Month: December 2014

Looking inside from the outside

We are often using tools to look inside and probe ourselves.

Here are a few things we can do to notice things about ourselves without leaning on tools.

1. Take a reflective surface from water to a mirror and look at your eyes. Breathe and listen to your pulse until you see your pulse in your eyes as well.

2. Balance a glass of liquid on the palm of your hand and allow the movement to calm. Breathe and note the vibration of your pulse through the liquid and use a simple breath hold drill to see it quicken as your body adjust to less oxygen.

3. Close your eyes and stand on one foot. Start moving your eyes up and down and side to side and finish with moving your eyes in circles. Notice how your foot automatically adjust to the changing point of focus and enjoy how responsive you really are to your simple wishes.

It is hard to be angry when you can pay attention.

The reason is you see no reason to be angry when you can do and think instead of living just on the inside.

Does it feel right?

I will present three drills to replace fear with awareness and movement.

Video will follow soon.

  1. Start prone on the ground and have a partner stand on your ankles. Breathe and relax and proceed to tense and relax your body parts. Continue with small movements that build on one another (meaning you do not go back to the beginning but work from where you are) until your partner is not on your ankles anymore without you doing something to push him off. Repeat for the fists and for the chest when it makes sense J
  2. Start standing with a partner holding onto a limb of yours or a rope tied to a limb. Have your partner push and pull on you as he keeps the hold as you do the following work: Choose four locations in the body from shoulders to heels as you see fit and try to include a part you do not feel very alive in. With each push, Start moving with another body part toward your partner and allow the fact that you are still tied together to untangle the pressure chain that he tried to build.
  3. Start with your eyes closed and on one leg. Have your partner push and pull on you as you do the following: relax the leg on the ground so there is no buildup of tension in the leg and relax your hips so both legs touch the ground but without bracing. Repeat the drill until you can move the lesson of no resistance when it is not needed to the same push and pull with your eyes open and your legs both on the ground.

Sometimes less is more. The less you try to improve and the more you just look both inside and out, the easier life gets both for your and for your loved ones.

Do something nice for yourselves each day and enjoy the awareness that follows.