On Silence + Movement

“There he went into a cave and spent the night there. The word of Yahweh came to him saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I am full of jealous zeal for Yahweh Sabaoth because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, have torn down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me.” Then he was told, “Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.” For at that moment, Yahweh was soon going to pass by. A mighty hurricane split the mountains and shattered the rocks before Yahweh. But Yahweh was not in the hurricane. And after the hurricane, an earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, fire. But Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire, a light murmuring sound. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him, which said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I am full of jealous zeal for Yahweh Sabaoth because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, have torn down your altars and put your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me.” “Go,” Yahweh said, “go back by the same way to the desert of Damascus. You must go and anoint Hazael as king of Aram. You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.”"
- 1 Kings 19: 9-16

The beginning of this passage paints an evocative picture of the natural world and, perhaps, how we imagine God’s presence, or the universal life force, within it

From chaos, to stillness, to movement

How does this speak to you?

How did it speak to Elijah?

Oftentimes, we tell ourselves stories that are false yet sound so convincing, so logical

These stories then become belief and drive who we are, how we operate in the world

Even when God himself comes down and asks Elijah on multiple occasions... "What are you doing here?"

Elijah is so steadfast in the false belief of himself that I cannot imagine what he must have felt like when God tells him “Go back by the same way you have come."

Like Elijah, we never stop to pause and ask... "What am I doing here?"

In silence, the answers come

Silence Shows Us The Way

To know God… is to be intimate with silence, to examen, to be still

Part of our spiritual and/or meditation practice is to be alert to this stillness of God, of the universe

To be guided into movement by this silence

Choose what resonates, what is best for your highest good and the highest good of all

Stay open to the possibilities

Remain curious, gather data, journal your insights

Look at what feels in resonance with you even if you don’t have all the information, just yet

Don’t get lost in the mind; the pros and cons, this vs. that, analysis paralysis

How to intentionally manage and not get stuck in our minds, lost in our heads

Move your energy body

Go for a walk, go for a run, breathe through it, explore a yin yoga class near you; perhaps a healing Reiki session 

The breath – deep, slow breathing exercises will ground you into your body and help open the energy of the mind

To observe the dance between where our minds are going, how our brains are processing (which is inextricably linked to hormonal balance), and the fine art of allowing our bodies to inhale-exhale-release and bring us into the present moment

Put your hand over your heart, close your eyes, take three deep breaths – and listen, even if it’s just for 30 seconds

Come back to the present moment, into your body, into the heart

Connect to the aligned frequencies that can help us feel more grounded and clearer in what is best

Listen… a conversation with another person or your own internal dialogue

Slow down and listen to self, listen to the internal messages, listen to whatever stories or narratives we are circling in

Listen and then determine…

Is this still true for me? Is this still in alignment with where I want my life to go? With my priorities? Is this still something I want to give energy to?

Practice tuning out the stimuli – to not be overwhelmed by it, to not be overtaken

Gift yourself the space for silence

And how rare is that, in this day and age… to have complete silence

To simply listen to the messages arising that you otherwise might not hear

The endless chatter of the mind OR all the talk outside of you

Truly, if you were honest, none of it has absolutely nothing to do with you

Gift yourself dedicated silent time

Take yourself off people’s calendars

Don’t be too readily available in some ways that work best for you

Listen to what you need to hear because you are going to have messages coming through

Sensing physically to hear the body’s messages

An interesting dance between our mind and body consciousness

To gain a truer, more intuitive understanding of what we each need

The power of the gut

A primal programming – to trust something at a very gut level

There is a lot of power in our bodies that we don’t always tap into

We are always in our heads, always running on to the next

Connect to the power of your gut right away – what are you sensing, what messages are coming through, what’s speaking to you AND then trusting where and how your body wants to move

Become more conscious of what we are choosing

Become more aware of what we are doing in our day

Becoming more conscious of our words – hmm, the power of words

In every moment, we unconsciously, and most times consciously, choose to send forth poison or honey

Are we effective or ineffective on the receiving end?

If you are triggered by a message, then that is intelligence from the heart that there is much work to be done

If your spirit is soothed, be that as it may, intelligence from the soul reveals you’re on the right path

So much of my West African heritage and personal journey of deep-rooted healing is intrinsically linked to the KOKOBÉRNA brand; this masterpiece that’s a very personal reflection of me, and I wonder if there might be expectations – this expectation that I should be one thing, stay in my lane

In silence, I know the answer in my bones

In movement, each time the sun’s rays touch my skin

Providing a more intuitive and holistic approach to beauty that considers the humanity of our clients, to transcend mediocrity because the truth is…

State of body

State of mind, and

State of spirit

Affects one's state of health, one's vitality, and consequently, one’s intrinsic beauty

Intrinsic beauty reflects extrinsic beauty – one cannot exist without the other

Beautiful and radiant skin is the result of doing the work; the tool that cocoons, that protects

Take excellent care of it and it will serve

And this too I know to be true

Going beyond skin

A bold challenge to authentically lead and pave the way

To redefine the essence of what it means to be a beauty and wellness brand

Creating a garden of well-being experiences

Building community - safe spaces, honest conversations, sharing

As we approach the mid-way point of the year, now is the perfect time to sit in silence, to be in peace, to move

To take inventory and assess

To think of life as a journey of love

To live fully in the present moment

To reassess what we consider to be “good” and “beautiful”

To use the weapon of your body-mind as a tool for healing, for dissolving belief systems that do not serve your highest good and the highest good of all

To find your destiny, your purpose, your vocation, your calling... in the balance of your feelings and thoughts

To discover peace at the juncture where the experience of flow is strongest; in silence + movement + creation

This is not only a wonderful spiritual experience; it is also a very practical way of dealing with everyday life

So, how have things been going with you?

Who are you?

Where do you come from?

What are you doing here?

Where are you headed?

How can KOKOBÉRNA help?

In Gratitude.

 

 

kokoberna, silence, beauty, wisdom, well-being, skincare, body care, scalp care, wellnessmoonshot, meditation, mindfulness, movement, yin yoga, pranayama, breath-work, organic skin care products, repair skin barrier, slow down premature aging, live life fully, luxury West African beauty wellness brand

 

© 2022 Belinda Kǒkóèkà Bernadette Bassey Ephraim ~ originally published on medium