Tuesday 6 May 2014

Twenty-one days to create a new neural pathway - part 2

Day 8 (30th April) - didn't have time for Mindful Movements before leaving the house this morning but was presented with a fairly short but brisk walk through town as I had to park further away than intended. at this stage it doesn't seem difficult in finding something to do and I wonder why the mind presented so many objections previously. Did the Mindful Movements in the evening with a group of University students. That was interesting as one of them was visually impaired and so I had to think much more carefully about what I said to describe each movement. It made me realise how much I rely on people being able to see me when I lead them with a group.
Day 9 - feeling a bit achy from the movements yesterday so I noticed some of the old reluctance creeping back in. But I did do the Mindful Movements after morning meditation and really got into the flow with the last one, watching the hand as it sweeps from the hip right up into the sky.
Day 10 - Mindful Movements after meditation this morning. On a retreat for the next 3 days so confident there will be at least the Movements each morning and a meditative walk after lunch.
Day 11 - Mindful Movements with the group and a bit of 'yoga for softies'. On the walk after lunch we went the wrong way and got told off by a fisherman that we shouldn't be there! But still managed to appreciate the connection of the feet with the earth and how bringing the attention down there naturally brings it away from the mind.
Day 12 - Mindful Movements and a bit of yoga then an hour long hike up on Pendle Moor, not finding the path but instead hearing and seeing a Skylark ascending, a newborn lamb and a deer that didn't run away when it spotted us!
Day 13 - Mindful Movements and a bit of yoga. It is starting to feel natural now, part of the daily routine.
Day 14 - (back home) started with the Mindful Movements but it became clear as I did one movement (touching the earth, touching the sky) that the connection with the breathing was already leading towards meditation. This related to a practice of conscious breathing we did over the weekend being aware of the space between the in-breath and out-breath. So I moved from this into meditation and then concluded the movements and some yoga afterwards. It felt very natural to do it this way and easier to meditate!
I'm already considering what the next habit is that will be addressed through a 21 day programme. It is going to be giving up playing games on the computer which I had been using as a break from the Ph.D. work but it has become more addictive and something that I tend to do each morning before starting work, a good means of procrastination! I don't think this is going to be so easy to address as the movements but having already had 2 days of no games after being on the retreat I'm off to a good start!

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