Reflections on our
Reflections We all have the ability to Sense energy, but many of us lack
the awareness of self, and it is thru this self awareness that we can tap into
our innate ability to accurately sense energy. For just a moment, listen to the sounds around you, both
inside the room and outside. Don’t try
to identify it just sense it. What about
fragrances, do you smell anything? Touch,
can you feel the clothes resting on your skin, your hair on your neck or face,
maybe a gentle breeze made by your breath.
Can you sense the parts of your body resting on the earth, or the chair?
Bring awareness to any taste in your mouth. Now with your eyes closed, bring into the minds eye
something you saw today that made you smile.
What picture came to your mind? What did it look like? Feel like? Were there any emotions attached
to this visualization. This is also the place where we can sense and feel
energy. In order to sense it accurately
however you need to be an empty vessel, otherwise preconceived ideas and
emotions will get in the way of accurately interpreting the energy around you. Just as tension gets in the way so do our thoughts. Talking
talking talking only inhibits our ability to accurately read and interpret the
energy being received. The emotions that are attached to our thoughts work like a
magnet and draw similar emotions into our physical body. A simple shift in thoughts can help create a
better space. We can also sense energy
thru touch, sight, hearing, smell, feelings thoughts and physical sensations. You have to pay attention, observe others and
be silent, trusting what arises. It is not necessary to let the negative energy of others
affect you. You have the choice to
either be brought down by others or help shift the attitude of those around
you. There are many people who look at the world only as it affects
them, diminishing the relevance of their effect not only on the world around
them, but also on themself. In this
space there is a lack of awareness of other peoples feelings and reactions
created by their own actions. More importantly most people lack awareness of
their own physical body. This awareness
is essential and the place we will begin as we reflect on our reflections. The mind body functions is an easy concept to understand –
or is it? We are all aware when the body
does not feel well, or is pain. When our mind is not in the body, the body tends to have a
mind of its own. This lack of awareness
in the physical body creates functional amnesia, which in turn leads to dis ease
ie pain. Such an easy thing to blame old
age or genetics, but why hand over that power and control. Take responsibility, reclaim and begin today
to heal your body. The loss of ease of movement does not have to be something
you must learn to live with as you age.
It is not a curse of old age, but the curse of mindlessness, lack of
awareness. All it takes is recovered
awareness to help you age gracefully. I have recently been introduced to a new term, sensory motor
amnesia. I like this descriptive term to
our growing lack of awareness in our physical body. Our nervous system is forever responding to stimuli around
us, with very specific muscular reflexes.
Over time these reflexes become habitually contracted, in a constant
state of holding with out our conscious awareness. We therefore lack the ability to release or
relax them voluntarily. We are all familiar with the idea of forgetfulness or memory
loss as it relates to the mind, but have you ever thought about how it shows up
in the physical body? It is no secret that one cannot separate the mind from the
body, yet this is a much easier concept to say then to actually put into to
practice. I liken this forgetfulness to
lack of awareness, both mentally and emotionally equally diminishing our self
image, Who we are, what we have experienced as well as our abilities. All of this resides not just in the mind, but
in the body as well. This forgetfulness, or lack of awareness has little to do
with age, as it can begin at any age. It
is more the accumulation and buildup of learned responses and an increase in
the habitual lack of awareness thru a lifetime in the body as we adapt to life
events. We must first becoming aware of
our physical reactions to the stressful and challenging demands of life, before
we can become effective in maintaining the health and well being in our
body. Education in Awareness is key. If it is learned then it can be unlearned, it can be avoided
and most importantly it can be reversed.
One must first become of aware of the learned holding pattern and
reprogram the body by becoming self-aware.
As we continue our work with body awareness, reflecting on our
reflections, we can change the way we live, our belief and thought processes and
gain control as we take responsibility for our actions, responses and
consequences with in the body. As we
become more body aware, we will be able to see how our own experiences create
and affect our body and our life. As we grow older, wiser and more mature it makes more sense
that our bodies and our lives should improve, yet we have become so conditioned
that as the body ages, the body slows down.
I believe the opposite is true.
As we slow down the body ages. We
get so locked into holding patterns in the physical body, afraid of letting go,
of exploring what it is that is restricting our freedom of movement, our ease
of being in our body. How empowering it
is to know that you hold the key, yet how many of us hand over that key to a
surgeon who convinces us that there is a structural issue, yet they never
address the functional, muscular holding patterns. We recover from the surgery, still in pain,
often worse then before only to be told there is nothing more that can be done,
or they continue to offer more surgery. As I continue to explore this idea of lack of awareness, I
think you will see how it is one of the main causes of structural malfunctions
in the physical body. Not as we have
been conditioned to believe is a sign of aging.
Damage from this lack of awareness builds, I see it daily in my classes,
as well as when I people watch. I myself
am not immune to it and my hope is as I grow in my physical awareness of these
less obvious holding patterns, I will be able to impart this knowledge to
you. Not just in recognizing them but in
unlearning and reeducating the body. My
body, and your body. Join me in the journey of awareness Reflections on our
reflection as we look at yoga Beyond the Asanas. |
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Categoriesasanabalance breath chakra injury karma, meditation patience perception practice touch yoga yoga alliance yoga, accountability |
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