Living in a Beautiful State

Step Out Of Turmoil And Into Tranquility

Do you ruminate? Do you constantly think about things that happened in the past? Do you worry about what could happen in the future? Are you feeling irritated with other people? Or do you struggle with the anxiety of comparing yourself with others? If so, you’re not alone! As a Denver therapist and online therapist, not only can I relate, but I can also assure you that many of my clients come to me, longing to know what to do with all of these thoughts inside of their heads.  

After all, we’re all human, and part of the human experience is being in possession of a powerful brain. This brain thinks thoughts, remembers things, envisions possible outcomes for your future, harbors core beliefs, and passes judgment over all that comes before it. That is what brains do.

Brains are useful: We rely on our brains to plan, create, make decisions, solve problems, and keep ourselves out of trouble. However, some of the byproducts of all this brain activity can lead to unintended consequences:

Thinking about the future can lead to feelings of anxiety.

Thinking about the past can lead to feelings of regret or shame.

Believing untrue “rules” can lead you to beat yourself up mercilessly when you “fail.”

Passing judgment can close you off to connection with others.

Remembering hurtful things from your past can impact the way you live in the present.

Pros and cons, right?

A Transformational Level of Consciousness is Within Reach

A cornerstone of evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy is developing the ability to gain awareness of what is going on in your own head and learning how to shift it away from unhelpful thought patterns and into better feeling thoughts. Mindfulness skills have been shown to help with everything from your emotional health to your physical health. It’s also known that developing core skills to calm yourself down and shift your mood-state are fundamental to authentic inner health and happiness. We also know from the field of neuroscience that our brains are plastic, in that they change — physiologically — in response to our volitional thought patterns and behaviors. There are decades of science to support this.

But these ideas are not new. The mere decades that CBT and evidence-based mindfulness practices have been investigated and championed by shrinky-types like me are but a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of years that ancient contemplative, healing, and consciousness-enhancing practices have been around. In fact, much of what we know to work in modern psychology is fundamentally based on very, very old concepts that have their roots in deep, spiritual practices of indigenous peoples around the globe. (As I write this I can feel the imagined presence of Carl Jung, looking over my shoulder and nodding in agreement.)

I say all this to offer some hope! There are many alternatives to being at the mercy of your mercurial mind. Learning how to mindfully and with intention get in control of your inner experience can help you break free from anxiety and worry, rise above stress, attain profound levels of empathy and connection with others, and feel more joyful in the process.

If that sounds appealing, your next question may be “But how?” How do we rise above the churning of our minds and our egos to enter into a state of compassion and connection? Well, that is a question that my guest on this episode of the Love, Happiness and Success Podcast can answer. Preethaji is a philosopher, mystic, the author of The Four Sacred Secrets as well as the co-founder of an international school of self-development, The O & O Academy, based in India.

Preethaji and her husband and partner, Krishnaji, have taught thousands of people how to use ancient contemplative practices to expand their consciousness, embrace radical compassion, release attachment to the ego, and enter a state of unity that transcends the exhausting machinations of the mind. She’s joining me to share how you, too, can learn how to live your life in a “beautiful state” of healing and growth.

Listen to this episode: Living in a Beautiful State as Preethaji and I discuss:

• How to liberate yourself from a state of suffering
• How to find meaning, clarity, and purpose within
• How to intentionally shift into a state of love, peace and calm
• How to feel more connected to others, to the universe, and to yourself
• How to transform your most important relationships through love and compassion

We’re digging deep, by discussing how to mindfully heal old wounds, release self-limiting old beliefs, and by taking responsibility for the way you show up in the world.

As always, we’re also tackling some of YOUR questions. Specifically, on behalf of a couple of listeners, I asked Preethaji to speak about how to apply her ideas in the following scenarios:

1. You’re in a relationship with someone, but while YOU are committed to working on yourself, (practicing emotional regulation, self awareness, cultivating compassion, and intentionally working to cultivate growth and unconditional love) … your partner is not.
2. You’re currently feeling trapped in adverse life circumstances and you are wondering what to do in order to feel peace in the present from within, even if you’re going through a really hard time.

Mindfulness Tools to Change Your Life

In this episode, Preethaji very generously shared some specific techniques for calming down and entering a meditative state. Get access to the full (free!) Soul Sync Meditation at pkconsciousness.com. For even more support in beefing up your meditation skills, you’re invited to take their free 7 day training at The Breathing Room.

I really enjoyed speaking with Preethaji, and I hope you get as much out of listening to this episode as I did in making it for you!

Your fellow traveler,

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

PS: In case you want more Preethaji in your life (hey, who doesn’t?) check out her amazing TEDTalk, where she walks you through some of her breathing exercises as well as a classic story to help you cultivate a beautiful state of mindfulness in YOUR life.