Some Like It Hot!

Everyone needs a place to just be themselves. Somewhere we feel separated and isolated from everyone and everything else, and in a good way. A place to reflect, relax, reconnect with self, or perhaps explore inner thoughts and ideas our soul is waiting for us to notice and understand. Or not. Sometimes you don't do anything at all! But that's OK because our special space is for whatever is happening for us alone, and no one else.

I really enjoy my alone time in the sauna. I get a work out and then spend 20 or 30 minutes in the heat. Usually you'll see me with headphones on, zoned out to the music. My music comes out of an old portable CD player. Very 90's, and I'm often applauded for having an "old school" player (but only by the "old school" people). Interestingly, the music plays a big part of the experience for me. Just the decision to have the music on or not seems important to my process. Occasionally, silence offers the distraction my conscious mind wants or needs to allow introspection and notice what's going on deep inside. Other times, I listen very closely to the selections I've chosen, and even analyze them (more about those selections in another blog). And of course, I often shift around in between the two extremes, it really depends on the moment.

I started this little ritual 5 years ago, give or take. At first, I didn't realize what was opening up for me. But apparently the alone time coupled with heat and music help to bring down some of my barriers and get me into a meditative state. I don't completely understand it, but it works.

And then, my soul speaks.

Sometimes its loud and obvious. "Get out, you've been in here long enough!" Other times its a subtle nudge. So subtle that things often don't register consciously until hours or days later. "Its time to acknowledge your fear." My favorite times are the "aha" moments when, out of the blue, things all seem to make sense. At least for a while anyway. There's always a new perspective to gain or lesson to learn. This is a good thing, even tho frustrating at times. I truly feel that the real "experts" in the world are those who are continually wanting to learn more, whatever the topic may be.

So, my first blog entry comes to a close. There's a lot of stuff that's come up over the last five years in the hot seat. I'll probably try to mix old ideas and current ones in the entries, whichever feel most appropriate. We'll just have to see how this goes.

I have this habit of ending conversations (blog entries too) with a question.....so here goes.

Where can you go to "just be"?