I wrote the blog below in December 2005 and am now reflecting on my progress. Being present is an ongoing process not a destination. Things I now learned are:
- Continuous connected breathing requires practice
- Create a ritual or habit for meditation with breathing
- Set an intention for each session
- Become aware of your feeling
I have always been fascinated by time and what it is. The concept of eternity in realtionship to time is not an easy leap. How does one exist outside of time? I found a book that helped called the Power of Now by Tolle. It is fascinating and I love the quote "There is no past or future only the eternal now". His concept is that everything but the present moment is conceptual and exists in our mind. For a fellow who worships his intellect this was hard to swallow. Also I found the translation of the concept into something practical difficult but I knew it was possible.
Recently I was pointed to another book called The Presence Process – A Guide to Present State Awareness" by Michael Brown which is a more practical approach to experiencing Now I think. The book is a process and I am about to embark on the process. I will use this blog to chart my progress. One of the key parts of the process is conscious continuous breathing. It is a key to present state awareness. Most of really breath very much out of our awareness. Another aspect of the process is exploring the causes of our the effects we have which restrict us. His theory is that are emotional development occurs in the first seven years, then our physical development follows and then our mental development. It kind of fits with Adlerian Psychology which talks about the importance of our development before continuous memory. So the book has a process which involves breathing, activating questions and reading each week. The initial question before one starts is what is you intention for this process. Mine is greater integration of my whole being so I am at peace with myself and take more responsibilty for the world where I find myself. So in December 2005 I am about to embark on this journey. An subsidiary intention would be more at peace with my golf game and my singing.
I invite comments
