Finding peace in the tension between chaos and beauty

My latest photo continuing what seems to be a growing series of seeking still waters. As the @themindfulshutterbug I’ve been connecting mindfulness, photography and creating & seeking balance in the midst of chaos and confusion. 

Go out. Be in nature. Slow down. Breathe deeply. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Your abdomen should expand, and your chest should rise very little. 

Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you blow air out, purse your lips slightly, but keep your jaw relaxed. You may hear a soft “whooshing” sound as you exhale.

As this starts to calm you allow your mind to become calm also. Look around you and start to connect what you see to what you are experiencing. 

Notice how in nature, chaos and beauty sit together without tension. Yet when we see choose to see chaos that is all we can see. We can fail to notice the beauty. 

So we can easily walk past calm waters when we feel anything but calm and fail to see the ability we have to reconnect with the calm inside. We believe that it is impossible to balance chaos and beauty inside of us. 

I sat on the bank of this stream, breathing deep. Regaining control of the breath, to calm the mind so I can rediscover the place where I know calm exists. 

It may feel like tension but it doesn’t need to be.