This is one of the easiest and at the same time most difficult lessons. It’s super easy because all you need to do is feel your body. It’s super difficult because all you need to do is feel your body!… and it can be soooo difficult to find the motivation, to remember, do simply to it even though it seems silly, or whatever excuses you might come up with.
All these exercises have come from my intense martial arts trainings where divine connection comes through intricate understanding of your body – where your body is in time and space, and feeling your body as a unit. Because…. where mind goes energy goes. If you can pay attention to your entire body as a unit, you sense yourself as a totality and thus have become ONE with the divine through 100% focus and ‘feeling sensation’, you have completed your energetic awareness and have thus access to full cosmic energy flowing through your being. Thus you become ‘invincible’ as a martial artist…
For our uses as Yogis,… just becoming ‘one with the divine’ will suffice :o)
Why is this desirable? Because you become acutely present, because your body floods with yummy energy and because it feels sooooo gooood!!!!
Here are some practices for ‘off the mat’, then in future modules we will bring the concept of full body awareness of these exercises into our Yoga practice.
Like for the Gayatri lesson, the following two exercises are to be done for 3 FULL DAYS.
One exercise for the mornings, one for the rest of the day, all day long.
Each morning for 3 days
(or more if you desire)
Every morning, I’d like you to sit for 5-10 minutes in front of an empty wall. Try to feel your nose. With all your being feel your nose. When you can feel it fully, ‘see’ it reflected on the wall.
Then when you can feel your nose, feel your ears. When you can feel them fully, ‘see’ them reflected on the wall.
Basically each body part that you can feel, see it reflected or ‘projected’ against the wall.
If you can’t feel it, you can’t see it, get it?
Sounds easy? Ok, now try to feel both your nose and ears AT THE SAME TIME. Only if you can feel them BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, CAN YOU SEE THEM PROJECTED AGAINST THE WALL.
I’m not talking about oscillating back and forth, but truly feel both at the same time.
Keep practicing until you can FEEL and therefore SEE your ENTIRE BODY ON THE WALL.
It’s ultimately about FEELING YOUR ENTIRE BODY AS A UNIT “AT THE SAME TIME” FROM THE INSIDE!
For me this was not easy until I realized...
It's about FEELING your body,
NOT thinking it.
There is a difference...
ENJOY!
For the rest of each day ...
All day long throughout the day, or as much as you can, I would like you to concentrate on feeling your entire body as a unit.
You can imagine feeling yourself as a hologram, or even seeing your movements from behind (ie, you lift arm, you see yourself from behind lifting an arm).
You can write it on your hand to remember doing it, just like you did for the Gayatri mantra.
If you are in lock down and/or you have nothing else to do, do it for 3 days solid- ALL THE TIME – … your brain will open like you cannot believe…
Remember, this does NOT have to be a dedicated practice time. You can do this walking to the shop or sitting on the bus or opening the fridge, doing the dishes, vacuuming (hoovering)...
This is about doing it so much that your entire being becomes consumed by this practice.