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.
A 3-minute video about the 3 most common reasons people come for Alexander Technique lessons.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Success and failure are both teachers. Whether the journey is supremely successful or fails to launch at all, the learning happens in the evaluation phase. One teaching I’ve gleaned over the years is that the willingness to sit with “I don’t know” is bound to increase a sense of wonder, curiosity, authentic interest. And that’s a good attitude to bring to all phases of creative endeavor.
Major life choices seem both inevitable – how could it have been any other way? – and random – that decision led to an outcome I could never have chosen.
We imagine that the plans we dream up and the actions we intend will bear the fruit we hope for. We can see the steps we need to take and we think by taking them we know our destination clearly.
But now the road is really foggy. The territory ahead is not what we expected it to be and the route has changed to one we’ve never travelled before.
This is not a problem — read on.
Are you waiting for things to improve so you can feel better again?
Is your jaw tight, your knuckles white, your breath held? Do your thoughts run out of control? Is your mind fuzzy and your attention worse than ever? And do you believe this will change just as soon as the pandemic is over?
This is what is known as Destination Addiction, the belief that once I arrive at some future point or state of being, then I will be okay, then I can be happy and at peace. This is what AA calls stinkin' thinkin' and it stinks because it is a lie.
The truth is, you don’t have to be dependent upon certain conditions in order to know happiness and inner peace.
When violence and injustice thrust their way into our collective lives we may want to lash out or shut down or tighten up or collapse in a heap. Sometimes all at once. Many people rush into trying to rescue others, wanting to comfort and care for the wounded and hurting. This is usually well-intentioned, and the body-mind will tolerate it temporarily, but day after day, unless self-care is primary, depletion and burnout are the result.
At a time like this, learning to pause and replenish is skillful.
