I find it crucial to do the “inside job.” I have no control over what plays out on the world stage, but if I become more adept at knowing my own mind and heart, my own flaws and gifts, I stand a better chance of taking actions that can ease the suffering around me, and possibly even address the root causes of that suffering.
I recently put on my Beginner’s Mind hat and asked myself, “What are the fundamentals of my work? What can I say truthfully with confidence, born of direct experience?”
Getting back to basics feels good, and I surprised myself with the number of fundamentals I came up with. What wasn’t a surprise was the fact that they don’t just apply to the work I do. They are all basic truths about what it is to live as a human being.
The Alexander Technique isn’t a set of exercises, but it’s crucial to practice every day. So, what exactly are you supposed to be practicing? And unless you’re a monastic or have the luxury of going on a long retreat, you’re not spending the majority of your time in meditation. So what can you do when you’re not meditating that will support and strengthen present moment awareness?
Start by seeing everything you experience as a place of practice.
We may have delusions about our ability to prevail against dark forces seeking to undermine all our good, hard work but the reality is that we can only use the skills and wisdom we possess. If we don’t have a reliable foundation to draw on during difficult times, we will be thrown on our behinds. You can only use the tools you’ve got at hand, only use them in the ways you have developed.
From the moment you arise in the morning until you rest your head on the pillow at night, you probably do quite a lot. We do so much that we have to consciously choose "down time” to give ourselves rest.
But what about the time in between those daily tasks? The transitions from Point A to Point B go by unnoticed, because we are busy getting to whatever is next.
I find it crucial to do the “inside job.” I have no control over what plays out on the world stage, but if I become more adept at knowing my own mind and heart, my own flaws and gifts, I stand a better chance of taking actions that can ease the suffering around me, and possibly even address the root causes of that suffering.
I recently put on my Beginner’s Mind hat and asked myself, “What are the fundamentals of my work? What can I say truthfully with confidence, born of direct experience?”
Getting back to basics feels good, and I surprised myself with the number of fundamentals I came up with. What wasn’t a surprise was the fact that they don’t just apply to the work I do. They are all basic truths about what it is to live as a human being.
The Alexander Technique isn’t a set of exercises, but it’s crucial to practice every day. So, what exactly are you supposed to be practicing? And unless you’re a monastic or have the luxury of going on a long retreat, you’re not spending the majority of your time in meditation. So what can you do when you’re not meditating that will support and strengthen present moment awareness?
Start by seeing everything you experience as a place of practice.
We may have delusions about our ability to prevail against dark forces seeking to undermine all our good, hard work but the reality is that we can only use the skills and wisdom we possess. If we don’t have a reliable foundation to draw on during difficult times, we will be thrown on our behinds. You can only use the tools you’ve got at hand, only use them in the ways you have developed.
From the moment you arise in the morning until you rest your head on the pillow at night, you probably do quite a lot. We do so much that we have to consciously choose "down time” to give ourselves rest.
But what about the time in between those daily tasks? The transitions from Point A to Point B go by unnoticed, because we are busy getting to whatever is next.
Are you the owner of your body?
This is a fundamental question that reveals perspectives on the body and how yourelate to it. And depending on how you relate to your body, you will inevitably move according to the nature of that relationship. Along with your mind, this is your most intimate relationship. Yet attitudes about the physical self go largely unnoticed.
I learned a long time ago that I don't have to be afraid of fear. It's an energy, and a rather unpleasant one -- unless you're choosing a scary book or film as entertainment. It can be mild and continuous or sudden and strong, but as emotions go, it's one of the easiest to recognize. And one of the hardest to bear.
Over the years I have heard statements that rang true and woke me up to reality. These are truths that seem obvious upon hearing, but also feel familiar because they are easily verifiable by direct investigation or experience. It leaves you wondering, “how could I have forgotten this?” or amazed that you’ve never thought of it in that way before. The truths that blow your mind.
The spring equinox brings an equal amount of daylight and darkness, and it’s a good time to explore balance. Learning to surf the waves of life requires a commitment to turn toward direct experience, to include whatever is arising with acceptance, to learn how to balance in the gap between stimulus and response. Equanimity develops as the other factors of awakening are cultivated, and mindfulness is the link between them all.
If the past year is an old man, and the new year is a baby, how do you relate to babies? As a new year begins, is it possible to approach our lives and relationships like they are a baby? That stuff you went through in the past year that makes you feel like you really need to get your act together? That's your teacher, your friend, a gift.
Getting grateful shifts your perspective. Scientific evidence suggests that expressing your gratitude directly to someone, or just between you and the Universe, is the key to being a kinder, happier, more creatively engaged person. The ability to be thankful is built right into us, so we don’t need to manufactire it. Yet when we choose to practice being grateful, joy is the result.
Includes a Bodymind Experiment.
There is a difference between consciously resting and collapsing in an exhausted heap after working hard. It’s also not the same as taking a break to check your email or watch TV. Resting in awareness is restorative and rebalances everything. Really resting involves your participation.
One tried-and-true way to do this is Constructive Rest (CR).
One thing I keep learning, over and over again, is to put myself first. Does that sound selfish and uncaring? It might, because we have been taught that in order to be really good, really loving, we must sacrifice ourselves.
You know this is false. You know that self-care is the cornerstone to a high-functioning life, where you are empowered and free to love and care for others. You know that you cannot pour from an empty cup and that putting on your own oxygen mask first is a wise instruction.
