I have been trying to find the ‘right’ words to convey my thoughts on this for a while and thanks to a book ‘One Minute Nonsense’* have found the analogy I wanted:
A journalist is interviewing a Spiritual Master (pick thy prefered flavour, banana, strawberry, chocolate etc)!
“What, concretely, is Enlightenment?”
“Seeing Reality as it is.”
“Doesn’t everyone see Reality as it is?”
“Oh no! Most people see Reality as they 'Think' it is.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference between thinking you are drowning in a stormy sea - and knowing you cannot drown because there isn’t any water for miles around.”
To me this represents the ability to take a step back from the ‘problem’, taking a few breaths, and then ascending the previously insurmountable!
Now in this sense, ‘Reality’ isn’t an illusion as such, but our perceptions/conceptions about it are, or at least based on ‘thought projections’ rather than seeing the world/situation as it truly 'is'.
We project all sorts of expectations on a scenario and are often surprised when events turn out ‘differently’ to them. Why should A occur, when B, C or even J are equally viable/possible options? Because we were only prepared for the occurrence of A! Do we therefore adapt our concepts? No, we more usually reinterpret the outcome in terms of A, no matter how difficult/complicated that is compared to any other interpretation. This would usually be considered at least ‘Unsane’ behaviour, or 'floundering in an ocean of one's own imagination!'
* One Minute Nonsense - Anthony De Mello
http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Minute-Nonsense-Anthony-Mello/dp/8187886285/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285673933&sr=1-1
Lady-Butterfly
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Monday 27 September 2010
Breathing Through Your Eyelids!
Years ago i was at a girlfriends, and had flu, you know blocked up and snotty. Well we were in bed and the snuffling type noises were starting to get to the poor lady, compassion or not. I suddenly remembered we'd been watching Bull Durham (the baseabll film), and there was a line where Susan Sarandon's character says that the Aztec Shaman could breathe through their eyelids.
So, I decided to play the “What if I could?” game (or let’s pretend), where we suspend our disbelief and use our imaginations for a while. What had i got to lose - and it worked and here's how. I've since played with breathing through all the Chakras with some ineresting results!
Sit comfortably with your back straight and feet flat on the floor (cross legged on the floor or lying on your back). Hold your hands comfortably over your belly (diaphragm) and breathe slowly and deeply, noticing the rise and fall of your hands (belly) as you do so. Now, focus both of your eyes on the centre of your forehead, between your eyebrows (your brow chakra, or “Third Eye”) and continue to do so as you shut your eyes.
Begin to visualise the passage of your breathe as it enters through your eyelids, and travels down the front of your body to the base of your spine. As you breathe out, visualise the breath traveling up your back, round the top of your head, until it flows out again through your eyelids. after a few breathes you may even 'feel' a slight fluttering from your eyelids as the breath 'enters' and 'exits'!
Now, to make it slightly more calming, as you breathe repeat to yourself:-
Breathing In, I calm my body and mind,
Breathing out, I smile,
Dwelling in, the Present moment,
I realise that, it is a Wonderful moment.
(from Thich Nhat Hahn - Peace is Every Step)
This simple breathing technique will swiftly place the practitioner into an alpha state, clear the airways and stop ears from popping if practised whilst flying! (The 'scientific' explanation would be that it changes the pressure in your eustation tube thereby alowing the airways to become unblocked)
If it works - Use It,
If it doesn't don't - but give it a fair chance!
Enjoy: Whatever, Wherever, with Whomever!
So, I decided to play the “What if I could?” game (or let’s pretend), where we suspend our disbelief and use our imaginations for a while. What had i got to lose - and it worked and here's how. I've since played with breathing through all the Chakras with some ineresting results!
Sit comfortably with your back straight and feet flat on the floor (cross legged on the floor or lying on your back). Hold your hands comfortably over your belly (diaphragm) and breathe slowly and deeply, noticing the rise and fall of your hands (belly) as you do so. Now, focus both of your eyes on the centre of your forehead, between your eyebrows (your brow chakra, or “Third Eye”) and continue to do so as you shut your eyes.
Begin to visualise the passage of your breathe as it enters through your eyelids, and travels down the front of your body to the base of your spine. As you breathe out, visualise the breath traveling up your back, round the top of your head, until it flows out again through your eyelids. after a few breathes you may even 'feel' a slight fluttering from your eyelids as the breath 'enters' and 'exits'!
Now, to make it slightly more calming, as you breathe repeat to yourself:-
Breathing In, I calm my body and mind,
Breathing out, I smile,
Dwelling in, the Present moment,
I realise that, it is a Wonderful moment.
(from Thich Nhat Hahn - Peace is Every Step)
This simple breathing technique will swiftly place the practitioner into an alpha state, clear the airways and stop ears from popping if practised whilst flying! (The 'scientific' explanation would be that it changes the pressure in your eustation tube thereby alowing the airways to become unblocked)
If it works - Use It,
If it doesn't don't - but give it a fair chance!
Enjoy: Whatever, Wherever, with Whomever!
Friday 24 September 2010
Barefootedness
OK - 20 years ago i ripped hell out of my right foot (being right biased) and was 'banned' by my then doctor from all sport. At 22 i was fit active and the idea seemed silly! However, as i soon discovered this was no laughing matter. If i went to kick a ball back to kids in the park, as a consequence, i may not be able to walk properly for a week - let alone climb a tree! So reluctantly had to be a spectator at all but swimming.
At 25 i went to University in Hull, and consequently changed doctors etc. Mentioning my foot problem to Dr Jones, he simply asked if i ever used to walk barefooted. I replied i grew up 10 minutes from a beach in Cornwall - of course! Apparently, as there was no operation available for my condition (at least on the NHS), if i went barefoot as much as possible, that would strengthen the muscle in my foot, which would then support the tendon, which could conceivably then allow me to participate in sport once more!
I don't think he ever envisaged me taking it as far as i did (6 months a year) but his advice paid off and could at least climb trees and have a kick about with friends (though my best position by far was always in goal!).
Then 10 years ago, at 32, i managed to have an altercation with a motorbike; i got hit between the legs by a motorcycle courier, then carried down the road on the front wheel, before he hit a car and i sailed over it! Bike - cracked front fairing; Me - broken pelvis, broken collar bone, contusions on my brain, slackened right eye muscle, numb mouth! Think that means it won!
I returned to Hull, (somewhere flat and cheap!), and within 6 months, breakages knit but I was left with double vision and a mouth that felt like the dentists injection was just about to wear off! The Consultants answer: my bottom right eye muscle had slackened, so, as they couldn't tighten eye muscles (at least on the NHS), they would operate on my good left eye to make it as bad as my right eye!
To me this was like taking a car into the garage with steering issues and the mechanic saying, " You have a loose and a tight wheel, so what we're going to do is loosen off the tight wheel, to make it as slack as the other one to balance the steering! Think you'd go to a different garage?
A second opinion revealed that the consultant was one of Europe's leading eye specialists, and that 95% of people with my condition had the operation. To his surprise i asked about the other 5%? He seemed confused. I wanted to know about the 5% that didn't have the operation because i'd decided to become one of them! We talked about the lazy eye patch that kids had at school - you remember - NHS specs with a plaster stuck over one eye? It was specifically the lower part of my right eye that needed the exercise. Eye muscles are also intrinsically 'lazy' - you have to 'force' them to work!
Having thought about it - of course - go barefooted again. i already knew how to do it - i just had to re-learn within my current constraints! And if i stuck to it - no matter what! - then it might just be worth a try! So, double vision when looking directly down, but not at about 1.5m ahead; so all i needed to do was check ahead ad adjust my footwork accordingly. Yes i cut my feet several times. But no i didn't have the operation. In fact my eyesight is better now then when i was when i hurt my foot initially!
So, whilst these days i do use barefootedness as part of my spiritual practice in mindfulness, and Being Here Now!, it was fundamentally a GP, Dr Jones from Cottingham Road, Hull who lead me to the Barefoot Path and to whom my health, and 'Groundedness' will be forever indebted! Thank You once more, and may Blessings be showered upon thee and thy patients!
At 25 i went to University in Hull, and consequently changed doctors etc. Mentioning my foot problem to Dr Jones, he simply asked if i ever used to walk barefooted. I replied i grew up 10 minutes from a beach in Cornwall - of course! Apparently, as there was no operation available for my condition (at least on the NHS), if i went barefoot as much as possible, that would strengthen the muscle in my foot, which would then support the tendon, which could conceivably then allow me to participate in sport once more!
I don't think he ever envisaged me taking it as far as i did (6 months a year) but his advice paid off and could at least climb trees and have a kick about with friends (though my best position by far was always in goal!).
Then 10 years ago, at 32, i managed to have an altercation with a motorbike; i got hit between the legs by a motorcycle courier, then carried down the road on the front wheel, before he hit a car and i sailed over it! Bike - cracked front fairing; Me - broken pelvis, broken collar bone, contusions on my brain, slackened right eye muscle, numb mouth! Think that means it won!
I returned to Hull, (somewhere flat and cheap!), and within 6 months, breakages knit but I was left with double vision and a mouth that felt like the dentists injection was just about to wear off! The Consultants answer: my bottom right eye muscle had slackened, so, as they couldn't tighten eye muscles (at least on the NHS), they would operate on my good left eye to make it as bad as my right eye!
To me this was like taking a car into the garage with steering issues and the mechanic saying, " You have a loose and a tight wheel, so what we're going to do is loosen off the tight wheel, to make it as slack as the other one to balance the steering! Think you'd go to a different garage?
A second opinion revealed that the consultant was one of Europe's leading eye specialists, and that 95% of people with my condition had the operation. To his surprise i asked about the other 5%? He seemed confused. I wanted to know about the 5% that didn't have the operation because i'd decided to become one of them! We talked about the lazy eye patch that kids had at school - you remember - NHS specs with a plaster stuck over one eye? It was specifically the lower part of my right eye that needed the exercise. Eye muscles are also intrinsically 'lazy' - you have to 'force' them to work!
Having thought about it - of course - go barefooted again. i already knew how to do it - i just had to re-learn within my current constraints! And if i stuck to it - no matter what! - then it might just be worth a try! So, double vision when looking directly down, but not at about 1.5m ahead; so all i needed to do was check ahead ad adjust my footwork accordingly. Yes i cut my feet several times. But no i didn't have the operation. In fact my eyesight is better now then when i was when i hurt my foot initially!
So, whilst these days i do use barefootedness as part of my spiritual practice in mindfulness, and Being Here Now!, it was fundamentally a GP, Dr Jones from Cottingham Road, Hull who lead me to the Barefoot Path and to whom my health, and 'Groundedness' will be forever indebted! Thank You once more, and may Blessings be showered upon thee and thy patients!
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