#727 Which Mode to Choose?

     Our minds operate, and thus we live, predominantly, in one of two very distinct modes.
     Conditioned mode:
Based on the capacities we inherit (DNA) and the influences of our environment, we learn a set of reaction patterns that favor our (DNA's / progeny's) survival. This is basic conditioning shared by all animals - like training rats in a cage. This set of reaction patterns is who we assume we are most of the time - our identity! It feels easy, automatic / autopilot, "natural", "don't rock the boat", trance-like. It's one more-or-less continuous, uninterrupted "story of me". We (and others) do gradually start seeing how predictable we are. So this approach to life does increasingly become repetitious, boring, almost claustrophobic.
     Awake awareness mode:
Sporadically, spontaneously, we sometimes feel very bright, alert, we sense everything much more clearly, are speechless (wordless), feel a sense of awe, gratitude, and feel amazingly alive. This silent, brightly alert, deeply peaceful sense can also be felt witnessing nature, a loved one (human or pet), hearing or reading poetry, wisdom literature, music, etc. This quality of awareness / life can be intentionally cultivated through, and experienced during meditation. What is awake awareness? Who are we?

     During the day, we can learn to regularly notice which mode we're in. We learn to increasingly choose awake awareness - to see with fresh eyes, think fresh creative thoughts, behave in fresh healthier ways. http://www.johnlovas.com/2016/07/fresh-opportunities-many-times-per.html
     Returning to the land of the walking dead (conditioned mode) is less and less palatable.

#528 Communicating?

     There have been over 110,000 site visits (human : bot ratio?) to the 3 blogs I've been writing since Dec 2011. To these, a mere 52 comments have been posted. I hope the posts are beneficial to you in some small way. 
     A blog is today's "message in a bottle" - thrown into the ocean by someone stranded on a remote island.  
     Feedback - ie your comment - is a tiny commitment. Yet it acknowledges and establishes connection & engagement, humanizes this process, is so welcome, & enlivens both of us!

#513 Well-worn Grooves & New Perspectives

     At some point, we recognize that we're "creatures of habit". Of course those who know us, are well aware of our patterns of speech & behavior. We tend to react in a typical, fairly predictable fashion, to many situations. It's as if the infinite numbers & varieties of stimuli that we perceive from outside & inside our skin boundary could only "push" one of a small number of possible "buttons".
     The instant we become aware of the repetitive pattern of our thoughts, speech or behavior, we become conscious or mindful - no longer fused with, or trapped in "the momentum of our life". But it's very common and seductively easy to remain in a trance- or dream-like momentum. Even those who have some knowledge of mindfulness retain a strong emotional bias towards leaving their lives, warts & all, in the same old well-worn groove. They strongly resist shifting to greater consciousness. This is VERY similar to a sleepy, grumpy person being unhappy that it's time to wake up, get out of bed, & face the new day. They do not appreciate attempts, no matter how gentle or well-intentioned, to get them up.
     To the extent that we identify with the part of us that is in that sleepy, semi-conscious dream state, we resist change ie resist waking up. Filling life with distractions & addictions helps keep us asleep & keeps our attention away from the sad fact that we're living "a life unexamined".
     If we learn to be our own excellent sports psychologist, life coach & trainer, we can live a progressively more conscious, evolved quality of life. To the extent that we get fed up with sleeping our life away, we intentionally, progressively wake up. This is why we participate in mindfulness training.

     Below is a very good, recent overview of mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn speaking in London.

#363 Mind - Emotions - Body: Thoroughly Interconnected & Trainable

     Through mindfulness training, as well as other practices (see below), direct experience tells us that we are infinitely more trainable that we had imagined. This includes not only our bodies, but also our emotions, minds, and even our autonomic nervous system.

      “you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the ‘natural’ response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster – this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response? Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the ‘natural’ response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our ‘natural’ bodily responses are not fixed & immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses.
     Second, the same is true for our mental processes and responses. But in addition, you can change your emotional state by changing an aspect of your physical state.”

     Read the rest of this article by Howard C. Nusbaum: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#

 

RuthC   www.dpreview.com

A psychiatrist once told me that it is possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety without medication or long therapy. In short, you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the "natural" response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster--this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response. Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the "natural" response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will feel start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our "natural" bodily responses are not fixed and immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses. - See more at: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#sthash.bWOBmMxB.dpuf

A psychiatrist once told me that it is possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety without medication or long therapy. In short, you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the "natural" response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster--this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response. Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the "natural" response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will feel start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our "natural" bodily responses are not fixed and immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses. - See more at: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#sthash.bWOBmMxB.dpuf

A psychiatrist once told me that it is possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety without medication or long therapy. In short, you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the "natural" response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster--this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response. Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the "natural" response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will feel start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our "natural" bodily responses are not fixed and immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses. - See more at: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#sthash.bWOBmMxB.dpuf

A psychiatrist once told me that it is possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety without medication or long therapy. In short, you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the "natural" response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster--this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response. Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the "natural" response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will feel start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our "natural" bodily responses are not fixed and immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses. - See more at: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#sthash.bWOBmMxB.dpuf

A psychiatrist once told me that it is possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety without medication or long therapy. In short, you cannot be anxious if you breathe slowly and regularly and do not tense your muscles. When you are anxious, the "natural" response to the feeling of apprehension is to tense your muscles and breathe faster--this is a response of the sympathetic nervous system. But if this is the natural response of your body, how can you possibly change this pattern of response. Perhaps this is easier said than done, but in fact this approach is regularly taught in pre-birthing classes for expectant parents. It may not be the "natural" response, but practice can change this. Breathe slowly and regularly, and when you feel tension in your muscles, you should unclench those muscles, and you will feel start to feel more relaxed. There are three interesting and important implications of this bit of advice. First, our "natural" bodily responses are not fixed and immutable. The things we take for granted about the way our bodies work are not set in stone. Practice can change what seem like reflexive responses. - See more at: http://wisdomresearch.org/forums/t/1209.aspx#sthash.bWOBmMxB.dpuf