Mindfulness made easy: Sofa Sitting
What is mindfulness? Why does it matter? Ellen Langer world-leading social psychologist and the author of 11 books on mindfulness, including the bestseller Mindfulness (1989) states, "Mindfulness is the process of actively noticing new things. When you actively notice new things that puts you in the present. It makes you sensitive to context, and the act of noticing is experienced as engagement. It feels good, and it turns out after 40 years of research, that it's literally and figuratively enlivening."Psychwire
I fell in love with this concept unknowingly 30 + years ago when I began to heal from changing the way I move on a moment-by-moment basis. It became my primary physical therapy tool. Now, at 64, I move better and more relaxed than I did at that time because the building of this habit to NOTICE and being aware is a meditation in and of itself. In this video, I share one of my favorite "mindful postures" that I have used over the years.
A paradox:
It was tough at the beginning of making these physical changes, it was tough because I had to practice over and over to get the comfort and awareness to "stick." Also, I thought "if I'm to be free from a sense of restriction, shouldn't I be doing the opposite? Shouldn't I be moving my body in a variety of ways (like Hatha yoga teaches) to gain relaxed freedom with movement?"
Actually, no. Some areas of the body need lots of movement, like the hips and shoulders. That's their design, but the torso is like a strong house where the organs are kept safe. How could being "restricted" to a smaller set of movements around my center create more freedom? Less can be more. When the mind is quiet, meaning less movement going on, it can be very empowering and bring lots of clarity.
Monkey Mind
The "monkey mind." It moves everywhere and anywhere whenever it wants and does not have a sense of centering and groundedness. Can it ever feel relaxed? No. Centering and being present with your thoughts can feel restricting till it doesn't. If you are still reading this newsletter, you probably have more interest and the ability to easily focus. Being able to observe thought and be actively aware is a much deeper quality than most will ever know. Maybe if we start with the body, the monkey mind will follow.
Physical healing comes when we can be more aware and mindful of our movements. It can also influence the monkey mind if we want. It was a great place for me to start. I was meditating with my body way before I meditated just with my mind. Give it a try and see if sofa sitting will give you an overall sense of well-being that you did not have before.