As neuroscience has turned its attention to
feelings,
consciousness,
the self,
it has become clear that a lot of simple everyday concepts
that we all (scientists too!) assumed were valid—
—are not good descriptions of what is really going on in the mind and brain.
This is HUGE. These insights, although hard to digest,
point towards a whole new way of experiencing.
For instance, basic concepts like
“perception”,
“action”,
“thought”,
“emotion”,
“I”
“it”
turn out to be flawed.
Stunning! Who’d‘a thunk?
These concepts separate and distort the underlying reality,
which does not divide things up into separate categories like this.
These categories are relics of a dualistic way of thinking.
(Image: Birds by M. C. Escher)
We need to find a different way.
Another example of the dualistic bias of our conceptual mind.
is the tendency to think of the brain/mind as modular,
with separate regions performing separate specialized tasks.
This is only a small part of the story.
In reality, The brain/mind operates as a coherent whole,
Not separate from body and environment;
more like an orchestra, or the ripples on the ocean
than a machine or computer.
The more awake you are, the more connected the brain is;
this means that large areas vibrate at the same or similar frequencies,
this is the same principle behind musical chords that sound pleasant (consonant).
In addition, the more awake & balanced you are,
the more brain activity hovers
“on the edge of chaos”;
poised between too much order & too little,
at the “Goldilocks” place!
This “Natural State” is inherently pleasant, just like a resonant chord. (On the left: Antique Sound, by Paul Klee)
Moving into this connected state
necessarily must involve mind, feelings and body;
separating them inherently reduces connectivity!
When the whole system works without obstruction, we call this the Natural State.
In this state, we are fully connected, acting effortlessly & spontaneously, without inner conflict, and fully integrated with the environment.
Unfortunately, we are not often in this state!
Everybody gets in their own way, more than we realize.
The essence of Bodymind Training is
to learn how to let go of interference
and move towards the Natural State
in all situations of life.
Below is a little map:
Through Bodymind Training
we can move into the Natural State directly
through experiencing the wholeness of our being in the moment:
Standing solidly on the earth,
floating lightly towards the sky,
open to what is all around us.
More about this “map” to come–stay resonant!
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