Loops We Train
I was introduced to meditation through my coach Jami and he recommended trying Headspace. And one of the analogies I remember relating to immediately was the idea of a hole in the sidewalk. Each day you walk down the sidewalk, you see the hole is coming, you know it’s there but you still fall in. And one day when you’re sitting down there you ask yourself why do I keep doing this. You want to change your experience but continue to repeat the same thing. Many of us can relate to jumping into overwhelming thoughts and reacting to emotions and asking ourselves how’d I end up here again. Now we’re curious about how to respond differently.
Our Training in presence strengthens a connection to the moment by using the breath as an anchor to what’s actually happening. And through cultivating our noting technique,we train to recognize thoughts, feelings and emotions for what they are versus the storylines that we create, that strengthen an attachment and pull us away from presence.
Last class we continued to explore the idea of real but not true. And how our experiences are all real but maybe what we’re telling ourselves, how we identify isn’t true. I asked you to spend some time reflecting on a thought, feeling or emotion that can overwhelm you, something you’re curious to experience differently. And in doing so, being open and kind to what you observe. The way we gain the freedom to be able to walk around the hole in the sidewalk is to start to observe what you keep jumping into.
We’ve talked about intention and consistency as being the keys to all meaningful practices and the importance of finding opportunities in your day to apply the tools we’ve been developing. When we become more aware of some of the attachments we’re falling into,we have a responsibility to ourselves to investigate. And what I mean by that is, we can’t just stop with Noting, “ this thought or feeling really pulls me away, I jump into this just like the hole in the sidewalk.” Part of our practice is to explore the way you attach, having the intention to focus on what you can control and take responsibility for it. And what you can control is how you listen, approach and respond to yourself and others. Part of what limits our ability to build consistency is the belief that we have to relate to our experiences in the same way. Reflect on an unproductive thought that you jump into or get lost in. For me I found myself living in a lot of thoughts about things that had already happened. In someway or another wishing or wanting something to be different. As I continued to train in awareness I recognized how throughout my day I’d repeat the same thing. And even though I wanted to change my experience I continued to fall in the same hole. And my response to myself would be critical or judgemental, keeping me attached. I had the power to train space from this attachment if I had the intention to do so. If I could apply an open approach to becoming aware and a kind response to what I began to hear. Oftentimes in the gym it takes detraining certain movement patterns to learn more efficient ones. If we’ve spent years moving one way, we don’t automatically learn it takes reps, time, patience and an open mind. It’s the same thing when it comes to ourselves and some of our inner challenges. It’s within you to start to create space from certain attachments and detrain these loops. And what this space allows is an opening to new perspectives and approaches, and with consistency you gain an understanding that you don’t have to jump into the hole in the sidewalk and have the freedom to walk around.