At the start of the year I set an intention for heart expansion, and yet what kept coming in as my deepest paths of learning were breath and balance. It wasn’t totally out of left field because breath and balance are foundational to my work and personal practice, but these Read more…
Continuing with our investigation and experiencing of what it really means to “take a conscious breath,” today we’re practicing how to work with the mind so we can begin tapping into our other centers of knowing. After we take our first conscious breaths, turning inward, really holding (not rushing to Read more…
As human beings, we have a lot of ways of knowing, and it can make life a whole lot easier when we can figure out how we know what we know, and tap into the most appropriate channels of knowing for every context we find ourselves in. Earlier this summer we talked a lot about discerning the difference between being in our head vs. heart because I am convinced that we tend to overuse our heads in situations where our hearts should be leading. This leads to a lot of overthinking, second-guessing, doubt, and confusion. Our heart knows what it knows, but our head constantly gets in the way. This month I revisited that idea, but with more complexity.
HEAD
First, I want to emphasize the fact that our intellectual faculty is not the enemy. There are times when the head should very definitely lead the way. Deciding between health insurance plans, for example, is a choice we want to be very rational about, because it is a decision that requires us to assess very tangible needs and constraints from financial and medical points of view. Reading through lists, crunching numbers, planning, and making sense of data is all stuff that our brains are equipped to do. The intellect is also great in a supporting role. Once you make a decision from a deeper place in your being (e.g., where you want to take your next vacation), you can task your head with budgeting, planning, and filling out the details.
I still maintain, however, that we tend to rely on our head too much. For some people, it’s when try try to make career decisions. For others, it might be in their romantic relationships. At first it can be challenging to catch ourselves overthinking, because we are so accustomed to being in our heads, and it gives us a (false) sense of being in control. But the more you drop into your body (in meditation, in any mindfulness practice), the more you will recognize the feeling of being in your head. Also, here’s another clue: If you are asking the question “Should I…?” a lot, you are probably too much in your head about something. When you find yourself in this position, I recommend you drop down “lower” or “deeper” into your being. Where, exactly, depends on the context (more on that below). (more…)
WHAT IS SHIELDING? Earlier this year we went over grounding and centering as basic meditation and energy management practices. This month we added shielding to our tool belt. What is shielding? It’s something I believe we all learn to do instinctively when we are young. There are many ways to Read more…
I admire yogi Michele Theoret for many of the same reasons I admire Noah Karrasch: both are on a mission to increase awareness around the mind body connection, so we can move through life with grace, vitality, and equanimity. I brought Theoret’s book, Empowered Body, to our last Dreamers & Schemers gathering on roots and grounding because she writes very clearly about what it means and why it is so important to be physically, mentally, and emotionally grounded: (more…)
Freeing Emotions and Energy Through Myofascial Release, by certified Rolfer and CORE practitioner Noah Karrasch, is intended for bodyworkers, but I found it to be a terrific resource for bringing awareness to different parts of my own body. Karrasch includes exercises that individuals can do themselves to increase mobility and Read more…
[For my Dreamers & Schemers]
A lot of people ask me how I get my meditation and yoga practice “off the mat.” Today provided a really good occasion for me to break down exactly how I do this multiple times throughout my day, and for that I’m truly grateful. This story really begins late last night, when I went to bed already concerned about whether or not I would attend both my morning aerial hammock conditioning and my afternoon flying trapeze class. (more…)