"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

23 March 2013

Notice.

Eisenstaedt, Ice Skating Waiter, St. Moritz, 1932


To tune in, do a body scan at any time during the day. Doing this many times during the daycan help re-awaken your sense of feeling what brings you to life. 
You can start at the top of your head and scan all over your body, or you can start with whatever place in your body you first noticed. Let’s start with that. Think about tuning into your body. Which part of your body came to mind first?

Now, without trying to change anything, notice and feel what is happening. Feel the sensations, tightness, temperature, and sounds. What image do you have of that part of your body? Is it spongy? Stretchy? Like a rock?

Now take your awareness to another part of your body. You might feel like you are paying attention to the feeling in your back, then you realize you are noticing your belly rumble, or your feet feel sore. Just keep noticing where your attention is being drawn as you scan your body for sensations.

Go back to the part of your body that you first noticed. What is happening now? Explore the sensations. Has anything changed without you doing anything? You are probably starting to give those bodily sensations the name of a feeling. What is it you are feeling? Tired, tense, alive, happy, relaxed, dull?

Whatever feeling it is, notice what you were doing when you first started paying attention to your body. Is there anything that triggered that feeling? Is it in the space you are in now? Or were you thinking about something, or someone? Or an event? If so, explore that.

No comments: