Entries in somatics (4)
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The End of A World
There are some that prophesize the end of the world in the next few days. Probably they are not going to be right, as other such predictions have come and gone. There is, however, something true about the sense that a world is ending.
From a purely psychological standpoint one could argue that one's world is really a collection of "things I know and expect." Or maybe more concretely "my familiar range of sensation and emotional experience." Change is clearly upon us. Financial and employment uncertainties, revolutions and mass protests ... these seem to be the headlines of our times.
Change can evoke fear, a somatic and cognitive rigidity that often accompanies a fight/flight response in many humans. Breathing, prayer, meditation, community, and support are often helpful remedies to such a response. Anger, blame, judgement, or isolation are other alternatives.
So as our personal worlds transition into new forms, there are those who practice integration strategies. The personal satisfaction that emerges, the joy and peace readily available in this moment, this could be called "Heaven" by many. Those of us who feel and indulge the more challenging responses, maybe we are in "Hell" in those moments.
[Photo: Nicholas Roerich "Armageddon"]
myth psychology somatics spirituality Alignment is Movement
Alignment can look like a static position, but the opposite is true. As in yoga, the most steady and supported shape is really a series of new shapes - a continuous series of micro adjustments. These adjustments can flow naturally from a grounded and dynamic organization of the body ... often using breath, muscles, gravity.
This is easy to write or to read, more difficult to execute. Cognitive understanding of this process is not the full answer. Alignment is a felt sense of change and adjustment ... that moves ... something that lives for a moment, then dies.
What can often prompt difficulty in generating this sense of ease is losing the connection to one's body. Observing others, wishing to have their "skills" or "gifts" is a sure approach to falling over.
