I find it crucial to do the “inside job.” I have no control over what plays out on the world stage, but if I become more adept at knowing my own mind and heart, my own flaws and gifts, I stand a better chance of taking actions that can ease the suffering around me, and possibly even address the root causes of that suffering.
I recently put on my Beginner’s Mind hat and asked myself, “What are the fundamentals of my work? What can I say truthfully with confidence, born of direct experience?”
Getting back to basics feels good, and I surprised myself with the number of fundamentals I came up with. What wasn’t a surprise was the fact that they don’t just apply to the work I do. They are all basic truths about what it is to live as a human being.
The Alexander Technique isn’t a set of exercises, but it’s crucial to practice every day. So, what exactly are you supposed to be practicing? And unless you’re a monastic or have the luxury of going on a long retreat, you’re not spending the majority of your time in meditation. So what can you do when you’re not meditating that will support and strengthen present moment awareness?
Start by seeing everything you experience as a place of practice.
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.
I find it crucial to do the “inside job.” I have no control over what plays out on the world stage, but if I become more adept at knowing my own mind and heart, my own flaws and gifts, I stand a better chance of taking actions that can ease the suffering around me, and possibly even address the root causes of that suffering.
I recently put on my Beginner’s Mind hat and asked myself, “What are the fundamentals of my work? What can I say truthfully with confidence, born of direct experience?”
Getting back to basics feels good, and I surprised myself with the number of fundamentals I came up with. What wasn’t a surprise was the fact that they don’t just apply to the work I do. They are all basic truths about what it is to live as a human being.
The Alexander Technique isn’t a set of exercises, but it’s crucial to practice every day. So, what exactly are you supposed to be practicing? And unless you’re a monastic or have the luxury of going on a long retreat, you’re not spending the majority of your time in meditation. So what can you do when you’re not meditating that will support and strengthen present moment awareness?
Start by seeing everything you experience as a place of practice.
