•  
A+ A A-

The Ground of Your Basic Goodness

zen still

A lot of the time, life can be pretty stressful:

  • You feel like you’re treading water, or drowning from an overwhelming number of things to do.
  • You feel bad about yourself because you’re not sticking to things, you’re in debt, you’re overweight, you feel like you keep messing up.
  • Your relationships are a mess, you’re fighting a lot, you feel lonely.
  • Things suddenly happen to shake up your life, or maybe it’s constantly being shaken up, and you’re facing tremendous change and uncertainty.

Basically, life can feel groundless – no solid, stable ground under your feet.

And the truth is, that’s almost all the time. Our lives are always groundless, even if we try to get routines and control and stability. Things constantly happen to pull the rug out from under our feet, and that kind of uncertainty can be stressful, disappointing, painful, uncomfortable.

So what can we do?

We start by just dropping into the moment. Just notice the particularities of this incredible moment. Start to tenderly feel the moment as it is, right now, without trying to make it any different. Start to feel, with a raw and open heart, the magic of this miraculous moment.

That’s a pretty good start.

Then drop into this short meditation:

  1. Pay attention to how your body feels. What does it feel like to be alive right now? It’s a feeling, this aliveness — what does that feel like? Feel that for a minute.
  2. Synchronize your mind with your breath. Instead of having your mind doing something else, let it just rest on the sensation of the breath. What is that like? Stay here for a minute. Come back if you start to wander off.
  3. Now just keep an open awareness on your experience. Notice how your heart feels. If there’s any kind of pain, tension, tightness — just notice that.
  4. Notice the tenderness under the pain, tension, tightness. That’s your tender heart.
  5. Start to feel the basic goodness inside of you. That includes your tender heart, but also your pain, stress, discomfort, and all the sensations of your breath and body. It includes your everpresent awareness. It includes everything. You don’t have a basic goodness, you are basic goodness.

This is the ground of your existence. It’s not stability in your life, not routines or systems, not a sureness of who you are or what your world is. It’s just awareness of your basic goodness. And you can start to feel it, if you practice the meditation above. You can start to sense it, and trust in it. It’s always there, in the background. It’s the vast blue sky to the clouds of your thoughts and feelings.

You can trust that it’s there, sense it whenever you need to, once you learn to sense it. This basic goodness that is unconditional, wider than you can imagine.

Practice this for five minutes a day, or anytime you notice yourself feeling groundless.

Zen Habits is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. My name is Leo Babauta. I live in Davis, California with my wife and six kids, where I eat vegan food, write, run, and read. Source

Pin It

Liked this article? Dive deeper into personal growth and wellness! Check out CrystalWind.ca for spiritual wisdom or explore AromaWorx.ca for natural well-being tips. Spread the positivity—share this with friends on their happiness journey!

Let’s Chat! Drop Your Thoughts Below! Scroll down to comment

Keep CrystalWind.ca free—your gift matters now!
Help us spread light today. Thank you, supporters!

Follow this blog

Featured Writers

Thank You for Visiting CrystalWind!

We’re honored to be part of your journey.

Share your thoughts at .

Let’s grow together!

Imagine a world of inspiration and healing, free for all—made possible by YOU!
Donate Now—Ignite the Magic at CrystalWind.ca!

Support CrystalWind.ca Today!

Unlock Your Light: Join Lightworkers Worldwide on CrystalWind.ca!

Call For Writers

Call For Writers!

Follow Us!

Featured This Month

Page:

Ripe Berries Moon

Ripe Berries Moon

Sturgeon - Garnet and Iron - Raspberry - Red July 23 to August 22 Th... Read more

Lugh - Celtic God Of The Sun

Lugh - Celtic God Of The Sun

The god Lugh was worshiped in Ireland as a deity of the sun. This connection... Read more

The Season of Lammas

The Season of Lammas

The season of Lammas (also called Lughnasadh) begins on August 1st and conti... Read more

Lammas by The Hedgewitch

Lammas by The Hedgewitch

Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to discer... Read more

Lammas

Lammas

Lammas Ritual Celebrated August 1st. Lammas is also known as Lughnasadh, La... Read more

Red Raspberry

Red Raspberry

Reminds you to be grateful for all of life’s ups and downs. Read more

Birth Totem - Salmon

Birth Totem - Salmon

Birth Totem Salmon Read more

Cinnabar

Cinnabar

The Merchant's Stone Cinnabar is said to attract abundance, gently increasi... Read more

The Hazel Tree: August 5 - September 1

The Hazel Tree: August 5 - September 1

Celtic Symbol : The Rainbow Salmon Read more

Leo

Leo

LEO July 23 - August 22 Read more

Larimar

Larimar

The Atlantis Stone - The Dolphin Stone Found exclusively in the Dominica... Read more

Sun in Leo

Sun in Leo

An Overview of Sun Sign Characteristics for Leo Read more

Lughnasadh Meditation

Lughnasadh Meditation

The Seventh Sabbat of the Wheel is Lughnasadh. Lughnasadh is celebrated on A... Read more

Lughnasadh (Lammas) - The Celtic Harvest Fes…

Lughnasadh (Lammas) - The Celtic Harvest Festival

The Celtic harvest festival on August 1st takes its name from the Irish god ... Read more

X

Right Click

No right click