Unplug to Plug-In

I've been on a forced break from screen time for the last week while my computer was out working for my hubby's company. It was not my choice to unplug myself from the web from my email, my blog, all the blogs that I read, and facebook... but sometimes blessings come when we aren't even looking for them.

Many times in Anusara classes I've heard the words "Unplug, now Plug-In" and that's just what happened to me this week. The further I got from the computer, the deeper I went into my heart. It turns out that I have a lot more free time than I imagine I have. Without the computer I found myself giving time to working on some Spiritual Art, to reading Tantric texts, and to getting my seat firmly grounded on my meditation cushion. The result is that I've felt much more solid in my practice than I'd been feeling in the past few weeks. My breath is deeper, my attention is more focused, and I'm enjoying myself more. And my heart is widely open when it had been feeling a bit closed off.

In the asana practice, we often hear and teach unplug/plug-in as related to placing the arms deeply into the shoulder girdle. You can try it: Unplug by stretching the arms forward and pulling the head of the armbones out of the sockets, Plug-in by moving the head of the armbones back until they are firmly supported by the shoulder socket, even slide the shoulder blades more together. What is so interesting to me is that when you have the head of the armbones back, and are engaging shoulder loop-- that is, when you've plugged in deeply-- what happens? An Opening of the Heart.

And so on all levels Unplug to Plug-In may be an ideal path back into my own Heart and so, to deeper connection to the Heart of the Universe. My goal is to remember this and try to unplug regularly, especially when I feel myself losing connection.

Contemplation: What could you stand to unplug from in order to plug-in more deeply to your Heart?