Living in Integration

How do we maintain constant Integration in our lives?

How do we integrate mind, body and spirit?

This week we danced the dance of Integration. Being fully present to each body part, fully present to each movement, whether quick, long, exaggerated or mimicked and fully present to every feeling that comes up.

That got me thinking, how do I integrate my thoughts, feelings and experiences in my life?

On the superficial level, I integrate my job with daily activities such as eating, sleeping and playing. But the deeper I go - how does it work to consciously integrate positive aspects in every moment?

I choose to welcome in positive people in my life. Not to disregard the hard times we all go through, but for the last 3 years I have surrounded myself with people who love life, who get excited about what they are doing, who are happy about their journey and even happier to learn and share about the steps they have taken, even the hard ones.

But what about those instances in our days that bring a millisecond of frustration, anger, sadness, or worse, guilt? How do we integrate those feelings? Do we let ourselves feel them? Do we linger a little too long in the feeling and get consumed by them? Do we feel it, accept it and then change our perception on the matter and turn it into a more positive experience?

That is what I am learning. Time and time again, it is all about perception. I have a feeling come up, I experience it, and I then choose how to let it effect me. I can change my perception on anything really, even the "horrible" experiences, as they too are only labeled and perceived as horrible. But even if I want to continue to label it as horrible, maybe I can, even for 1 minute, find a blessing or some gratitude for what I have learned from this experience.

This is not to diminish what I, or others have experienced, but instead to see or feel it, and then try to see and feel it from another angle. To try to see the bigger picture. To move from literal and symbolic understanding, to mythic, and then energetic.

To realize there are not only 2 sides to every story, not only black and white, but an infinite number of angles, and a palette of not only shades of grey, but of vibrant colour!

To know and truly believe there is a larger picture to everything, and all is meaningful. To know that this moment is nothing compared to the journey of the soul.

Knowing this, it seems a bit easier to integrate everything in my life. The good, the bad, the fearful. I can find a new angel, stand in it, and see if it fits and is a a bit easier to digest. Always however, remaining connected to my centre. My core. My own integrity.

Integrity. Even that is ever changing if we stay in this moment and not that of the past, or the future. Integrity is not static. It may have a solid core, but on the outside it changes like a candy jawbreaker. With every lick, or experience, you take something new away, see another colour, and taste a new taste, whether a bit bitter or sweeter, it's constantly changing. And everyone will experience it different. Knowing this, that my definition of Integrity may shift, I cannot expect it to be the same for my partner, my co-worker or the stranger I pass on the street. And that's okay. As long as each is acting on our own integrity, we are all doing the best we can do.

I guess that is what integration means to me. Acting with constant Integrity and Integrating all my experiences with an open heart and from a centered soul. Allowing myself and my loved ones around me to experience, feel and shift in each moment and from each perspective. Not remaining static, but open and ever changing.