Do you feel lonely? I know I often do. I am curious about the contradiction inside myself of this feeling and my pursuit of Feldenkrais® and Breathing.
I enjoy the feeling of internal connection and calm in my breathing when I attend to myself in a movement lesson. But, I am aware I distract myself frequently by keeping "busy", spending time on social media, and watching BritBox (btw I am addicted to All Creatures Great and Small).
Thich Nhat Hanh, the great Buddhist Monk and Teacher, would say I am getting lost and neglecting my HOME. By home he is refers to the Island of Self and that if we leave our body/self we let our home get dusty and messy. The answer? I lie down, listen to my breath and attend to a Feldenkrais lesson. This way I am tidying up my messy HOME.
However it was Thich Nhat Hanh's words about how to attend to this act that struck a cord. Attending to the body and breath is an act of compassion and love toward oneself, and returning to body is returning home and when we are home we are not lonely. This framework of thought makes a big difference to me.
How does it feel for you? Does it change how you feel about taking care of yourself?
Granted there are times it is not a friendly place... to be in the body. Pema ChΓΆdrΓΆn, an American Buddhist Teacher discusses 3 Ways to Transform Emotion. 1. Drop into the body, 2. bring attention to where you are right now, and 3. be kind to yourself.
All this resonates with the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. Honouring the body as our home and showing it some TLC is a central theme and a way to feel less alone.
In my upcoming series Feeling Stable with a Wiggle in your Walk we will attend to breath and bring curiousity and kindness to ourselves as we sense possibilities of movement in the legs, hips and supporting structures....
And of course keep ourselves good company as we walk through this wobbly world. |
No comments:
Post a Comment