Friday, March 12, 2010

Being present: getting back into your body



My last post ended with, "I feel this is one of the most important parts of my work: to give my full attention and guide a person back into their body."

I believe, in this culture, this time period we are not encouraged to feel and be present in our bodies.  Our body is the place where we communicate with the world.  It holds our DNA, our energy, and all of all the experiences we've had in this world. To release a muscle you must be conscious that it is holding.  We are often aware when we have a muscle ache or pain, but will ignore it until it becomes so loud we have no choice but to either numb it out with medication or address it, often with bodywork or a practice like yoga or chi kung.

Things happen, we get injured or our bodies get worn out after constantly using them in the same way. I believe our body and/or the universe is telling us something; when we don't listen it speaks louder and sometimes this hurts.  When we are not present and focused on how we are doing things, we hurt ourselves and sometimes others.  Notice I said "how" not what.  It's not what we do, but how we do it that matters.

As I'm typing this I'm making sure to breathe fully, sit straight and relax my entire body.  Even when doing very physical work such as massage it is important to relax the body and feel what you're doing.  Practice and you will improve. We're never going to be perfect at being present, so don't beat yourself up when you notice you're not present.  Noticing is a great opportunity to shift it and bring yourself here, into your body, into this moment.

It takes time. Be patient. Practice. Experiment. It's not easy, but it's worth it!