5 Tips for "Going Green" in Mind, Body, and Spirit

5 Tips for "Going Green" in Mind, Body, and Spirit ...
Posted by David Romanelli

The push toward green living is hitting the mainstream. We are recycling waste, eating organic, and buying free-trade. We are at least acknowledging our addiction to oil and starting to take steps toward more sustainable living. But the outside is a reflection of the inside. And to truly "go green" is a statement of union with the world on the outside and the world on the inside. You protect trees, skies, and seas -- but you also protect the mind, body, and spirit.

Here are some tips on going green that you might not see in your local paper:

1. Protect the present moment.
Just 20 years ago, people smoked on airplanes, cars spewed dirty exhaust, and people didn't think twice before dropping a soda can on the street. Now, if you did any of the above, you’d probably hear people hootin' and hollerin'! But the fact is that we pollute the present moment the way we used to pollute the environment. We answer the cell phone while engaged in conversation with someone in the same room. We return emails while ordering coffee at Starbucks. We drive while sending a text message.

The present moment is the arena where life happens. In other words, all you remember in life are moments. If the moment is uncomfortable and filled with obstructions, you'll never have deep and moving life experiences. If you really want to go green, respect the colleague with whom you are speaking. Give them your undivided attention. Respect the human being from whom you are ordering your coffee. Turn off your cell phone. Respect the woman crossing the street with her baby in the stroller. Be wary of driving and texting. Have dignity for the present moment.

2. Embrace the energy of stillness.
Just as solar power and biodiesel are slowly reducing our consumption of oil, the sustainable energy of stillness can diminish the use of force. We learn in popular culture that giving 100%, training like an Olympian, and studying your whole life will bring you success. The ancient Eastern cultures have a different approach. They believe that if you carve out moments in your day where you quiet the mind and body, you tap a deeper form of strength. This power of presence is often referred to as "shakti."

Maybe it's not realistic for you to suddenly become still in life. But you can learn to create sacred moments every single day. Try it. Right smack in the middle of your day, lie down, put on a relaxing song, quiet the mind, and quiet your vibration. You will be more alluring, more attractive, more attentive. But most importantly, you will be strong in the ways of spirit.

3. Tap your brain's potential.
A human being can utilize a mostly untapped and "clean source of power" from their very own brain. According to The Einstein Factor by Win Wenger and Richard Poe, the human brain can store up to 280,000,000,000,000,000,000 bits of memory. And estimates of the brain's speed of operation have ranged from 100 to 100,000 teraflops (a teraflop is 1 trillion flops, the standard measure of computing speed). In comparison, the world's fastest supercomputer operates at only 100 billion flops.

So yes, a human being has awesome computing power. Yet we search far and wide for education, knowledge, answers. But remember -- you've got to stop the car before you can get in and drive. Through meditation and stillness, learn to quiet the mind so that you can tap the greatest computer of all … your very own brain!

4. Work smart.
Once you understand that the brain has tremendous power, just give it a direction and a destination and the brain will take you where you want to go. Usually, the brain is like a racehorse we can't seem to harness. Every little stimulation lures the brain in one direction or another. By harnessing and quieting the brain, you recognize that "your action is meant to be a way to enjoy what you created through thought. If you do not take the time to line up your thoughts, there is not enough action in the world to compensate for that misalignment," according to The Law of Attraction by Ester and Jerry Hicks. The point? Don’t work hard, work smart!

5. Harness the wind, ride the current, and surf the wave.
There is a natural "current" described throughout the ancient Eastern spiritual arts. The yogis call it prana, the Chinese call it chi. Some refer to it as a wind, the breath, the sea. When a great song's melody sweeps your mind up and away, that is the current. When you dip into a sweet Savasana's magical ascent, that is the current. When the perfect plate of penne amatriciana brings your taste buds into an ecstatic joyride, that is the current. By riding this current, you are swept into opportunity, synchronicity, and happiness. By not taking time to enjoy life, you resist the current and, no matter how hard you work, there's always a sense of struggle.

So quiet the mind, still the body, live in the moment -- and go green!