Sitting with yourself is hard work! We can be our own worst enemy or best friend.

Not many of us spend good quality time with ourselves. With so many distractions and things to do we are in a constant state of living from the neck up and can easily over look what matters most outside of the daily routine and responsibilities. Oh and not to forget about the constant influx of notifications from social media and the worldwide web.

I value time alone and get a weird sense of satisfaction when I connect to that uncomfortable spot inside myself which enables me to shine a light on my samskaras / shadow side and surrender to facing my shi*t instead of hiding behind the busyness facade.

At the time I hate it with total vengeance and don’t know anyone who willingly does this on a regular basis. But there comes a time when all we can do is journey inwards and do what needs to be done. Once I emerge from the dark crevasse of my psyche wow, what a relief and sense of fulfillment I feel from clearing out the gunk that is not serving me. This simple act of acknowledgment does wonders for my spirit! Yes I see you. I notice your pain and feel your anger. I know you are pissed and upset. No need to solve the problem or find a solution, just a simple act of acknowledging is sometimes enough.

Being able to consciously sit with yourself is a gift, a total blessing and a way to know yourself intimately on all levels. The more you do this the more you witness and recognise your own patterns of how you deal with life, where your decision making comes from and ultimately what you need for your next evolution.

Sitting with yourself takes guts, courage and perseverance, it’s not for the light hearted and I don’t recommend it for anyone who is seeking a life of absolute ease, rainbows and unicorns! Sure that is achievable too but to get to that space authentically we need to do some digging, fiercely!

Facing your whole self, warts and all (as my friend use to say) is not an easy task and yes going on yoga retreats and praticing meditation helps but we need to stop searching for the easy way, a short cut or the hidden path and simply sit, listen, accept and embrace what and who we are. Tears will flow, anger may arise and you will want to run far away from yourself but just like a rough diamond, we all need some polishing and refining before our true colours can shine through.

Start by creating a daily practice of sitting with yourself for 10 simple breaths for a few days, then increase this to 20 breaths until you reach one minute and continue. In this space there is nothing to do, there is no need to try and do or be anything, just witness yourself in the space of Being regardless of what your mind is saying. Once you complete, make notes, dance, go outside and continue on with your day knowing your journey of being able to comfortably sit with yourself has began. If this speaks to you and so does spending some time with yourself surrounded by a tribe of like minded international joyous beings join us in Ibiza this September for a week long retreat dedicated to refining your art.

Feel free to share this post with others and let me know about your journey with me in the comments below!