I feel rather stupid. Ok, not stupid, but dense, not awake, not alert. I have been getting inspiration from "The Trauma of Everyday Life" by Dr. Mark Epstein and I have been seeing that my mind, my ideas, my feelings are pretty good. They, in the semi-optimistic, conservative language of the Midwest, could be worse. However, like many people who love books, I tend to forget I have a body.
Yesterday, the yoga teacher and general inspirer talked to our group on "The Value of Yoga." It is quite interesting to me that she and our retired philosopher/expert on Eastern thought and religion are the only two presenters who ever asked us to stand up at any time during their presentations. She gave us a couple of mini-yoga lessons where we concentrated on our bodies, our posture, our breathing and some limited movements. It is surprising how much can be accomplished in the small space each of us had in the standard auditorium arrangements of seats.
I feel chagrined that I never realized the connection between mind training and body movement. I have used the idea of putting my hand up in front of my face and moving my fingers as a stand-in for conscious action. But yesterday, I could immediately feel the ease that even very slight movement gave me in concentrating on my body, breath and thoughts.
We usually say that the mind wanders, that it is a monkey in the trees jumping about. Whether my mind wanders and comes up with new thoughts and pictures or not, I found that twisting my neck around or slumping down my spine and then straightening- actions really grip the attention. It is easy to concentrate on motion. It is also surprising how much liveliness there is in simply intending action. I can intend to move my thighs together or apart without moving them at all. The isometric intention alone is a magnet to the attention and my awareness.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
