Successful Navigation–A Lesson From Dolphins

Dolphins sleep by using half of their brains to function in their watery world while the other half rests. While swimming with them, many times I noticed one eye would be closed as they swam within inches of me. I swam along as part of the pod while they moved together in union….breathing, swimming in some kind of perfect balance of waking consciousness and rest or perhaps even meditation.

Perhaps they synthesize their minds by bridging two states of consciousness at once. What if we could do that. What if we could bring the state of deep peace and calm to waking consciousness, to our everyday life as it’s happening. No question about it. We can.

As an experiment I went into meditation and reached that deep, calm place within my mind. Then I intentionally brought up a recent experience of being bullied. Holding the state of peace while allowing the scenario to appear in my mind completely discharged the intense emotions of fear and frustration attached to the series of events. I found I could be an observer of something that just a few days ago was quite traumatic.

This ability to hold deep peace and calm while being actively engaged in everyday life can be cultivated by all humans. First, we practice mindfulness and cultivate the practice of stilling the mind. We can be like dolphins living in a state of mindfulness while functioning in the world. This then is transformation in action. It begins with ourself and then transforms the world. This is one way we can successfully navigate our way through troubled times.