As I get (ahem) older, my yoga practice is gravitating less towards what can I do with my body, and more towards how can I do less with my mind.
Meditation is my main practice. Movement is still important of course, but I have let go of poses, and their names and am more interested in strengthening my body for stillness, as well as moving with ease. There are many reasons meditation is so important to me. As I practice more I am gaining a deeper understanding of my own mind scape, the types of habits, thoughts and beliefs that shape my inner world, and then my behaviour. This means I have greater choice to vary my behaviour as I understand my thoughts. I practice a range of techniques, many of them based on tantric shaivism or tantric buddhism. I also practice the wheel of awareness developed by Dan Siegel, an expert in neuroscience. This wheel of awareness practice is based on three pillars. I put kind intention at the forefront. This is where we develop the capacity to be compassionate towards our selves and others. My spiritual teachers often promote this pillar by dedicating the fruits of any meditation practice to the benefit of all beings. The other two pillars are focused attention, or concentration and open attention. Focused attention uses mindfulness and strengthens the mind by bringing your awareness to a cho se en point over and over. You can you chose an external focus, such as an object, or a sound such as a mantra, or you can use an internal focus such as your body or breath. Open attention is a pillar I am still understanding. This I where we soften our attention and allow everything to come and go. According to Dan Siegel, these three pillars help us to integrate the functional of the mind, which leads us to be more present to our lives. He sites a range of benefits from this including improved immune function, reduce inflammation, reduced stress response. One of the main benefits for me is increased emotional regulation skills, and an increased ability to chose our actions in the world. I am offering by donation summer meditation sessions in January, focusing on the three pillars. Every one is welcome to join me.
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