Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Chapter 90: Facing/ enjoying criticism, and Who is the Real "me" anyhow

Moshe Feldenkrais, in his book
Awareness through Movement,
comes across very strongly in his view of
most of humanity stuck behind their "masks,"
the social construct foisted on them by their social conditioning.

He points out that aware movement, and especially the awareness we
can foster in aware movement,
is the quickest way to begin to connect with somethng
real about ourselves, and make changes that take us behind
our habits and our conditioning.

This is chapter 90 of the book whose name is still in flux:
Write yourself a Love Letter
108 ways to new our way to Now
108
4 Brain Mindfulness
4 Brain Fitness

This chapter itself,
could be in the moving, the thinking, the emotional or the soul section,
but it has some useful hints in finding and loving ourselves, I think.

Loving the all of you.

Make a list of five or ten things that someone thinks are “wrong” with you. This can be a Difficult Person in your life right these a days, or any old dastardly person who has given you a hard time at some time in your life.

Write down the five to ten things, the so-called criticisms.

Breathe.

Smile.

Stand on one foot with one hand behind your head as in the prior game/ activity/ meditation and circle the elbow in the air in such a way that your back, ribs, pelvis, feet, and “whole self” are participating in this circling. Notice both arms and both legs and spine and breathing while you do this.

Make it slower, reverse direction, come into the present, meditate with this motion.

Sit back down. Move your head to the right as you move your eyes to the left, and then, and as always, slow, slower, slowly, move your head to the left as you move your eyes to the right.

Then rest, and notice the non-verbal you.

Now, back to the world of words and concepts. Look at the “list.” Feel how these “criticisms” are at least partially true about the social you, and feel and sense that the “real you” may be closer to the one who can pay attention and standing on one foot and circle the elbow with awareness.

Feel and realize and understand that in some respect, each and every one of these “criticisms,” is at least in part true.

About part of you.

And maybe this “part of you” is not the “real you.”

But nevertheless the character who goes around using your name and behaving in your behaviors at least sometimes seems to act in the ways of the “list.”

You know: “selfish,” “mean,” “unkind,” “withdrawing,” whatever “they”/ someone has told you over the years..

Really, get this. Part of you does this not so wonderful stuff.

Oh, well.

Don’t feel bad. Just realize: hmm, the social not me “me” is not perfect.

See how far you can go with where this could be taken:

Can you feel the difference between the verbal you and the you underneath all the words?

Can you realize that the “list” has a lot of truth about the not you “you?”

Can you look out into the social constructed world and see that almost everyone else has the same “list” of imperfections?

Can you feel love for this so-called “imperfect” being that happens to the socially constructed “you” that might not be “you” at all?

End of chapter, this is around page 200 of the book.

The book is for sale,
as a pdf
over the Internet,
you purchase and I email it to you.


In case you want the book
without looking at the table of contents that
this link will get you to,
here's the pay pal
thing:



108 Paths to Awakening
4 Brain Transformation



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