physical capabilities

The Art of Paying Attention

by ultrapeg

Whenever I hear about a personal injury or accident, the description is almost always followed by a disclaimer such as “It was something stupid . . .” or “I was not paying attention”.  One of the goals of both Yoga and Pilates is to promote awareness of how your own body works and to encourage attention to the details of movement.  This may not always be as easy as it sounds, but can be accomplished through practice.  That’s what our classes are all about – helping you set aside the time to practice moving mindfully.  The more you practice, the more your focus and self-knowledge will improve.  Then as you bring these techniques into your everyday life, you may find that by paying attention your movement may seem easier.  Perhaps you will even be able to avoid injury or at least recover more quickly.  And maybe you will even gain a greater appreciation for your miraculous ability to move and breathe.  We are all fallible humans so this process is not likely to be foolproof, but improvement is always possible.

In  the article  “Attention Means Attention” in Tricycle Magazine,  Charlotte Joko Beck, Zen teacher, author and founder of the Ordinary Mind Zen School, says:

“Every moment in life is absolute in itself. That’s all there is. There is nothing other than this present moment . . . So when we don’t pay attention to each little this, we miss the whole thing.”

It doesn’t matter what the contents of the moment are. . . each moment is absolute. If we could totally pay attention, we would never be upset. If we’re upset, it’s axiomatic that we’re not paying attention.

Our problems arise when we subordinate this moment to something else, our self-centered thoughts: not just this moment, but what I want. We bring to the moment our personal priorities, all day long. And so our troubles arise.

When attention to the present moment falters and we drift into some version of “I have to have it my way,” a gap is created in our awareness of reality as it is, right now. Into that gap pours all the mischief of our life. We create gap after gap after gap, all day long. The point of practice is to close those gaps, to reduce the amount of time that we spend being absent, caught in our self-centered dream.”

So if you are tempted not to come to class or to skip your practice, one way to motivate yourself might be to remember that all of us are practicing together.  We all need help eliminating the gaps in our awareness.  Each day is a new opportunity to start again.  Knowing that others are also working at this can be comforting and strengthening.   When you focus on  your practice, you are not just improving yourself, but also helping all of those around you – simply by paying attention.

Thoughts On Change

by ultrapeg

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Fittingly, I recently came across an appropriate quote from Dr. King:

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

This appeared in the context of an article written by Bodhipaksa. a Buddhist practitioner, writer, and teacher who is also the founder of the website:  wildmind.org. His most recent book, Living as a River, was published by Sounds True in October, 2010.  Bodhipaksa taught Buddhist meditation in the Religious Studies department at the University of Montana and now teaches at Aryaloka Buddhist Center in Newmarket, New Hampshire.

In this article he talks about an experience he had as a novice rock climber.  He says about a third of the way through the climb he found himself:

“suspended half-way up a cliff, in a state of anxiety . . . holding on to a narrow ledge that ran horizontally across the rock face.  . . . As I looked up, and as far as I could see there was nothing but smooth rock all the way to the top. . . . above me was a featureless expanse of cliff, with no hand- or toe-holds. I was only about a third of the way up, and it didn’t seem as if there was any way forward.  . . . I looked around, and realized that the only way I could move was sideways. That wasn’t going to take me closer to the top, but at least it was movement. . . . once I moved and took another look at my situation, I could see a handhold above me that hadn’t been visible before.

He goes on to conclude that “Sometimes, even if the way isn’t clear, you simply have to change something — almost anything — in order to see things from a different perspective. . . . sometimes we just have to try something new. ”

At this time of New Year’s resolutions, many of us have a desire to make a commitment to change something in our lives.  The above quote and story demonstrates that some changes won’t happen by themselves.  They require a leap of faith and a willingness to believe that a new vista will emerge even if we don’t know what that looks like right now.  We are all victims of inertia; we want things to stay the way they are.  But change is the only real constant in this world.  And, as Albert Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.   There is a certain security in the familiar.  Yet a paradox exists when there is something within that state of complacency that just isn’t serving us anymore.  Then a dissonance arises that can throw off all other aspects of our lives, including our relationships with others and the way we feel about ourselves.  The only way to restore harmony is to change.  But that prospect can be scary, especially when the outcome is not clear.

So getting back to that quote above, each change starts with one step.  And maybe we don’t know where that step will take us, but if we know we don’t want to (or can’t) stay where we are that first step is the only way to start the process.

As many of you know, I used to run marathons and ultramarathons.  People would ask me “How can you run 100 miles?”  The answer was that I didn’t; I ran one step at a time.  Then I ran from mile marker to mile marker or from water stop to water stop.  You can’t wrap your mind around the entire trip, but you can always take one step.

Years ago I read an article (unfortunately, I no longer have the attribution) by a reporter who travelled to the Sahara Desert to report on an ultramarathon held there annually called the Marathon des Sables.  It is a stage race (meaning that different distances are run each day) of approximately 150 miles held over a period of 6 days.  The reporter tagged along behind the runners curious to know what it was like to run such a race in the middle of the desert.  At one point he asked one of the runners “What do you think about over all those miles in the heat?”  The Zen-like answer was “ I think about the next step”.   That story stuck with me through all these years because it rings so true:  one doesn’t run 26 miles or 100 miles or even 1 mile.  We simply string together one step at a time.

So if you are planning some change in 2013 – or any other time for that matter – remember that the only way to get there is to take that first step.  Even if you’re afraid, you may find that first step is enough to give you a new perspective.  Maybe you’ll see that your footing really is OK in that new position and from there you will have the confidence to take the next step.

Hope to see you in a Pilates or Yoga class very soon!