Are You Alive? How do you know?

Objective:

Are you alive? The instinctive response is often, "Of course I’m alive!" - and then we quickly move on to the next thing. But most of the time, we live in our thoughts - we think about life rather than actually experiencing it.

This exercise is a simple yet powerful way to reconnect with the direct experience of being alive, here and now. Instead of identifying with your roles, thoughts, or emotions, you shift your attention to the vibrant, ever-present life force within you.

The purpose of this exercise is to go beyond abstract ideas about life and instead feel the raw, direct experience of being. Presence. You are life - this is the one experience of life you can always access, anytime you choose. If you weren’t alive, none of this would be possible. Realizing this can be grounding and calming, especially when you're caught in excessive thinking or feeling disconnected.

Exercise:

1. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Let your awareness settle into your body.

2. Ask yourself: Am I alive? How do I know?

   • Stay with the question until you notice the subtle hum of life somewhere in your body.

   • When you sense it, observe that it’s just happening - there is no one "doing" it.

3. Notice the sensations that arise:

   • The beating of your heart

   • The movement of your breath

   • A tingling in your hands or feet

4. Rest in this experience of being alive - without trying to analyze or describe it.

Common Pitfall:

You may try to "feel alive" in a dramatic way. Remember, the feeling of being alive is subtle and always present - it doesn’t need to be amplified or made into something special.

Practical Application:

Use this exercise whenever you feel stuck in thought or disconnected from life. It’s a quick way to return to the present moment and reconnect with your body and experience the life force that you are.

- Let this exercise become part of your day. -

You don’t need to do anything special with it. Perhaps you begin your day by reflecting on the question, then let it rest in the background. If you’d like, read the exercise again in the evening and see if anything new has surfaced.

Remember:
There is nothing to achieve here. There is no "right" or "wrong" experience. All you are doing is gently turning your attention toward the awareness that is already present - and letting everything else take care of itself.

With warmth,
Suzanne