Thursday, May 31, 2012

A section of Relationship & Enlightenment Manual

 
Coming to Less






[ Wanting sets up a churning in us. Waiting for the other to change has its own consequences. Just being is a relief.]


Sit across from your partner. You will go through this each three times. (This can be amazing, and liberating, in doing this with a “missing” person in your life. An ex-lover/ ex-spouse/ deceased loved one/ missing to far away friend)
First, look at your partner, while they look at you, and fill yourself with “wanting.” Think of something you “want” from them. Feel what happens inside you when you put your attention there.
Look away, breathe, come back to now.
Second, look at your partner, again while they look at you, and think of “waiting.” But not a calm waiting, but an attached waiting, as if something “needs to happen.” Feel how you feel. Notice.
Third, look at your partner with no waiting and no wanting. Be present. See what there is to experience and enjoy in the very moment of your interaction.
Set a timer to end this sweetness. ( I.e., give yourself three minutes to experience the wanting, the waiting and the empty. Go deep.)
Finish by saying, while present: I am alive, you are alive.
Breathe together and switch roles.
Remember, go back  through this at least two more times.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Neck, Back, Shoulders, Brain... movement lesson fun



This takes some thinking, which won't
harm you.

Just slow down.
In your reading.
In doing the movement.
In taking rests between the movements.
In any confusion or irritation because you don't
"instantly get it."

Is it true you are supposed to "instantly get" everything?
Or is learning a delightful meander sometimes,
and the slower you go,
the faster you learn?

Okay.
Sit in a chair, way up toward the front,
both feet flat on the flow.

Turn your head easily right and left.
very slowly.
feel differences.

rest.

now just turn from the middle to the left.
slowly.
middle to the left and then back to the middle again.
feel how this feels as sensation.
see how far you easily turn.
do this six seven ten times.

rest.

Now, staying on the front of your chair,
put the back of your right hand on your left cheek.
Slow down, you can figure that out.
Back of your right hand on your left cheek.

In this position slowly
turn left
a number of times, and then
back to the middle.

Sense yourself turning left,
sense yourself coming back.

Think of the right elbow as wanting to look
to the left, too.,

Do this six eight ? times.

rest.

Now hug yourself with each hand in the opposite
armpit.
Slow down. You can do it.
Right hand in your left armpit,
left hand you guess where.

Slowly turn your ribs and head to the left
and back to the middle.

Slower.

Breathe.

Enjoy.

rest

Now, hands in opposite armpits again, but the other
arm on top.
Figure it out.
It's fun.

Turn to the left, stay there with your head,
and turn your ribs back to the middle.
Slowly, reverse the two: ribs to the left
and head to the middle
and
back
and
forth,
with the ribs and head going
opposite directions.

Slower the better.
Gentler the better
More aware and pleasurable the curious the better.

A bunch of times.

Rest.

Play with your belly and pelvis a little, like
this:
belly forward, pelvis rolling a bit,
back lengthening,
and
then
belly in, lower back backward,
pelvis rolling back a bit ( as if tucking your "tail bone" under)
your sternum sinking a little.

rest.

Now, take your right hand again
put the palm on top of your head
and slowly pull in your
belly
and take the elbow toward your
right knee
(think it thru),
then push your belly forward
and bring your right elbow
up, higher than your head,
and to the left,
an arc kind of thing,
then belly in, slump down,
bring your elbow back toward your right knee.

do this arc slowly.

rest.

do it again.

rest.

There's a lot more to this one in a class or in person.


If you are in Austin, I'll be talking about this at the Friday morning
Toastmasters that meets at 7:30 AM upstairs at Whole Foods.

Demonstrating three essentials to improve the brain
and the back neck shoulder brain thing.

Toastmasters is free until you join
and this is a very fun club.
Maybe you'll join.


And if you want even more,
next Monday I'm having a intro workshop on
mindful money, mindful relationship,
mindful movement.

There will be even more of this in that intro,
6:30-7:30 PM at Casa de Luz, which you know
if you live in Austin.

If you don't, search out the nearest Anat Baniel Method practitioner,
or the nearest Feldenkrais practitioner and call them up,
and find out where and when group classes are being held.

AND
if you want more of my written ones,
click on the label "movement lessons" below and a string of them will come up.

Enjoy your brain
body
and rewiring as
inspiring
today.


Good.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Loving What Is

we are going to die... can ya love that

some people aren't perfect to us,..
can ya love that

we aren't perfect to our image of "sposed to be"
can ya love that

the missiles fly, the people die..
ugh
can we love that

hard, and if God is Everything
and all is one,
is that like ALL is one,
even the ugh, yuk?

could be

could be

could very well
BEing is
all we got,

this life aware of itself
being a very varied show
as it goes
down
around
up and
down
into the depths
up the skies

flies to the next level
which is here
now

wow

ciao

Chris

Monday, May 21, 2012

Day 5 of "40 Days from Heartbreak to Almost Enlightenment"




5. Loving What Is
[ Welcome to your new lover, the one and only totally, TOTALLY trustable lover: Reality!]

We will be circling back towards this many times, as we explore the work of Byron Katie, as we discover the root of all suffering, as we wise up into the glory of now.

And for today, try this: make a study of when you feel unhappy.

And notice that it is always accompanied by a complaint about reality. (One of those shoulds or shouldn’t again, most likely).

Notice that.
Notice how if you wish harder and stronger that reality be different, you feel worse and worse.

And now try out, test out, tiptoe in to LOVING WHAT IS.

If all alone: love that. Just for a moment. (And then maybe another.)
If angry, love that.
If angry and angry at yourself for being angry, love that.
Is sad, confused, rushed, lazy….., whatever it is, love what is.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Love and Money and Amercia



The other day, there was something in Austin, called the Big Sing.
A man who leads a world famous choral group in Austin, led a couple hundred
strangers through a series of songs.

He made us work, go deep, let our voices resonate, come forth,
express the fullness of life.

All this in a church with amazing acoustics.

And one of the songs was America, the beautiful.

Which, having been burned in the loving our country
disillusion in ... Vietnam, assassinations, pollution, politics, etc
etc, I didn't want to sing

And loved it when I sang,
and had this feeling like America can just break your heart,
the potential, the land, the people, the good side of our history,
and yet,
and yet...
so squandered and endangered and ...
you know,
it's a mess,
this beautiful country

God shed his grace on thee,
indeed.

we need it


and love's like that, too, sometimes
it can break your heart

and there I'm clear,
there's a way out,
a simple way:
be present
or a difficult way:
be enlightened
or an enlightening way:
learning unconditional love,
and anyway you slice it,
love's pain,
is medicine for waking up
to how to really be human


and money,
ah money,
kind of like America:
so much potential,
so squandered,

and is it possible to be kind
and loving
and conscious
and creative
and do lots of good for the planet
and participate in abundance

I think so.

What about you?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

10 Ways to Love yourself a bit more



What comes first: happiness or loving yourself more?

Who knows?
Not I, and have fun with this list I jotted last Monday when doing one of my favorite "life flowing" activities: setting the timer for 22 minutes and writing "whatever."


1. Walk. Mindfully. Outside.

2. Sit at the edge of your chair, relax, rock your tush/ pelvis/ belly forward and back and let your spine follow. Enjoy this.

3. Think about flying. Not in a plane, but as if you had wings and could do the flying thing for awhile.

4. Say thanks to 3 things every hour. Aloud.

5. Play with your attention. Shift from awaring your right hand to awaring your left foot. From right knee to left elbow. From nose to toes. Play with choices and the magic of moving attention. See if you can go a step back from this and be aware of having awareness.

6. Wonder: who am I, really?

7. Do #2 above and add some sort of breathing pattern that feels good.

8. Think of things you like to do. Make a date with you know who to do one of them soon.

9. Write a love letter, to yourself.

10. Mail it. (Mindfully)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Life is Yes, and get better and better



We are born. Some say we don't ask to be born.
Some say we do.

Some say we chose the parents.
Some say it's "just the way it is."

And I say, happy Monday.
We are here, alive, and that to me seem miracle enough,
and the amazing thing is we can be "better"
at....

balance
or
happiness
or
love
or
awareness
or
skill in .....

What would you like to get more skilled in?

What can you do today that would make some small, medium
or
large
gesture
and action
toward that improvement.

And here's the fun:
how can you be totally present
awaring along each moment
as the improvement
either happens
or doesn't happen,

but at least you are
"Farting Around"/
experimenting/
discovering the possibilities.

Life is a game of delight.
Today is moving along.

This moment lasts forever
as long as we experience
What Is.

No waiting
No pushing in line
No entrance fee

The door to Now
is wide open

Life is yes, and can get better and better and better


hmmmmm

Whatcha think about that?

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Buddha's 4 truths and relationship

Buddha truth: 4

Life is suffering ( can be)

Suffering from grasping: cling to, push away

Is way out: enlightenment

Is path to enlightenment



Susan Piver's take on this vis a vis relationships:

Relationships are uncomfortable

Trying to stabilize deny hide from discomfort causes suffering

Unconditional love is possible

Path is:
attention, with precision , on moment and partner

openness to what see

let go of trying to control




good,
and her comment:
of Buddhist trained marriage counselor:
in 30 years never found a couple where one didn't want more away ness,
one didn't want more closeness
good

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Loving What Is

The past is a trick usually
luring us away from the joy
power
excitement
or just plain old:
light sound breath body shape
of
now

now is
always
just what it is

the past
we can wish
were different

we will always lose
by that wish

we will always drain energy
from
Now

we will often destroy happiness
which is who
we really are

and yet we do it:
wish n want the past to be different

oh, well

we can be present to that wishing
and wanting
and just come back to now
and breathe
and be present
and let it go

not like a project,
the "letting it go" project

just like a turning to look at the sunset
instead of our silly smart
phone

shift the awareness from grinding
away at trying to change the unchangable
(the past)
to aware-ing our wish. want to change it
to
being present

to living experiencing
being alive

and how is
that

now
this now?

not the theoretical now

but the real one

yeah,
this one?

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Stuck to Unstuck



Moshe Feldenkrais ends his book, the Potent Self, with a statement to the effect that
"One of the great joys in life is overcoming difficulties."

There you go.

Life is about challenges,
and even if the challenge is being delighted
in the present,
that challenge is always present.

We want to change weight.
Get jobs more in tune with our real nature.
Make more money.
Move more easily.
Improve golf, tennis, swimming, yoga, walking, dancing.

We want to relax more,
Be happier.

That's a good base line isn't it:

To be happy.

Happiness is who we are meant to be.

Unhappiness is the alarm signal:
not living life as it should be lived.

Joy is who we are meant to be.

Frustration means:
we want something more.

Can we be happy
and present
and excited
to take our frustration
and turn it into learning?

I think, feel and have experienced
that's a pretty nice way to live.

What do you think?


Ciao
for
NOW,

Chris

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Waking to Now: in Money, Love & Movement


Workshop this Thursday,
6-8 PM, May 3,
 in Austin, at Casa de Luz,
$30 first person in family or business, $10
if registered online;
($40 and $15 at the door)

Go to the usual place to register:
AwarenessEqualsFreedom.com



What would a MONEY MIRACLE look like?
And how would we look at money, if being present came first,
and our old stories,
pictures,
fears,
worries,
decisions,
patterns,
took a little vacation?
What about seeing money as possibility, beyond greed, fear and worry?
Being present when “it” is discussed.
Loving our vision for the big life we want.
What is your bigger vision on this planet?
Can we dream our big dream and find money as our friend
toward that dream?

What is your life purpose?

Does joy and being present and loving
and connecting to
Nature
seem central to that?

The idea of now, nature and love as a
new holy trinity.

How about Love? Do you have a TEENAGER or a
MATE with whom love is stagnating and/ or missing?
Or is your  relationship pretty great and you wouldn't
mind it getting greater?

We will explore a couple of non-habitual communication possibilities
that could completely free up love to move to whatever its next level
might be.


How are love, attention, awareness and listening all mutually healing?

Are you single, and wishing for AUTHENTIC LOVE?

Are you ready to move with more ease, skill and
pleasure in your body?
And to feel younger, taller, lighter, happier?
To use movement as one more door to the joy and freedom of NOW?


Explore and achieve the amazing possibilities beyond conditioned and habitual life.