It sounds comical if you say it enough times, like the sound of a bag of beans or rice plopping on the counter: “Think!”.
In Buddhism or Yoga it may be called any number of things: “monkey mind” or “chattering mind”. I have a more personal pet name: “mental diarrhea”. It’s the constant psycho babble going on the the background of awareness. It follows like a parrot (or, in my case, several of them) sitting on your shoulder, commenting on everything, even about thinking.
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After studying body awareness for awhile through the Alexander Technique, I embraced the health and balance of my body not as something to get other things, not as a physical object to be purchased by the acceptance or praise of others. Physical health and poise are not an ends in themselves. Instead, they determines quality of giving I can offer to the world. My body is the instrument of my living Spirit, a prize possession to be shared and cherished.
Like any instrument, if you play it long enough out of tune, without practicing or refining the quality of its freedom, you are likely left dulled and numb, disconnected from the vitality of Life. I see my body instrument as a necessary indulgence to a vital Spirit.
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The problem with modern existence in a corporate, capitalist world is that we are bombarded with concepts, ideas and products to fill our every desire, and which, in turn, create products of us and our lives. We have little chance to simply be. We eat, sleep, exercise, work and play under the explicit influence of the “best” way to do all these things.
A counselor once told me I needed a T shirt which says, ” The Should man…” to remind me what not to do. She meant that I live in a flood of “shoulds”. I should work, exercise, eat well, have fun, call friends…Yes, I even make work out of fun things. I felt like a puppet dragged about by strings of goals, ideas, concepts, lists. I existed only in terms of what I accomplished, driven by deadlines.
I used to have a list of “to do” things pulling me forward first thing in the morning. Now I stay present in my body and awareness as I decide and intend what I will do. In the first case, I am not in control. In the second, I am.
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Do you fatigue and stress easily? Do you have trouble concentrating?
One of the main tenets of the Alexander Technique is the concept of “primary control“, a phrase coined by Alexander to indicate the importance of freedom in the muscles of the head and neck. (If you want to read a really, really in depth article about primary control go here) He found that the body has no chance of coordinating and flowing in any activity while tension remains in the head and neck. When the neck is free and balanced, the body will order itself more easily.
Most of us respond to stress as any animal would, by going into the “startle position”, with the head pulled back and down, tensing the muscles along the spine, especially the neck. The next time you are really startled, notice how your body recoils and shortens from the top of your head down to your lower back. Yet animals usually revert to a natural, balanced poise when the danger passes. Their physical awareness broadens again to take in the big picture. Since humans are constantly under stress from modern life in general, we tend to stay locked in “startle”. We become habitually unbalanced and our physical spirit suffers.
Personally, I have trouble with concentration. My mind wanders easily, thinking almost compulsively. I’m sure many of you experience the same distracted state. The medical buzzword for this condition is Attention Deficit Disorder, which is a chronic state of distractedness. (And, of course, there are drug treatments for it. Big surprise!) It is a serious issue, especially for adults. However, I am not surprised at this trend, since we have so much to juggle to maintain our busy lives. We maintain and process huge amounts of information thrown at us daily by streamlined technology. Many in modern society live multiple types of lives; for example, raising children and working, often several jobs at once. Driving a car, stressful in itself, hogs a huge amount of time. On top of that, there are constant distractions from our technology; from TV, mobile phones, Internet and pagers. There is little time or space to nurture focus.
For me, forcing myself to concentrate causes stress in the eyes, jaw, mouth, neck and shoulders. This tension aggravates and fatigues me physically. It ends up foiling my attempts to concentrate. This is an example where the physical aspect of living is not only a response to stress, but actually creates and amplifies it. I am learning to concentrate without this physical habit. Primary Control, keeping my head and neck free and soft, is where it all begins.
For example, when reading a book, find a comfortable position, with neck and back supported and balanced. Let your eyes soften and widen, as if they are floating toward your ears. Soften your eyebrows, your jaw, your tongue, your nose. Let your neck release forward and up. Keep your eyes open, and notice the room around you. Fill that space with your awareness. Broaden your vision to take in the room without processing or thinking about what’s in it or what needs to be done. Now, when you begin to read, keep that softness in the awareness. Don’t shutter out everything but the book. It may be tricky to read and stay physically broad. It is for me. But, like riding a bicycle, it will become natural. It’s about balance, being physically present while your mind reads. Your eyes and head and neck don’t read; your mind does.
When the body is poised, it is available to be used for living with quality. When “primary control” is implemented, the whole body-mind-spirit follows and is freer. That physical freedom and balance in the body also raises the quality of mental activity, which is part of the body package. Meditative states are basically the practice of poised mind and body. When one learns to live in a more liberated, balanced state, one is free to choose almost any path from there, without hindrances of tension and poor body use.
Giving love, attention and compassion to others; these actions are not the overflow of attentions to our selves, not the excess pennies or diamonds from our pockets. They are instead creations from the cold stuff of the universe, butterfles emerging, wet and new, transformed from crusty cocoons. Giving and loving is the creation of positive energy, healing not only others, but ourselves, nourishing the greater Self.