Some students find it challenging to remain present during movements in a formal session. Thoughts about dinner, the neighbor, family or other challenges we face in our day come rushing forward as we are working to remain present with our movement, energies flowing inside, breath and the moment. So how are we once we leave the dojo/sacred space? Most people, when they honestly observe themselves, come to realize quite quickly that remaining present and aware inside and out in the moment is not as easy as they thought. Observing ourselves in this way is very revealing.
We can come to know our thought patterns, speech patterns and ways of moving and acting in the world and inside of ourselves. All these things contribute to our perception of reality and creation of our world - inner and outer. All these keep us from seeing, feeling, and hearing more of God's (Great Spirit, Tao, Universal Energy) Energy inside and all around us. Once this door is open, we realize that we really saw, smelled, felt and heard very little before.
Observing our movements in a formal class can assist us in finding areas in our form where energies are not flowing, where our awareness is lacking, where tensions and stresses are stored and so on. So many of us are quite disconnected from the wisdom of the body which is always wanting to whisper its secrets to us ... it will tell us immediately all sorts of things about our present reality and experience in the moment. The body will tell us about the energies we encounter and how we are handling the experience of these energies. The body will even tell us where it is safe and where it is not. Working formally with the body in specific ways, we can release the past energies which are stuck and then become solidified ... utilizing all the tools we learn, we free our selves over time, with work. Working to awaken ourselves and unite all aspects of our being in turn awakens abilities we consider extraordinary.
How much work and for how long? ... students will ask about their healing process ... and the road to enlightenment .... once again, we are not, in reality, a boxed in organism like some organizations treat us with their rigid systems ... we are truly unique and so this answer depends on the path you currently walk ... and mostly on you. All of us require the freedom to grow and utilize tools according to our level of being.
Awaken more deeply in every day. Application, consistently, over time, of the tools we learn will assist us in this. Keep these pitfalls listed below in mind, and rather than quickly say that you do not do these things, simply be interested in observing yourself the way you are ...when you catch a moment where one of these arises within you, simply be aware of it without labelling or judging yourself ... breathe, and consciously shift your attention to something in the moment worth your energy.
Pitfalls: gossip, judgment (of all these things, it applies to yourself too ... judging your self, gossip of self etc.), comparison, labelling, criticism, unconscious daydreaming, rehearsing negative scenarios and experiences which happened and which you find unpleasant and unresolved, outward expressions of sarcasm (sarcastic humour is tricky ... is often used as a way to take stabs unconsciously at people and then we laugh and write it off as humour)etc. These are some traps which keep us in a negative focus.
Another key is to observe yourself without judgment around others ... notice your energies inside, your thoughts, your emotions rising ... your body movements .. these observations will tell you much about yourself and the way you deal with the energies of others. It is a rich ground for soul development. The key here is to develop enough awareness to be able to reflect on these things. As a teacher and counsellor for many years, I have observed the ways in which we hold the truth back from ourselves, and it is sad, really, because it traps us from seeing reality, moving forward and freeing up more of the Universal Energy to flow within us ... providing greater levels of health and ability. This work, is once again very individual and so we are where we are and will only see what we are willing and able to see now.
We will encounter moments when unknown (unconscious to us) aspects of our selves come forward as a result of doing our work ... we may then be confronted with a mirror ... depending on the level we are at when we receive such a clear instance of our unconscious and perhaps unhealthy patterns, this can be very challenging. It is our ability to face these moments and see something .... no matter how hard it may be .... which determines our ability to then transform it. This is one meaning of the light coming into the darkness within ... the space remains dark as long as we do not see and transform it. Then, on a literal level, when we are freer inside and all around our form, it translates into the quality of light which we are.
Awaken more deeply in every day. Find out, through honest self-reflection the tricky ways you have learned to keep the inner truth from yourself. Learn to love your Work. Love and accept yourself exactly as you are without justifying why or how you must remain as you are. Allow yourself to expand and grow spiritually. Learn to love truth and to see yourself the way you really are. Be happy when you uncover another layer to work on ... no matter how difficult you may imagine it to be. Know that this frees you and that you are divine - you can transform anything.
