting with your body and waking up to your direct experience more often.

      Throughout the day, practice actively paying attention. Stop, take five, experience. You can do it in the chaos of your commute, in a moment in between meetings, or while waiting for the school bus to arrive. It is easier to pause when you minimize distractions, but it’s not essential. The following situations can help you tune in to your body and notice your direct experience:

       Turning off the car radio

       Focusing only on finishing the email

       Exercising without listening to music

       Cooking dinner without trying to multitask

      The fact is, if you are breathing, you are experiencing your life. Whether you’re aware of what you’re experiencing is another matter. I want to help you to become aware of and recognize your direct experiences. Start actively paying attention to what you’re experiencing right away. Try it again, right now. Try it several times today. What’s happening in this exact moment? What do you see, smell, or hear? How do you feel? Are you tired or energized? Do you feel dull or awake? Start naming your experiences throughout your day.

      Naming what you’re experiencing gives you breathing space. Pausing to acknowledge sensations interrupts your busy mind and allows you to rest for a moment. Such pauses in the frenzied speed of our everyday lives can be a great relief — like a breath of fresh air.

      They also make you available to experience brief moments of beauty or intensity that you’ve been too distracted to notice. For instance, you may stop at a red light and glance up to notice the sun peeking through the clouds, or you look up from the kitchen sink and catch your daughter dancing by herself in the backyard. Perhaps you take that first bite of a juicy peach and close your eyes to savor its sweetness. I view these brief moments as glimpses of being fully alive.

      Such glimpses are happening all the time, and with practice you’ll start noticing them in every corner of your life. Glimpses are not just feel-good moments. They are like arriving on the threshold between a moment ago and a moment from now. They are your direct experience in this exact moment.

      Glimpses invite you to experience how you’re always awake and fully alive. Like a whisper in your ear, they remind you that you already have everything you need to experience your life fully and that you already know how to show up and shine.

      Your life is too precious to treat it like a spectator sport, so don’t be content to sit courtside watching the game happen in front of you. Why not directly experience your life fully? Let’s explore high-definition, high-voltage living. Let’s directly experience living on the verge.

      Glimpses invite you to experience how you’re always awake and fully alive.

      Are you ready? I hope so.

      Come on, say it out loud with me: “Let me do!”

CHAPTER TWO

       On the Verge

      As a competitive figure skater, I spent hours on a clean patch of ice practicing figure eights. I traced my figures over and over while on one edge of a very thin blade. I recall drinking in the cold damp air on those early mornings before school in the hushed stillness of the quiet rink. I loved every minute of those training sessions, including the precision of the movement, the serenity of silence, and the joy of being alive.

      As a young skater, I became keenly aware of the accuracy required to glide on the edge of a sharp blade. A slight shift in focus or a moment of hesitation would throw my body off just enough to affect the crispness of my edge on the ice. Even a subtle distraction while creating a figure eight could result in the difference between a gold medal and eighth place. There was no room for error. I needed to be fiercely focused as I leaned into the edge of my blade. I needed to be fully engaged. Without knowing it then, I was training my mind to recognize when I was distracted and to show up in the moment again and again. I was training to live on the verge.

      This Moment Is the Verge

      If you’re like most people, your mind is busy, filled with untamed emotions and unruly thoughts. Your attention is often anywhere but right here. You churn out thought after thought as you live in the chaos and clutter of your busy mind.

      Busy mind is a catchall term I use to include anything that pulls you away from showing up right here and now. Your busy mind includes the thoughts, emotions, stories, and perceptions that often mute your experience and trap you into stressing and overthinking your way through life. Too much mental content frays your nerves and keeps you awake at night. Simply put, your busy mind is an overwhelming place to live. The mental junk drains you; the drama and distraction always leave you feeling exhausted.

      Busy mind is a catchall term I use to include anything that pulls you away from showing up right here and now.

      Although thinking is useful, overthinking can be detrimental and even destructive. It increases stress and blocks your capacity to connect with your body and access your natural intelligence. But please don’t fret. Knowing you have a busy mind is the first step. Get СКАЧАТЬ