Image by Tuan Pham

Hello Beautiful SoulBodies  –

In my somatic therapy work a big part of the process is cultivating noticing…of our body, our behavior, our unconscious ways of reacting. This is the same practice that we engage in meditation…becoming aware of the habits of body and mind and broadening the scope of awareness to find more choice. It is the ability to create some space between the experience and the experiencer; to not just be carried along with whatever is happening but to be willing to slow down and separate enough to see it as you feel it. This is a powerful and important way to move through the world. It is part of growing up and cultivating an adult presence that is responsive rather than reactionary.

“For Hillman, the activity of noticing is a countercultural one, resisting the mania of hyperactivity and over-arousal that the dominant culture encourages. Paradoxically, the first step in archetypal activism is to stop. Only then do we discover ourselves already within a world that we can notice more deeply.”
~ Mary Watkins

I love that James Hillman saw the activity of noticing as countercultural. And it is a revolutionary act to pause and notice and not be swept up in the frenzy of dogma and social expectation and the mis-attuned intensity of the dominant culture. The world needs a revolution in ways of being and seeing so that we can change the narratives and stop the cycles of unthinking reactionary behavior. There is so much rhetoric and co-opting of our attention so that we don’t see what is underneath or notice how our knee-jerk reactions play into the larger power dynamics. We have the ability to notice, to pause and lean back and see how does this impact me, how do I want to respond and how might that help or change the pattern rather than encourage it?

I encourage us all to deepen into the revolutionary act of noticing ourselves…becoming aware of our bodily reactions, our habitual thoughts and automatic assumptions…in that noticing we create some space to see what might be useful and what might want or need some tending and changing. The world needs willing folks to bring awareness to each moment and enliven it with possibility, kindness and presence. Will you join me?

May we take the time to pause and notice what is alive in us at any given moment

May we embrace the rebellious act of stopping and listening before speaking and acting

May we find the ways to nourish this way of being, in ourselves and others, for the collective good

May we bring wild blessings and fierce love to all we encounter

Practice Prompts:

• Take some time daily to sit and simply notice what’s around you…through each of the senses that are available to you…visual, auditory, tactile. After noticing what’s in your field in that moment turn your interest internally and notice any sensation inside your body…weight, movement, etc. As you do this on a regular basis see if you can take this noticing out into the world of everyday interactions and see what happens.
• Play with the practice of See/Hear – Feel…find a tree or plant, a body of water, an animal and spend some time with them. Take them in through your senses, let them land in you and touch you. Then take some time to move as a reflection of how that being now lives inside of you…how have they touched you and how you sense and feel them. Let it be fun.
• Practice the potency of the Pause…before speaking, before acting, before engaging with the world…how does this change what returns to you? Play with the practice of WAIT…Why Am I Talking?
• I offer one to one sessions, in-person in Bend, Oregon, and virtually all over the world. Currently, I am not taking on any more virtual clients and I have a waitlist for in person sessions.  I am happy to answer any questions and help you with referrals.  Please email me or schedule a free 20 minute Exploratory Session.

Live Streaming Practice Opportunities:

• Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Body of Insight
• All Levels Yoga, Sundays… Mar 17, Apr 21, 9:30-11am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
• On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga

Inspirational Wisdom: