Driving in Peace is a result of living a peaceful life & learning / practicing staying in the present moment – saying No to the invitation of reacting to our past impressions or anticipating future mishaps more commonly called Defensive Driving.
As we prepare for a drive anywhere, our getting things ready, walk to our car & positioning in our seat, all contribute, “set the stage” for how we ultimately operate our motor vehicle. The moment to moment focus on a) how we hold our steering wheel, b) look out our windshield or in our rear view or side mirrors & c) apply pressure to our accelerator or brake pedal, all contribute to or prevent our “peace of mind” driving style. When we tromp down on the accelerator, brakes – we send a wave of dis-ease (opposite of peaceful, easy feeling) throughout our nervous, muscular, & skeletal systems & set ourselves up for some erratic choices in our following or passing other drivers or even stopping & parking our vehicles.
With a “Peaceful Driving Awareness,” (PDA) uploaded into our psyches, we begin to automatically make compassionate /loving choices & forgo the dysfunctional ways we’ve driven in the past. By beginning to see that our drives affect not only our selves, but all life we pass by, we start choosing to view our driving experiences as a transformational & spiritual rather than just a transportational – Pt A to Pt. B – event.
Some of the ways I’ve found to help me be conscious of “peace behind the wheel” are to:
1) Keep a driving journal, & note what thoughts or actions takes place during my drives,
2) Select one of my Peaceful Driving Quickie (PDQ’s) inspirational laminated cards & place it on my dash as a reminder of my safe driving focus,
3) Use one of my Aware Breath Connections (abc’s) to center my brain waves in the alpha / theta range rather than hang out in reactive beta consciousness, &
4) Sing some inspiring songs /chants or listen to them on a CD or device.
By employing these ‘awakening tools,’ I find I’m blessing myself & fellow drivers rather than stressing them out with thoughtless road etiquette. I’ve also discovered that my drive time is a creative expression & series of artistic movements on the highway & puts more finesse into my steering, braking, looking, & accelerating actions. I’d never think of sloppily drawing without balance or putting color outside the lines so why be so nonchalant about weaving my way down the roadway, & veering off course without thinking. So, why do it now – behind the wheel?
When I use my horn I’ve chosen to express kindness & give my fellow motorists or road workers toots of appreciation rather than startle them with its noise due to one of their errors. On my drives; cross country or across town, I totally respect other non-human life forms; especially birds eating road kill or trying to cross the road. I feel a smile go from ear to ear as a family of crows, doves or geese stays right where they were before I pass them, acting completely undisturbed by my 35 – 55 mph vehicle passing them by.
Driving in Peace can be summed up by saying: Let Peace of Mind give you kind actions & no thoughtless reactions in your roadway journeys.; As we all DIP {Drive In Peace} more into the Infinite Reservoir of peaceful responses possible, while we drive, We’ll see amazing transformational shifts into higher consciousness & begin living a much more inspired life in all our non-driving activities. You see, how we drive our cars is a metaphor on how we move thru and relate in life the rest of our day. Since our drive time is only a fraction of our waking hours, it is a good place to start the journey of awakening which is all that’s really going on here on Earth now.
smoothyoga 