The Transforming Power of “As Is, I’m Here”
There are four little words that can be a powerful tool for your awakening out of the addiction to struggle – “As Is, I’m Here.” As you say “As Is” on your in-breath, it reminds you of the willingness to allow yourself to be exactly as you are in this moment. It is the art of letting go of struggling with whatever is (your usual mode), so you can move into the place of healing that comes from allowing yourself (and your life) to be exactly as you are. It is the willingness to be keenly attentive to what is, in a way that invites your heart to be with whatever parts of you that are caught in reaction,so you can receive the nourishment of the compassionate attention you are hungry for from the only source that really matters, yourself.As you soften around your experience, allowing whatever is here to be here and even welcoming it, it will, in its own time, open up and the energy that was bound up will expand and release.
A good example of the power of these four words was the time when I woke up to find that my septic line had backed up into my bathtub. Not pleasant! All day long there were lots of men with noisy machines working on the system, trying to get it unblocked. At the end of the day, I found out that my insurance would not cover the cost. So, this meant I had to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.
It did not take me long, however, to realize that my body and mind were tightening because I was in reaction. As I began saying, “As Is, I’m Here,” the scared and overwhelmed parts that were there calmed down because I was turning toward my experience rather than away.
“As Is” helps you to accept that what is happening is happening. “I’m Here” is about giving whatever you are experiencing the compassionate attention it needs so it can soften and eventually let go. When you are faced with a challenge, saying this mantra can remind you that you have the choice to react or respond. Your mind oftentimes reacts by say something like, “I want to get rid of this pain (or whatever it is that you are experiencing), so I have to get busy, or blame, or get compulsive, in order to block or numb what I am experiencing.” But this just creates more struggle. Your aware self says, “I don’t want to leave myself when I most need myself. I want to feel what I am feeling, giving it the healing of spacious acceptance.”
The invitation is, when you notice a story, a sensation or a feeling that is causing you to react, allow “As Is, I’m Here” to remind you to be open to the experience. Allow it to remind you to be as welcoming as you can about whatever is arising and then, as you come out of reacting and into responding, you will discover over and over again how to be with yourself in an attentive and spacious way no matter what you are experiencing.