Ease Up for a Change
“The effort that’s required to connect with the present moment is so miniscule, it’s like the effort of a butterfly landing on a flower. . . just the slightest effort to arrive at the destination and make the softest landing.” – Deborah Helzer
Like many of us, I have a habit of over-efforting in much of what I do. This way of approaching my life is something I have been gradually dismantling since my early Alexander Technique lessons in 1989. In AT work we learn about non-doing, allowing the body to reorganize itself, using mindful awareness to show how to do whatever we do with less strain, more ease. When I became more familiar with Buddhist teachings, I recognized this as Right Effort.
What F. M. Alexander and the Buddha both came to understand is that there is no need to lean into the future, or make a big project out of meditating or moving. We don’t need to grasp each moment and squeeze out its essence. Like a butterfly gently landing, connecting to the flower, and gathering its nectar, we meet each moment lightly, with curious interest in the way it is. The butterfly isn’t flying around thinking, “I must gather all the nectar in the world. I must be the best at gathering nectar.” It just goes bloom by bloom, alighting here, then there, with precision.
A monarch butterfly on a yellow flower.
An Alexander student recently remarked that mindfulness was hard for her: “To me, mindfulness is like lifting a ton. To be always mindful is a lot of work.” I agreed that telling yourself you must always be mindful is indeed a huge burden. The good news is, we do not have to be mindful always. We just need to be mindful right now.
Our only task is to meet the moment that has arisen here, now. It’s not an intellectual investigation, or an analysis. It’s just simply allowing the senses to register the experience, all the sensations coming in through the body, all the formations and phenomena flitting through the mind. There’s nothing that we need to dig for or reach for. Everything we need to know is right here, in this moment.
Bodymind Experiment:
Try out two differing thoughts. First, think to yourself, “Today I will be mindful in everything I do.” Repeat that thought, let it cycle through your system. Notice how that feels in your body-heart-mind as you repeat this intention.
Then think, “I am here, now. What am I aware of? What is happening?” Keep inquiring in this way, then notice how this feels, what thoughts and sensations it brings up.
Of the two mindsets, which is more of an effort? Which feels more possible? Which is more likely to lead to calm, connection, and ease?
Whether learning to move with more balance in cooperation with the body, or practicing insight meditation, we get a chance to ease up for a change. This is the invitation and the promise of mindful awareness.